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Multicriteria Methodological-rational model to evaluated urban areas: A Case Study of the São Paulo City/Brazil
Abstract
Differently from what literature indicates, the relationship between socio-spatial metrics is not necessarily systematic in urban areas. In other words, the most compact areas are not always the most diverse areas; neither are the areas with higher population density the areas with the higher job densities, in the case of São Paulo municipality. The dependence among these urban variables is not clear and direct, and possibly it is influenced, in a more comprehensive approach, by other urban factors. Today, there is a research question about how to systematically analyse various criteria in urban planning decisions. Therefore, the application of a multicriterial model, which considers the heterogeneity of the city, based on indicators that present the characteristics of economic and social development of a region, can help to identify areas that should be the object of, for example, more investments and greater incentives from State power. The objective of this article is to propose and apply a new methodological-rational model for the distribution of comparative weights in multicriteria analyses, in the context of urban planning, using the municipality of São Paulo as a case study. Specifically, to the method application in the São Paulo case study, a significant influence of the job density was verified in the hierarchy of urban areas, while the diversity emerged as the most dominant criterion that influence the characteristics of urban areas in the city. The results also show that a multicriterial analysis using indicators might contribute to the establishment of specific hierarchies for different urban areas, useful for city managers and researchers, able to be applied in different cities. Besides, the method may be suitable in other multicriterial problem contexts, as it represents a Decision Support System for trade-off and uncertainty analysis.
... Furthermore, several authors propose the renovation of dwellings and the improvement of energy efficiency as an appropriate measure to reduce energy poverty [63][64][65][66]. Even though numerous studies highlight the importance of incorporating methods with a multifactorial approach through an integrative vision that characterizes the building stock [67], there has not been enough methodological development along these lines. The assessment methods linked to energy poverty, which combine environmental, energy and social vulnerability, stand out particularly [46,47,68]. ...
... Even though numerous studies highlight the importance of incorporating methods with a multifactorial approach through an integrative vision that characterizes the building stock [67], there has not been enough methodological development along these lines. The assessment methods linked to energy poverty, which combine environmental, energy and social vulnerability, stand out particularly [46,47,68]. ...
There is extensive scientific evidence showing that the characteristics of the urban and residential environment directly affect people’s quality of life and health. In this framework, numerous building renovation policies have been developed in Europe, mainly focused on improving energy efficiency. However, we are dealing with a multifactorial and multicausal phenomenon of a complex system where competent institutions need quantitative diagnosis mechanisms that consider this holistic vision when making decisions and prioritizing interventions. Regarding this, the present research develops the potential of the multi-criteria methodology in a first proposal, which integrates social, energy, environmental and spatial aspects linked to the relationship between housing and the effects on the health of its inhabitants. It is a multidimensional method based on systematized and exportable vulnerability indices, which applies indicators that have been calculated using cadastral data and a typomorphological characterization of the residential stock. The analysis of the results through geostatistical techniques of autocorrelation and clustering applied to the case study of Donostia-San Sebastián shows that the proposed methodology is effective in achieving the objectives set. The associated GIS tool has proved to be agile and replicable.
... 1) The statement of objectives; 2) Selection of criteria for measuring the objectives; 3) Determination of study items; 4) Weighting the criteria; and. 5) Implementing a suitable mathematical algorithm for ranking (da Cruz et al., 2021). ...
This study analyzes the compactness/sprawl index and its effects on the spread of COVID-19 in the neighborhoods of Ahvaz, Iran. Multiple Criteria Decision Making and GIS techniques were used to develop the indices. Also, the effects of compactness/sprawl on COVID-19 were investigated using a regression model. It was found that when considering the number of COVID-19 cases per 1000 people, the compactness/sprawl index did not affect the spread of the disease. However, it had a low but significant effect if the raw number of cases was considered. Results also showed that the compactness index significantly affected the raw number of cases, with a coefficient of 0.291, indicating that more compact neighborhoods had more COVID-19 cases. This is unsurprising as more people live in compact areas and, therefore, the raw number of cases is also likely to be higher. In the absence of proper control measures, this could result in further contact between people, thereby, increasing the risk of virus spread. Overall, we found that compactness had a dual effect on the spread of COVID-19 in Ahvaz. We conclude that proper development and implementation of control measures in well-designed compact neighborhoods are essential for enhancing pandemic resilience.
