An Overview of Tools and Methods for the Research Field of Urban Sustainable Development

Urbanization is one of the most significant developments of the 21st century. More than half of the world's population lives in cities, with estimates of up to 70 per cent by 2050. The Sustainable Development Goal 11, within the Agenda 2030, aims at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, long-lasting and sustainable. Achieving this objective passes through various factors, such as an adequate analysis of the territorial contexts, with their peculiarities, strengths and weaknesses; together with the use of proper decision support tools for modelling the complex interactions among the different elements of the territory and simulating impacts of different planning strategies, thus helping in the decision-making process. In this regard, the following contribution aims to show an overview of the scientific literature produced to date, on a global scale, which focuses on achieving the objectives set for sustainable urban development, taking advantage of decision support systems. In other words, we propose a review of scientific contributions which, thanks to the use of decision support applications, show how it is possible not only to measure sustainable planning interventions on an urban scale, but also to evaluate future scenarios and build efficient and effective policies and strategies in terms of governance and management of the territory.