Localizing sustainable urban development (SUD): Application of an FDM-AHP approach for prioritizing urban sustainability indicators in Iran provinces

•The present study aims to localize sustainable urban development (SUD) indicators through applying FDM-AHP approach in Iran provinces.•The use of FDM -MCDM methods was identified as a suitable technique for selecting and prioritizing SUD indicators.•Considering only one set of indicators with the same relative importance for the whole country was inappropriate for attempts to make cities sustainable.•The important SUD indicators of the provinces were different depending on the environmental, social, and economic situation of each province. The problems associated with urbanization throughout the world have drawn attention of researchers and policy makers to sustainability issue in cities. However, achieving urban sustainability is hardly possible without enough knowledge concerning the global and national importance of indicators of Sustainable Urban Development (SUD). We attempted to build a comprehensive framework and localize the relevant SUD indicators for Iran. We applied a screening process through Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to narrow down and select the pertinent SUD indicators. Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the selected indicators were then prioritized based on two scenarios entailing national and provincial scales. The comparison of scenario one (country scale) with scenario two (provincial scale) highlighted differences. Focusing on the importance of the spatial pattern of the indicators, we showed that the provinces of Iran were significantly different in terms of SUD indicators. The results also demonstrated that no single set of SUD indicators with the same relative importance can be used for the whole country, rather the provinces should be treated separately based on their special needs and priorities discernible through studies such as the current one.