... Los métodos cuantitativos y los indicadores de evaluación de la vulnerabilidad del parque construido son una herramienta fundamental que facilitan la toma de decisiones en la definición de políticas de rehabilitación y la priorización de acciones. A pesar de que numerosos estudios remarcan la importancia de incorporar métodos con un enfoque multifactorial mediante una visión integradora que caracterice el parque residencial (Cruz et al., 2021), no se ha dado suficiente desarrollo metodológico en esa línea. Destacan principalmente los métodos de evaluación específicos vinculados a ámbitos concretos y parciales: habitabilidad, aspectos ambientales, energéticos y sociales. ...
Resumen
Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) las condiciones morfológicas, materiales y de contexto de los edificios residenciales pueden exponer a las personas a distintos riesgos para la salud, tanto físicos como mentales. Dicho riesgo depende de factores de muy diversa índole (socioeconómica, sociocultural, ambiental, etc.). Es un fenómeno multifactorial y multicausal, donde los aspectos arquitectónicos y urbanísticos son una variable importante de un sistema complejo. Los retos a los que se enfrentan las estrategias de rehabilitación residencial deberían adaptarse para dar respuesta a las deficiencias de los distintos ámbitos. En este contexto, se ha desarrollado un método para evaluar la vulnerabilidad residencial en función al riesgo para la salud de las personas. Se trata de una primera propuesta para incorporar aspectos como la iluminación y la ventilación natural o la espacialidad o flexibilidad de las viviendas en los métodos de evaluación del parque edificado. Pretende provocar una reflexión acerca de la diversidad existente en las necesidades, en contraposición a la uniformidad de las estrategias de rehabilitación impulsadas por la Administración Pública en esta última década. A su vez, posibilita entender la estructuración del parque residencial a nivel urbano e interrelacionar aspectos tipo morfológicos y socioeconómicos e indagar en las dinámicas de vulnerabilidad urbana. El análisis se ha realizado en cuatro tipos de vulnerabilidad (espacial, ambiental, energético y socioeconómico) a través de 24 indicadores recogidos en un modelo SIG basado en la lógica difusa y la evaluación multicriterio. Se ha utilizado como base la información cartográfica y alfanumérica del catastro. La escala de trabajo y de análisis es municipal siendo la unidad de desagregación el portal. El método se ha implementado en un caso de estudio, el término municipal de Donostia-San Sebastián, aunque es exportable y adaptable a otros contextos. La propuesta metodológica desarrollada posibilita tener una visión holística del parque y comparar las afecciones en distintas áreas de estudio. Dicha información es la base para diseñar adecuadamente las intervenciones para cada contexto o tipología y definir una estrategia de escala municipal.
... In most nations across the world, total EC for the building industry is about 40%. With the introduction of new technologies, operational challenges have increased, and it has become necessary to select the best plans and devise methods to reduce EC in the building sector [12]. On the other hand, the interplay among layout factors, HVAC systems, weather changes, distinct users, etc., is very complex and can be observed best by simulating all elements interfering in building energy performance. ...
Energy-efficient retrofits embrace enhancement of the building envelope through climate control strategies, employment of building-integrated renewable energy technologies, and insulation for a sustainable city. Building envelope improvements with insulation is a common approach, yet decision-making plays an important role in determining the most appropriate envelope retrofit strategy. In this paper, the main objective is to evaluate different retrofit strategies (RS) through a calibrated simulation approach. Based on an energy performance audit and monitoring, an existing building is evaluated on performance levels and improvement potentials with basic energy conservation measures. The considered building is experimentally monitored for a full year, and monitoring data are used in calibrating the simulation model. The validation of the base model is done by comparing the simulation analysis with the experimental investigation, and good agreement is found. Three different retrofit strategies based on Intervention of minor (RS1), Moderate (RS2), and Major (RS3) are analyzed and juxtaposed with the base model to identify the optimal strategy of minimizing energy consumption. The result shows that total energy intensity in terms of the percentage reduction index is about 16.7% for RS1, 19.87 for RS2, and 24.12% for RS3. Hence, RS3 is considered the optimal retrofit strategy and is further simulated for a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and payback investigation. It was found that the annual reduction in CO2 emissions of the building was 18.56%, and the payback period for the investment was 10.6 years.
... With the 2015 Paris Agreement, the international community ratified a treaty to reduce man-made GHG emissions (Shine et al., 2020). To comply, Iskandar Malaysia launched a low-carbon emission plan to reduce GHG emissions by 2025 through the development of Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP), which can contribute 20 to 40 % to national GHG emissions reduction targets (Cruz et al., 2021). The Kwinana EIP in Australia, which focuses on mining and mineral processing manages emissions and waste to reduce pollution (Stucki et al., 2019). ...
