Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Data on European cities were collected in the City Statistics, the Urban Audit, and in the Large City Audit project. The projects' ultimate goal is to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of urban life: it supports the exchange of experience among European cities; it helps to identify best practices; it facilitates benchmarking at the European level and provides information on the dynamics within the cities and with their surroundings.
For information on the data disseminated by Eurostat please refer to the city statistics reference metadata. The data collection provides information and comparable measurements on the different aspects of the quality of urban life in cities.
Availability of data see annex 1; description of the data see annex 2.
Specific classification and coding systems have been developed for the spatial units and for the variables and indicators. For the description of the coding system and the list of indicators and variables see the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
3.3. Coverage - sector
The indicators and variables cover several aspects of quality of life, for e.g. demography, housing, health, crime, labour market, income disparity, educational qualifications, environment, climate, travel patterns and cultural infrastructure.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
For most variables the definitons of the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics for existing international standards have been followed. In case of deviating definitions, information is provided in annex 2.
3.5. Statistical unit
Statistical units are mostly persons. Few variables are collected on households, enterprises, dwellings, cities, etc. For the complete description of variables see the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
3.6. Statistical population
For most variables the target statistical universe is the usual residents of a geographical area (City and Functional Urban Area). For the detailed description of variables see the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
3.7. Reference area
Spatial Units are listed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The data collection is organized in data collection rounds. The current data collection covers the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The units of measures used for the data set are listed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics. For most indicators the unit of measures are number of persons or percentage.
2023, 2024 and 2025 are the reference years for the main data collection.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
All data supply of urban statistics is based on a voluntary agreement, as there is no Community legislation on this topic.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not applicable.
8.1. Release calendar
Not applicable.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable.
The data is updated when available. The database is updated accordingly depending on the data availability of new and revised data.
In 2013 KOSIS-Gemeinschaft Urban Audit released a brochure summing up organisational feautures, historic background an state of play of Urban Audit in Germany.
In 2015 another brochure was released, focusing on the added value of the data collection for national and international comparisons. It also includes a chapter on the Urban Audit Sub-city level.
In 2016 a brochure on the estimations from the German micro census was released, documenting the method as well as showing the added value of the data.
In 2017 a brochure on comparing urban audit cities with their commuting zones regarding different indicators of quality of life has been published. It also contains an article on testing the usage of OpenStreetMap data for measuring the length of cycle networks in Urban Audit cities. The findings described in this article provided the basis for the decision to switch the data source for Variable "TT1079V - Length of bicycle network" to standardized calculations on the basis of OpenStreetMap data.
In 2019 a brochure on the exploration of new data sources for collecting and monitoring urban quality of life has been published. The use of Big Data and Crowd Data in urban development planning is presented by means of exemplary model projects from the Urban Audit data collection or various cities. A typification into user-generated, transaction-generated and sensor-generated data is given. Further main topics of the brochure are mobility and transport. First results of the coordinated survey on quality of life in German cities 2018 are also presented in the brochure.
The focus of the Urban Audit brochure 2021 is on a successful project of the Statistical Office of the European Union (EUROSTAT) and the German City Statistics – the survey on the quality of life in cities. Other main topics of the brochure are innovations in data collection such as the redrawing of the Functional Urban Areas, new variables requested by the EU on external and internal migration, as well as the revision of the Urban Audit Structural Data Atlas.
The Urban Audit brochure 2023 is dedicated to inter-municipal integration and the development of newand alternative data (sources) and methods for recording and monitoring the quality of life in cities.
All brochures are available in English and German (exception: brochure on the estimations is available in German only). Printed copies can be ordered free of charge (urbanaudit@mannheim.de).
The definitons of the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics have been followed. In cases of deviating methodologies, annex 2 informs on the methodology applied:
For data from official regional statistics see methodologies under DESTATIS.de
for data from the Micro-Census, estimations by the cities are based on smoothed time series of >5 years of NUTS3 data.
The quality assurance procedures detailed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics have been applied.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
The quality assurance procedures detailed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics have been applied.
11.1. Quality assurance
In addition to the general procedures in official statistics, arranging the collected City Statistics data in time-series helps to ensure their plausibility and comparability.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The data originating from official regional statistics undergo the detailed quality management procedures of the federal and state statistical offices, similarly the data from other official sources. Quality management of the NGOs, like those of the cultural institutions are not regulated and not so well documented, although they are controlled by their members. All data compiled are checked by the NUAC's office and again by the EDIT-tool provided by Eurostat. It is an important feature of the City Statistics that all data are harmonised to comply with the prescribed definitions as published in the Eurostat Methodological Handbook on city statistics.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
User needs and stakeholder requirements are collected at several forums.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User needs and stakeholder requirements are collected at several forums. Comments and contributions are welcome to be sent to the contact.
