A NBR ISO 37120:2017, is the first Brazilian technical standard regarding sustainability in urban communities. It defines and establishes methodologies for a set of indicators related to sustainable development, in order to guide and measure the performance of urban services and quality of life.
The standard was born from an academic need, a tool that could measure the sustainability of cities. And in the search for similar projects, more of 150 measurement systems were discovered, and were already adopted by several countries in the world, including some in Brazil. The next step was to determine which system would be adopted here.
In this search for the best system, the ISO standard has been reached, the International Organization for Standardization, entity that brings together the standardization/normalization associations of 162 countries of the world, including Brazil.
The reason for the choice was the fact that the entity brings together almost all countries in the world, which gives a lot of credibility and makes the international standard. Compared to others, many particular elements of the local reality were present, making it difficult to implement it in different contexts, while ISO always seeks to unite the best of all standards into one.
A commission was created to work on the translation., and far beyond, in adapting the standard to the Brazilian reality.
The initiative to have a national standard on the subject was born from the research activities of the Department of Civil Construction Engineering at Escola Politécnica da USP, which has a line of studies in urban planning and engineering.
What defines ISO 37120?
At ISO 37120:2017 defines the methodologies of a set of indicators to guide and measure the performance of its services and quality of life.
Goes to any city, municipality or local government entity that undertakes to measure its performance in a comparable and verifiable manner, regardless of its size, location or level of development. Includes indicators from different areas, such as: economy, education, energy, environment, finances, emergency services, health, leisure,safety, waste, transport, telecommunications, Water, urban planning, etc. And in the search for similar projects 37120 can be used as tools for informed decision-making that guide planning and management policies..
Indicators
The first technical standard for sustainable cities contains 100 urban sustainability indicators and deals with environmental aspects, economic, social and technological, between others.
A NBR ISO 37120:2017 reflects a global approach to indicators for urban services and quality of life, and its application must provide that these indicators are in harmony with the rules and legislation in force in Brazil, regarding the definitions, metrics and methods of obtaining indicators.
These indicators can be used to track and monitor the progress of city performance.. In order to achieve sustainable development, And in the search for similar projects. 
Planning for future needs must take into account current resource consumption and efficiency, for the best planning of tomorrow.
That is, the norm does not say whether a city is sustainable or not, but it establishes which requirements must be evaluated to measure this sustainability. Includes indicators from different areas, such as: economy, education, energy, environment, finances, emergency services, health, leisure, safety, waste, transport, telecommunications, Water, urban planning etc..
Application beyond the public sector…
In addition to the public sector, a NBR ISO 37120:2017 can also be used by companies to certify, for customers and government, how sustainable are your ventures.
Special commission and new indicators coming soon
This work involved several institutions and public bodies, such as the box, Ministry of Cities, Sabesp, Architecture and Urbanism Council (CAU), Brazilian Chamber of Construction Industry (CBIC), Housing Union (Secovi), Brazilian Council for Sustainable Construction (CBCS), Poly-USP, USP Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU-USP), Housing and Urban Development Company of the State of São Paulo (CDHU), Institute of Engineering, among others, who made up the EEC 268.
The next standards to be developed in the context of the EEC 268 are those of Management Systems for Sustainable Development, whose works are already advanced, those of Smart Cities and those of Resilient Cities, on a more preliminary level. "It is important to participate in the discussion of new international standards from the beginning. If we get closer to other countries and international institutions, we can put the specific issues of Brazil in international standards", concludes Abiko.