Cities use a variety of metrics to evaluate and compare their performance.   With the introduction of ISO 37120, which contains over 100 indicators for measuring a city’s quality of life and sustainability, it is now possible to consistently measure and compare cities, assuming they adhere to the standard. The goal of this research is to develo...

Advances in information technologies are opening new ways to approach research and policy analysis for cities and regions. This is being driven in part by what is now referred to as ‘big data’ and also by the emergence of policies that are championing the ‘creative commons’ and ‘open data’. Harnessing the opportunities presented by these innova...

Applied social research often requires a focus on populations that are "hard-to-find". These might include social groups such as persons with exceptionally low literacy levels, persons with specific types of disabling conditions, some very rare ethnic minority groups, homeless and/or transient persons, illicit drug users, sexual minorities, mi...

Online behaviours such as web use, social media posts, and the use of online forums provide evidence of citizens' interactions with government services and also evidence of citizens' interactions with each other.  Patterns in this behaviour can tell us new things about the way people experience government policies and services, and how this co...