EIP is a complex multi-criteria spatial initiative that requires a location with the facilities and features to host clusters of industries that collaborate to synergise resources, ultimately reducing carbon emissions. To make EIP site selection optimal and precise, this study presents a hybrid fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) and geographic information system (GIS) model that was tested using six criteria for EIP site selection defined by Boolean logic. The GIS was used to generate the 2019 Land Use Land Cover (LULC), Euclidean distance, and reclassified raster layers of Tanjung Langsat Industrial Area (TLIA) spatial data. The criteria weights were assessed using F-AHP (triangular fuzzy numbers), and sensitivity analysis (SA) was used to check for any weight variation. The 2 % and 3 % changes in SA are insignificant when compared to the original weight. Waterbodies, roads, residential, industries, surface temperature, and slope have weight importance of 28, 22, 15, 14, 12, and 7 %. In the northern part of TLIA, the GIS-FAHP hybrid model produced the best (dark green 5 %) suitable EIP site, the second-best (light green 45 %) and moderately-suitable (yellow 25 %) sites surround the best site, while the low (light brown 15 %) and unsuitable (red 10 %) locations are near to the coast. The designed hybrid model approach demonstrates that TLIA is suitable for EIP development. The hybrid tool was developed for the selection of greenfield sites and the conversion of brownfield industrial parks to EIP status. The economic, environmental, social, and technical status of any site evaluated and accepted for EIP development is important to reduce carbon emissions.
... environment, even higher due to the current crisis on Covid-19 (WHO, 2020). The work published by da Cruz, Marins, and Kurokawa (2021) demonstrate the usefulness of facing the urban regeneration challenge by assessing the technical, economic and social fields, among other environmental parameters that ensure sustainable interventions. In fact, the methodology proposed by Garrido-piñero and Mercader-moyano (2017) already gave different scores, from different disciplines, to know the validity of eco-efficient actions in housing renovation. ...
The current global crisis on Covid-19 has an adverse impact on urban regeneration of the built environment in emerging countries, with a recent world GDP drop of around 4.9% and around 20-30% decrease in economic funds intended for renovation policies, being required new decision support mechanisms to diagnose and quantify the vulnerability of existing neighbourhoods, aiming to conduct feasible and adjusted regeneration strategies. This research contributes with a novel interdisciplinary index-methodology for assessing the adequacy of housing environments with social backwardness, based on a dual weighting procedure of four main dimensions: Building, Urban, Environmental and Social (BUES), calculated through technical inspections, from technicians, together with social questionnaires, from users, with respect to 32 variables related to housing environments, urban services, and environmental issues. The operation and replicability of the system are tested in two representative neighbourhoods from Mexico and Spain, identifying most important weaknesses and needs according to each variable and displayed results, discussing a 0.7 points of deviation average from technicians and users in a 1-5 Likert scale. Conclusions incorporate important outcomes for urban policy-makers and technicians, providing methodological implications for adjusting public aids to promote effective regeneration guidelines based on a proper decision-making under an austere economic context.
This work evaluates the cooling effect of retrofit strategies on urban buildings and outdoor comfort in an urban sector in Málaga on one of the hottest days. The methodology links urban climate modeling and urban building simulations with outdoor comfort. The solar reflectance (SR) of roofs, urban surfaces and green areas and their forestation increases after the retrofit. Only the SR façade remains the same, be it in the current or the retrofit scenarios: 0.3. Both façade retrofit strategies consist of an opaque double skin façade (ODSF) with ceramic or metal tiles. Energy cooling is reduced by 52.51% with ceramic and by 52.57% with metal ODSF while urban comfort improves after retrofit: Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) decreases by 0.62 °C and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) decreases by 2.58 °C. Simultaneously, seven points at the pedestrian level assess outdoor comfort in different urban canyons. UTCI decreases more with the metal than with the ODSF ceramic. Regardless the canyon height, the width ratio or the orientation, the UTCI decreases between 2.45 °C and 4.86 °C when under a tree and it decreases more as S/N canyons narrow. This methodology and insights help stakeholders, designers, planners, and policy-makers make data-driven decisions to mitigate overheating and UHI in Mediterranean cities with similar urban building and canyon morphology.
