UNI-METRICS · Value Metrics and Policies for Sustainable University Campus

There are promising signs that universities around the world are responding to the challenges posed by sustainable development (SD) and are beginning to engage in activities related to SD, whether through “greening” of the campus, development of special courses on sustainability or offering collaborative research opportunities. However, a critical evaluation of the radical innovation and strategic rethinking of the transition toward sustainable universities, both in terms of their internal organization and the interaction with external stakeholders has not yet been realised (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008). Furthermore, the use of indicators to measure or assess sustainability of cities, buildings and companies is often criticised. One main concern is the way indicators are developed: often through “ad hoc” processes without a structured framework or the consensus on what urban sustainability really is, while the consensus is still more political than scientific. This project is based on a working hypothesis that value-based metrics can be found and ‘interoperate’ in the intersection between companies, buildings and cities. The primary goal of this project is to strengthen research partnerships among the partner organizations and to elevate their scientific competence and research quality in the field of sustainable university campuses, assessment and policies. In particular, the project aims to reinforce cooperation not only between the European partners (Italy, NL and the UK) and the third country partners (Japan) but also between the European partners in order to develop long-term research partnerships. In order to pursue such an ambitious goal, the project is divided into three working packages (WP). Each WP deals with a key scientific theme based on the expertise of the project partners, assessment, participative decision-making and policy. The project is linked to a number of on-going projects and on previous research on sustainability evaluations and policies.