Rethinking Urban Sustainability Monitoring: Lessons Learnt From the SDG Indicators for Municipalities in Germany

The translation of global sustainability agendas into urban strategies remains a challenge for local governments. Nevertheless, the increasing number of municipalities establishing municipal sustainability management systems and publishing sustainability reports indicates a growing commitment by cities and regions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also points to improvements in the way inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts are measured at the local level. This article draws on seven years of experience with the well‐established SDG Indicators for Municipalities in Germany to provide a critical examination of the development and application of sustainable urban development indicators. As significant methodological and data deficits persist, fundamental questions arise for future monitoring approaches—for instance, regarding the necessity of quantifying sustainability aspects and the suitability of the SDGs for local action and monitoring. In advance of a post‐2030 agenda, the utility of the existing SDG framework is increasingly being reassessed due to the existence of thematic gaps regarding sustainable urban development and normative trade‐offs, including those related to social cohesion, basic public services, and the growth paradigm. SDG indicators at the local level naturally reproduce these limitations, unlike adapted monitoring systems that are tailored to local requirements, such as spatial and temporal granularity. Based on theoretical indicator evaluation frameworks and insights from municipal practice, this article identifies seven criteria that should be considered and balanced for the local monitoring of a future sustainability agenda.