Keywords: Urban building retrofit; Urban building energy simulation; Outdoor comfort; Overheating mitigation strategies;
Solar reflectance
Current policies on urban regeneration and population ageing call for new assessment models that address the obsolescence of social housing in the built environment, thereby promoting efficient and sustainable renovation strategies. The elderly represent more than 20% of the total population in European countries, for whom mobility and accessibility limitations remain key aspects to be solved. This research establishes an accessibility assessment model for social housing, conceived as a decision support system that contributes towards the diagnosis of the main risks and the selection of optimal actions for the adaptation of multi-family buildings. This system also provides a specific technical inspection tool to verify the fulfilment of accessibility regulations. The novelty of the proposed model involves weighting mechanisms for the quantification of action suitability through 3 main indices: Appropriateness, Priority, and Feasibility. These indices are quantitatively and qualitatively valued from technical and socio-economic perspectives. The operation is applied and tested in representative multi-family buildings from southern Europe, which attains 90% of non-compliances and risks, and displays an innovative decision-making outline for owners, promoters, and policy-makers. The conclusions drawn include key outcomes for technicians and users, by providing mechanisms that promote efficient renovation proposals regarding accessibility in social housing.
The consideration of local contexts in urban sustainability assessment is important for developing countries because of their varying needs and priorities. Using Iraq as a case study, a stakeholder-driven structured methodology is presented which identifies and ranks context-relevant indicators and assigns weights for aggregating indicator scores by applying analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Results indicate that the identified factors and their weights and priorities for Iraq were markedly different from the widely-used tools — suggesting that global tools are not directly applicable in developing countries. In contrast with the ‘ecological’ focus in the global assessment frameworks, economic and infrastructural aspects of urban development are of greater importance in developing countries. Decades of political instability and the resulting deterioration of infrastructures in Iraq are manifested in the related indicators being rated highly important by the stakeholders, and their corresponding high weighting in the developed Iraqi urban sustainability assessment framework (IUSAF). ‘Water’, ‘safety’, and ‘transportation and infrastructure’ indicators were awarded high weighting scores of 8.5%, 7.9% and 7.8%, respectively. IUSAF is envisaged to play a key role in the promotion of built environment sustainability in Iraq by stimulating market demand for sustainable buildings, cities and conurbations.
Rapid urbanization and consequent haphazard growth of cities result in deterioration of infrastructure facilities, loss of agricultural land, water bodies, open spaces, and many micro-climatic changes. This unprecedented growth in city population put pressure on urban amenities and led to their uneven distribution. The Srinagar and Jammu cities witnessed alarming population growth rates in the last thirty years, thus resulted in various problems like pollution, traffic jam, leap-frog development, uneven provision of urban amenities etc. The present study attempted to find out the urban land suitability for the provision of urban amenities. Land use suitability assessment is a key determinant in any urban and suburban planning and decision-making process. The suitability assessment is carried out through AHP model using a set of criteria involving geo-physical and socioeconomic variables. The variables taken for the study are slope, altitude, land use/land cover and existing amenity status. The unit of study is a municipal ward. For better urban planning and suitable decision making, the study provided the information not only on the existing urban land use pattern and existing amenity status but also on suitability of land for the establishment of urban amenities in future. Keywords: Urbanization, Land use suitability, GIS, Amenity, Urban suitability
RESUMO: O município de São Paulo, assim como outros municípios brasileiros populosos, tem sua urbanização marcada por forte dispersão e adensamento populacional periférico, o que gera inúmeros impactos negativos para a qualidade de vida da população, para a economia urbana como um todo e para o meio ambiente, enquanto dificulta a gestão municipal e metropolitana. Assim, a compactação surge como uma estratégia de desenvolvimento urbano, ao aproximar demandas e ofertas para maior número de cidadãos, sobretudo os menos favorecidos, agregando, dessa forma, benefícios sociais, econômicos e ambientais. A compactação da forma urbana é medida pelo seu respectivo índice, o índice de compacidade (IC), construído por uma relação métrica espacial de perímetro e área, que de forma direta, ainda relaciona às interações humanas e à organização de atividades dentro de uma área urbana. O objetivo do presente artigo é calcular e analisar o índice de compacidade para as subprefeituras do município de São Paulo, com pesquisa exploratória bibliográfica, mapeamento digital e aplicação matemática dos índices de compacidade. O estudo da compactação urbana gerou resultados significativos quando analisados comparativamente no conjunto urbano ou do município, inclusive na verificação da aplicabilidade das políticas de adensamento populacional. Entretanto, a investigação para definição de escalas intermediárias de compactação, especialmente nas médias e altas densidades, mostra-se útil para que territórios extensos e com padrões de ocupação e dinâmicas urbanas e sociais bastante distintas, possam eventualmente ser subclassificados
ABSTRACT: The municipality of São Paulo, as well as other populous Brazilian municipalities, has its urbanization marked by strong dispersion and peripheral population density, which generates numerous negative impacts on the quality of life of the population, for the urban economy as a whole and for the environment, while hindering municipal and metropolitan management. Thus, compacting emerges as a strategy of urban development, bringing together demands and offers for a greater number of citizens, especially the less favored, thus adding social, economic and environmental benefits. The compaction of the urban form is measured by its respective index, the compactness index (CI), constructed by a metric relation of perimeter and area, that directly, still relates to the human interactions and the organization of activities within an urban area. The aim of this article is to calculate and analyze the compactness index for the subprefeituras of the city of São Paulo, with exploratory bibliographical research, digital mapping and mathematical application of the indices of compactness. The study of urban compaction generated significant results when analyzed comparatively in the urban or municipal set, including in the verification of the applicability of population densification policies. However, research into the definition of intermediate compaction scales, especially in medium and high densities, is useful so that extensive territories with quite distinct occupancy patterns and urban and social dynamics may eventually be subclassified.
