Indicators were therefore grouped in compatible policy areas. The main goals, as expressed in statutory Development Plans, on which the formulation of these policies is based are:

· Viable and efficient distribution of land uses
· Sustainable use of natural resources and improvement in the quality of the environment
· Urban containment, compact development, action against sprawl
· Sustainable mobility and accessibility, adequate provision of amenities and infrastructure
· Protection and sustainable management of cultural heritage and historic neighbourhoods
· Revitalisation of urban centres and reinforcement of their role as focal points of urban agglomerations
· Social integration and cohesion
· Economic viability of urban development
· Urban cohesion
· Mixed use development (integration of compatible uses)
· Protection of the quality of life
· Sustainable tourism development

The above goals played a key role in the selection of the final list of the URBANGUARD indicators and the elaboration of each indicator’s methodology sheet.

The indicators can be further categorised into two sets. The first one comprises basic indicators whose main role is to provide information utilised in evaluating other indicators; for example, indicator 1 (GDP) is used to evaluate indicator 77 (heritage restoration expenditure per capita). The second one is a core set comprising indicators related directly to the national spatial planning policy, such as those concerning housing, transportation, natural and cultural heritage conservation as well as the various development types. Covering the spectrum of areas over which the final users are legally competent, these key spatial development indicators will constitute the main set to be used in monitoring and assessing policy sustainability.

In order to assess each indicator, corresponding data collection and processing guidelines have been prepared and elaborated in methodology sheets. Each sheet includes information on the indicator’s code number, full title, policy area addressed, sustainability principles covered, definition, data collection methodology, units of measurement, collection level, frequency of measurement, sources of information etc. The data collection process and its results were recorded in metadata forms, which aim to provide information for current and future users regarding the sources, accuracy, credibility, validity and value of the selected data. The metadata stored in these forms also serves as a record in the database search system, which has also been developed as part of the GIS tool so that users can locate data sets of interest.