12.3. Completeness
Overview of data availability is provided in annex 1. For missing variables see annex 3.
Depends on the domain and individual variable. As a general rule, timeliness is about 12 months.
14.2. Punctuality
Data provision follows the timetable of the project, with a time lag of 1 - 2 years.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Due to the sometimes deviating definitions and different data sources used the comparability of data is limited to some extent. Detailed information on data sources and deviating definitions is available in the annex 2.
The implementation of a fully comparable definition of cities at European level has improved the comparability.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Breaks in the time series are flagged accordingly (flag B).
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data collected at sub-national level is coherent with the data collected at national level to a limited extent due to the different data sources used. Most data for cities and FUAs originate from official statistics.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence (e.g. between spatial levels, between indicators like total, male, female population) is ensured through the application of multivariable and univariable validation controls.
The data collection is mostly based on administrative data so the main burden is on the Statistical Institutes.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Data are collected from more than 10 different sources as described in the meta data annex 2. The main sources are:
data collected from the cities via internet;
regional statistics of the federal and the state statistical institutes;
special data collection by DESTATIS from state statistical institutes;
estimations based on the official micro-census;
crime statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA);
statistics by the federal register of motor vehicles (KBA);
data extracted from OpenStreetMap;
cultural statistics by the research institutes of cultural organisations.
The reference period of the current data collection is 2023, 2024, 2025.
18.3. Data collection
Data is collected in the case of Germany by the NSI DESTATIS (coordinator) and a commissioned sub-contractor. It follows the guidelines of the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
18.4. Data validation
Data validation of official regional statistics is conducted as described by DESTATIS on their website. It makes plausibility checks by comparisons over time, aggregating subdivisions of variables and comparing indicators between territorial units. In addition the EDIT-tool with extensive validation procedures provided by Eurostat is used.
18.5. Data compilation
Data from the national Micro-Census are broken down to the level of NUTS3 and LAU by estimations based on time series of > 5 years and fitted to key values of official regional statistics.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Data on European cities were collected in the City Statistics, the Urban Audit, and in the Large City Audit project. The projects' ultimate goal is to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of urban life: it supports the exchange of experience among European cities; it helps to identify best practices; it facilitates benchmarking at the European level and provides information on the dynamics within the cities and with their surroundings.
For information on the data disseminated by Eurostat please refer to the city statistics reference metadata. The data collection provides information and comparable measurements on the different aspects of the quality of urban life in cities.
Availability of data see annex 1; description of the data see annex 2.
For most variables the definitons of the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics for existing international standards have been followed. In case of deviating definitions, information is provided in annex 2.
Statistical units are mostly persons. Few variables are collected on households, enterprises, dwellings, cities, etc. For the complete description of variables see the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
For most variables the target statistical universe is the usual residents of a geographical area (City and Functional Urban Area). For the detailed description of variables see the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
Spatial Units are listed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics.
2023, 2024 and 2025 are the reference years for the main data collection.
Data quality is generally good.
The units of measures used for the data set are listed in the Eurostat Methodological manual on city statistics. For most indicators the unit of measures are number of persons or percentage.
Data from the national Micro-Census are broken down to the level of NUTS3 and LAU by estimations based on time series of > 5 years and fitted to key values of official regional statistics.
Data are collected from more than 10 different sources as described in the meta data annex 2. The main sources are:
data collected from the cities via internet;
regional statistics of the federal and the state statistical institutes;
special data collection by DESTATIS from state statistical institutes;
estimations based on the official micro-census;
crime statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA);
statistics by the federal register of motor vehicles (KBA);
data extracted from OpenStreetMap;
cultural statistics by the research institutes of cultural organisations.
The data is updated when available. The database is updated accordingly depending on the data availability of new and revised data.
Depends on the domain and individual variable. As a general rule, timeliness is about 12 months.
Due to the sometimes deviating definitions and different data sources used the comparability of data is limited to some extent. Detailed information on data sources and deviating definitions is available in the annex 2.
The implementation of a fully comparable definition of cities at European level has improved the comparability.
Breaks in the time series are flagged accordingly (flag B).