In this paper the authors carry out a multiple level, multiple criteria evaluation of 18 urban transportation projects. At each level of the hierarchical decision problem different multiple criteria ranking sub-problems have been structured and solved with the application of AHP method, ELECTRE III/IV method and their combination (AHP/ELECTRE III/IV). Thus, the computational phase allowed for testing the above mentioned multiple criteria ranking methods, i. e.: AHP and ELECTRE III/IV and analyzing their suitability for performing a multiple level, multiple criteria evaluation of transportation projects. Due to axiomatic differences between methods alternative aggregation formulas of the generated rankings by ELECTRE III/IV and AHP methods have been proposed. A multi - aspect discussion and comparison of generated results and applied methods have been presented.
This paper describes various possibilities of the cities of futures considering various constraints and demand of society, environment and geography. The need for future cities arises because of the rapid growth in population and thereby causing a decline in the living standards. In the United States itself, many people are moving to cities every day. Today cities are getting crowded and if the influx continues at the same rate, current cities will become unmanageable and unlivable.
More population means faster consumption of natural resources which eventually leads to ecological imbalance. Already more than 80% of world׳s forests are gone. The food consumption has also doubled over the last fifty years and this has exerted pressure on the landscape through the use of artificial fertilizers. The use of artificial agents to boost agricultural productivity has significantly marred the flora and fauna leading to loss of a huge amount of bio diversity.
Another problem with the increasing population and population migration to cities is the rise of congestion on the city roads. In the United States a person drives 7500 miles in 1600 h with an a average speed of 4.68 mph. To accommodate the population approximately 2000 trees are cut in a minute in the Amazon alone.
On top of all that, with increasing wealth the average house size has almost doubled since 1970 and this has further caused the decline of arable land and forests. To deal with the problem of rising population and congestion within the cities, we need to plan cities of the future that will be able to utilize the available resources in a more efficient and cleaner manner. The future city project aims to delve into details of various future city models and aims to find out which model will be best suitable depending upon the strategic criteria that we have used to evaluate the various merits of the BOCR model.
The four alternative kinds of cities are analyzed below according to their merits. They are A. Compact City, B. Elevated City, C. Green House City, and D. Water City.
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is widely used by decision makers and researchers. The definition of criteria and the calculation of their weight are central in this method to assess the alternatives. However, there are few studies that focus on them. The purpose of this study is to develop a systematic review of literature on the real cases that applied AHP to evaluate how the criteria are being defined and measured. In the 33 cases selected, they mainly used literature to build the criteria and AHP or Fuzzy AHP to calculate their weight, while other techniques were used to evaluate alternatives.
The paper presents a multiple criteria evaluation of ten redesign variants of the public tram system in one of the medium sized cities in Poland. The variants have been constructed heuristically, based on “common sense”, best practices and authors’ expert knowledge in the field. Multiple criteria evaluation of the proposed variants has been performed with the application of a consistent family of criteria that includes social, economic, technical and environmental aspects. It also represents the interests of the Decision Maker and different stakeholders. The authors have defined different models of preferences. The decision problem, formulated as a multiple criteria ranking problem has been solved with the application of selected Multiple Criteria Decision Making/ Aiding MCDM/A methods, such as: AHP and ELECTRE III/IV. The authors have carried out a series of computational experiments and have compared their results with intuitive decision making process carried out in the local Town Hall. The proposed methodology can be viewed as a decision support tool for governmental officers and local administration.
