From the 2030 Agenda of the Metropolitan City of Milan to Municipal Urban Planning Documents (DUP) through shared climate change adaptation indicators and targets.
MRV System of the IndicaMi Project
The implemented Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) System derives from the Eurostat methodology and enables the quantitative monitoring and evaluation of progress in local climate change adaptation strategies. It was tested on Goal 13 "Climate Action" of the Metropolitan City of Milan’s 2030 Agenda and on the objectives of the Unified Planning Document (DUP) of selected Milanese municipalities participating as case studies.
What does the methodology measure?
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The direction and speed of progress toward Adaptation in a specific sector, described by a quantitative indicator.
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The overall degree of advancement in achieving each strategic objective of the DUP or 2030 Agenda related to climate Adaptation, which is multisectoral and represented by a set of sector-specific quantitative indicators.
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The alignment and consistency between municipal strategies outlined in the DUP and related Plans with supralocal strategies, such as the Metropolitan City of Milan’s 2030 Agenda.
Formulas Used
The methodology employs two simple mathematical formulas to summarize progress:
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CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) – Calculates the compound average annual growth or decline rate of an indicator over the considered period. Two cases are distinguished:
a) Indicators with a defined threshold (target or benchmark) ← NOT USED in IndicaMi due to the lack of locally defined thresholds for nearly all indicators.
where:
Valore finale = year target data
Soglia = target value or indicator's benchmark
n = total years numeber
​b) Indicators without a defined threshold (target or benchmark) ← USED
where:
Valore finale = year target data
Valore iniziale = base year data
n = number of years between the initial value and final value
Interpretation Guide for Threshold-Free CAGR
Growth Rate (CAGR) in Desired Direction:
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SCORE (RATING in terms of normalized CAGR progress rate): This function normalizes the CAGR value of different indicators (both with and without thresholds used in the same set), enabling quick interpretation of cross-sectoral performance on a standardized scale.
where:
CAGR indicatore = alculated value from the indicator
CAGR min e CAGR max = minimum and maximum expected or defined values for the indicator
Interpretation Guide for SCORE:
Degree of Progress Toward the Objective (Range: -5 to +5)
Conclusion
Adoption of the MRV System, based on the Eurostat methodology, provides local public administrators and technicians with a robust and immediate tool to clearly monitor progress toward defined strategic objectives. This system enables both diagnostic analysis—to understand current progress relative to targets—and prognostic analysis—to evaluate the effectiveness of planned actions in the medium to long term.
A concrete example is the pilot case of the Municipality of Pero (see figure), where the 2022 analysis objectively highlighted insufficient progress toward a hypothetical Type 3 strategic objective in the DUP related to Climate Change Adaptation. However, the full implementation of the PGT Amendment and related Plans, scheduled over the next five years, would show a positive trend, reversing the initial trajectory. Additionally, the analysis of individual indicators allows for precise identification of the sectors most responsible for the results, as well as those requiring greater attention and targeted interventions.
