On the evening of 1 June 2023, Professor Chen Haiyun from the School of Economics and Management of Tongji University was the guest of the English lecture series Sustainable Development and the Future, explaining the use of a city to name a global index.

The development of cities varies greatly according to their history, geographical location and cultural environment. How can a city's sustainable development be measured comprehensively, objectively and fairly in this blossoming world of cities? How does the United Nations define the level of sustainable development of cities around the world? The Shanghai Index will provide the answer.

To promote the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda in cities around the world, and to advance the implementation of the Global Urban Monitoring Framework, China and UN-Habitat have jointly developed the Shanghai Index, which aims to assess the level of progress in sustainable development in cities around the world and to promote the concept of people-centred sustainable urban development.