Modern planning theories encourage approaches that consider all stakeholders with a variety of dis-course values to avoid political and manipulative decisions. In the last decade, application of quantitative approaches such as multi-criteria decision making techniques in land suitability procedures has increased, which allows handling heterogeneous data. The majority of these applications mainly used decision-making techniques to rank the priority of predefined management options or planning scenar-ios. The presented study, however, shows how spatial decision-making can be used not only to rank the priority of options and performing scenario analysis, but also to provide insight into the spatial extent of the alternatives. This is particularly helpful in situation where political transitions in regard to urban planning policies leave local decision-makers with considerable room for discretion. To achieve this, the study compares the results of two quantitative techniques (analytical hierarchy procedure (AHP) and Fuzzy AHP) in defining the extent of land-use zones at a large scale urban planning scenario. The pre-sented approach also adds a new dimension to the comparative analysis of applying these techniques in urban planning by considering the scale and purpose of the decision-making. The result demonstrates that in the early stage of the planning process, when identifying development options as a focal point is required, simplified methods can be sufficient. In this situation, selecting more sophisticated tech-niques will not necessarily generate different outcomes. However, when planning requires identifying the spatial extent of the preferred development area, considering the intersection area suggested by both methods will be ideal.
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is widely used method in multiple-attribute decision making. In the recent literature many authors used different judgment scales which influenced the results and decisions. In this paper the author reviews and discusses effects of utilization of various judgment scales on priority estimation in AHP. There has been studies that have been concerned with the comparison of judgment scales but there were no studies concerned with consistency measures that are needed. The goal of this paper is to compare and discuss the application of various judgment scales on the results in particular practical example that has been used in previous paper by Saaty (2003). Thus the focus of the paper is to analyze the impact of using different judgment scales on the resulting priorities and consistency to default scale as proposed by Saaty. Results suggest that judgment scales have a profound impact on criteria priorities but not on ranking of criteria. However, the consistency varies among applied judgment scales. Authors calculated the values of random index needed for calculation of the consistency index in AHP for all concerned scales. Based on them the consistency index was computed and compared. Both consistent and inconsistent Saaty matrices were used for comparison.
Urban stakeholders require quantitative and robust tools to implement new paths to urban sustainability. Urban form, the spatial distribution of activities and urban organization are crucial aspects of cities' sustainability. Many tools and assessment systems have been developed to improve cities' energy efficiency and environmental footprint. However, most of these tools are based on the building scale. Most urban stakeholders are now convinced that a building scale approach is not sufficient: the scale of analysis should evolve from the building to the neighbourhood, district and city scales. An innovative system of indicators is presented that answers the need for multi-scale and cross-scale indicators and encompasses the intrinsic complexity of the city. Based on a morphologic approach, new mathematical formulas are used to generate urban sustainability indicators. These indicators can assist with the comparison of urban projects by using a structural point of view to assess the energy efficiency, social and environmental consequences of different urban forms. A comprehensive table displays 60 indicators and methods to quantify them. Some of these indicators have been quantified for real cities and are presented.
Here we introduce the Analytic Hierarchy Process as a method of measurement with ratio scales and illustrate it with two examples. We then give the axioms and some of the central theoretical underpinnings of the theory. Finally, we discuss some of the ideas relating to this process and its ramifications. In this paper we give special emphasis to departure from consistency and its measurement and to the use of absolute and relative measurement, providing examples and justification for rank preservation and reversal in relative measurement.
The problem of urban decay in Hong Kong is getting worse recently; therefore, the importance of urban renewal in improving
the physical environment conditions and the living standards of the citizens is widely recognized in the territory. However,
it is not an easy task for the Hong Kong Government to prepare welcome urban renewal proposals because the citizens, professionals
and other concerned parties have their own expectations which are difficult to be addressed all at the same time. Although
it is impossible to satisfy all stakeholders concerning urban renewal, it is preferable to have proposals conforming to the
interests of the majority and beneficial to the present and future generations. This paper adopts the analytic hierarchy process
(AHP) to work out the most sustainable design proposal for an area undergoing urban renewal. AHP is a robust multi-criteria
decision making (MCDM) method for solving social, governmental and corporate decision problems. Since there is a lack of published
papers demonstrating a systematic and effective way for urban renewal proposal assessment, this paper attempts to fill this
gap with the help of AHP.
The purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the concept of green building assessment tool and its role for achieving sustainable development through developing an effective green building rating system for residential units in Jordan in terms of the dimensions through which sustainable development tools are being produced and according to the local context. Developing such system is becoming necessary in the Developing World because of the considerable environmental, social and economical problems. Jordan as one of these countries is in need for this system, especially with poor resources and inefficient use. Therefore, this research studied international green building assessment tools such as such as LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, GBTool, and others. Then defined new assessment items respecting the local conditions of Jordan and discussed them with (60) various stakeholders; 50% of them were experts of sustainable development. After selecting the assessment items they were weighted using the AHP method. The outcome of the research was a suggested green building assessment tool (SABA Green Building Rating System) – computer based program – that suits the Jordanian context in terms of environmental, social and economical perspectives.
This article presents a literature review of the applications of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP is a multiple criteria decision-making tool that has been used in almost all the applications related with decision-making. Out of many different applications of AHP, this article covers a select few, which could be of wide interest to the researchers and practitioners. The article critically analyses some of the papers published in international journals of high repute, and gives a brief idea about many of the referred publications. Papers are categorized according to the identified themes, and on the basis of the areas of applications. The references have also been grouped region-wise and year-wise in order to track the growth of AHP applications. To help readers extract quick and meaningful information, the references are summarized in various tabular formats and charts.A total of 150 application papers are referred to in this paper, 27 of them are critically analyzed. It is hoped that this work will provide a ready reference on AHP, and act as an informative summary kit for the researchers and practitioners for their future work.
As cities grow, their morphological and spatial configurations undergo some changes. In this context, the integration of old urban areas with newly planned ones is important. This way, while the urban identity elements are protected, the sustainability of cities is ensured. This study examines what kind of changes the spatial characteristics of Gaziantep city have undergone with the zoning plans made throughout its history. Space syntax method was utilized to determine its spatial properties. With this method, the integrity values, intelligibility (INCO: Correlation Between Integration and Connectivity) and accessibility (INCH: Correlation of Between Integration and Choice) values of the zoning plans were examined. As a result of the study, when the intelligibility values were examined in the radius of Rn, it was found out that there was a weak relationship in the settlement plans of 1938 (0,22), 1955 and 1973 (0,05), 1990 (0,0007) and 2012 (0,0003). That is, the intelligibility levels were low. When the accessibility values in the radius of Rn were examined, it was found out that 1938 (0,42), 1955 (0,34), 1973 (0,3) settlement plans had moderate significance while 1990 (0,19), 2012 (0,13) plans had low significance. Consequently, it is observed that as the cities grow, the intelligibility and accessibility values are reduced in general.
This paper examines capabilities of a new Spatial Data Infrastructure called Urban Analytics Data Infrastructure (UADI), through deriving and evaluating transport sustainability indicators. The UADI was developed in Australia to support multi-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional analytics to overcome the challenges related to model generalisation, data accessibility, data integration, data heterogeneity and city performance benchmarking. In this paper, the UADI were evaluated through 5 technical lenses of: data accessibility; integration; harmonisation; data reliability and model reliability. The paper shows that using open geospatial standards in UADI enabled transport sustainability indicators to be derived through accessing and integrating different spatial data layers and the process of mapping data to ontology facilitated data harmonisation. In addition, the input data, tool processing, and output of ontology-based transport sustainability indicators could be traced in UADI, which addresses the challenge of model and data reliability. The paper highlights the role of spatial data infrastructures in decision support systems for uncertainty analysis and promoting smart cities and resilient environment.
Analyzing patterns of urban development should consider the network structure among cities as well as the formation of the function and role of each city in the network. The flow analysis of various factors between cities is based on urban network and space of flow theories. This study used Hebei Province of China as the case. The comprehensive status of each city in the regional urban network was measured by simulating the economic, information, traffic, and financial flow among cities. Results indicate that the development pattern can be divided into three levels with a multi-core and multi-node network structure. In addition, the flow analysis method can predict 67% of urban developmental level. Furthermore, some policy recommendations are put forward to facilitate regional integrated development in Hebei province.
To date land-change science has devoted little attention to spatial policy and planning in urban landscapes despite the widely accepted premise that planning affects urban land change. This is primarily due to lack of relevant data and an underdeveloped theoretical understanding regarding the impact of spatial planning on urban land change. To be able to better analyse the role of spatial planning in urban development we need to distinguish: 1) the intentions expressed in the plans; 2) the means of implementation of the plans through governance processes and 3) the role of external conditions influencing implementation. Based on a synthesis of the current literature on how spatial planning is implemented in land-change models, and drawing from the literature on planning evaluation, we sketch a research agenda to further develop the understanding of these three components and their interconnections as well as their application in quantitative land-change modelling approaches for urban regions.
