Tainan city registered at the World Council on City Data (WCCD) in February 2017 in hope to be certified against ISO 37120. Through the joint efforts of all government departments, Tainan presented a comprehensive report on the city’s development in areas including society, economy and environment, and passed all 100 indicators. In December, Tainan received the platinum certification, which is the highest level of recognition from WCCD. Tainan is the second city in Taiwan (the first being Taipei) to be added to the WCCD Global Cities Registry and obtain a platinum certification. Currently there are only 35 cities around the world that have this level of certification.
To encourage the development of cities around the globe, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced the ISO 37120 system in May 2014. This is the first international set of standardized metrics and is recognized universally as an acceptable statistical indicator system to measure city governance and performance, and compare different cities. A total of 250 advanced cities around the world, including London, Boston, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Shanghai, have participated in this project. The indicators cover 17 themes (economy, education, energy, environment, and so on), and each theme has approximately 2 to 10 indicators. The full 100 indicators verify the development and performance of a city in the above mentioned areas.
Tainan is very significant as it is the first city in Taiwan. The platinum level certification, which is the highest recognition, shows the value of Tainan as a historical city and helps the city to set up a uniquely statistical indicator system. The recognition also increases the city’s international exposure, allowing us to further connect with the world and create a more internationalized Tainan city.
In 2015, Tainan city committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and obtained four badges of the highest level. In 2016, Tainan began to prepare for the application process for the WCCD ISO 37120 certification. All departments in the city government worked together to collect data in response to the 100 indicators. In February 2017, Tainan city sent out its application and all required data were submitted by July. Between August and October, Tainan city reviewed the data content with WCCD and an international third party verifier. After many correspondences and revisions, all 100 indicators were finally met with this month and Tainan received the platinum certification.
Located in Toronto city, Canada, the World Council on City Data (WCCD) is dedicated to establishing and promoting a standardized urban metrics system. ISO 37120 is recognized world-wide as the standard metrics system to measure city governance and performance, and to compare different cities. It includes 17 themes: economy, education, energy, environment, finance, fire and emergency response, governance, health, recreation, safety, shelter, solid waste, telecommunication and innovation, transportation, urban planning, wastewater, water and sanitation; and every theme has 2 to 10 indicators, with a total of 100 indications for all 17 themes. The certification is categorized into different levels: Platinum (91-100 Indicators: 46 Core + 45-54 Supporting), Gold (76-90 Indicators: 46 Core + 30-44 Supporting), Silver (60-75 Indicators: 46 Core + 14-29 Supporting), Bronze (46-59 Indicators: 46 Core + 0-13 Supporting), and Aspirational (30-45 Core indicators). Tainan is a resilient city that is dedicated to creating the best living environment for its residents. International standard certification and indicator data comparison can serve as references for future city planning policies and help Tainan become a more livable and sustainable city.