The City of Markham has been recognized once again for its work in helping create ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive communities of the future.’
For the second consecutive year, it received the ISO 37120 Platinum-level certification from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) as part of the three-year Data for Canadian Cities Pilot Project funded by Canada’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities.
“Cities are at the core of global transformation and have the opportunity to shape a better, more inclusive and sustainable world,” Mayor Frank Scarpitti says.
The WCCD was founded in Canada in 2014 and helps communities of all sizes worldwide to embrace standardized, independently verified and globally comparable city data to become more sustainable, resilient, prosperous, inclusive and smart.
ISO 37120, the first ISO standard developed especially for cities, contains 104 fully numeric indicators across 19 themes, and measures city services and quality of life. Markham is among more than 100 cities across 35 countries that are collecting, sharing and using city data to measure quality of life and service delivery using a common international standard.
Member municipalities share local experiences and provide insights into how cities around the world are tackling similar issues, learn about practices and policies that have the biggest impact, and access the expertise and experience of leading global experts and municipal peers.
Markham can assess service delivery and quality of life against baseline data established in the first year of the project. “We are confident that other municipalities will greatly benefit from our successful sustainability initiatives and we in turn look forward to learning from others especially in areas such as infrastructure and rapid transit development,” says Scarpitti.
“Markham’s participation in the Data for Canadian Cities Project and commitment to data-driven decision-making once again underlines the dedication of Mayor Scarpitti, City Council and the entire city staff to a more vibrant future for the residents of Markham,” says WCCD President and CEO Patricia McCarney.
Photo: Mayor Frank Scarpitti receiving the WCCD’s ISO 37120 Platinum-level certificate at a virtual City Council meeting this summer.