Poor urban air quality in China has received global attention. This article analyses the extent to which the urban form of all provincial and prefectural cities in China affects urban air quality. A geographically weighted regression model was used to quantify the relationship between the urban form indices, as well as the satellite-derived pollutant column density of NO2 and SO2. The results show that urban form has a significant effect on the urban air quality in China. The effect of urban form on air quality varies among the cities in this vast region. The compact ratio index is negatively correlated with both NO2 and SO2 column density for most of the cities. An ‘X’- or ‘H’-shaped city has less air pollution than a rhomboid-shaped city when the city is located in northern or central China. In comparison, the fractal dimension index is not a statistically significant predictor of air quality. Urban form can have effects on air quality that are equivalent to some meteorological and socioeconomic factors.
This paper serves as an introduction to the Analytic Hierarchy Process - A multicriteria decision making approach in which factors are arranged in a hierarchic structure. The principles and the philosophy of the theory are summarized giving general background information of the type of measurement utilized, its properties and applications.
In this paper we give an overview of the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for transport project appraisal. The aim of this review is to provide an outline of the increasing use of MCDA methods in the evaluation of transport projects. We investigate for which kind of transport decisions the MCDA methods are applied. The review consists of identifying the transport related subjects, the interconnected arising decision problems and the kind of representative MCDA method(s) used for transport project evaluations. This review allowed deriving a general frame for the evaluation of transport projects. One of the conclusions resulted in the importance of integrating stakeholders in the decision process not yet very common in the transport projects that were reviewed. The Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis (MAMCA) approach is suggested as a direction for further research. The MAMCA methodology has already proven its usefulness in several transport related decision problems enabling to involve the stakeholders explicitly in the decision process.
The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) is a very popular decision making method and literally thousands of papers have been published about it. However, we find the basic logic of this approach has problems. From its methodology, the definition and operational rules of fuzzy numbers not only oppose the main logic of fuzzy set theory, but also oppose the basic principles of the AHP. In dealing with the outcomes, fuzzy AHP does not give a generally accepted method to rank fuzzy numbers and a way to check the validity of the results. Besides, we discuss the validity of the Analytic Hierarchy/Network Process (AHP/ANP) in complex and uncertain environments and find that fuzzy ANP is a false proposition because there is no fuzzy priority in the super matrix which provides the basis for the ANP. Although fuzzy AHP has been applied in many cases and cited hundreds of times, we hoped that those who use fuzzy AHP would understand the problems associated with this method.
In this paper the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) method to evaluate transport projects is presented. This evaluation method specifically focuses on the inclusion of qualitative as well as quantitative criteria with their relative importance, defined by the multiple stakeholders, into one comprehensive evaluation process in order to facilitate the decision making process by the different stakeholders. The MAMCA methodology is introduced by an overview of other evaluation methods for transport projects in the past and is illustrated by means of two practical cases. The introduction will lead us to the theoretical conception of the MAMCA method where we draw the attention to the proven usefulness of the MAMCA for the evaluation of transport projects and the inclusion of different kinds of stakeholders, individuals as well as groups, into the evaluation process.
Due to its wide applicability and ease of use, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been studied extensively for the last 20 years. Recently, it is observed that the focus has been confined to the applications of the integrated AHPs rather than the stand-alone AHP. The five tools that commonly combined with the AHP include mathematical programming, quality function deployment (QFD), meta-heuristics, SWOT analysis, and data envelopment analysis (DEA). This paper reviews the literature of the applications of the integrated AHPs. Related articles appearing in the international journals from 1997 to 2006 are gathered and analyzed so that the following three questions can be answered: (i) which type of the integrated AHPs was paid most attention to? (ii) which area the integrated AHPs were prevalently applied to? (iii) is there any inadequacy of the approaches? Based on the inadequacy, if any, some improvements and possible future work are recommended. This research not only provides evidence that the integrated AHPs are better than the stand-alone AHP, but also aids the researchers and decision makers in applying the integrated AHPs effectively.
A lot of research has been devoted to the critical analysis of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), from various perspectives. However, as far as we know, no one has addressed a fundamental problem, discussed in this paper, concerning the meaning of the priority vector derived from the principal eigenvalue method used in AHP. The role of AHP’s consistency ratio is also analysed.
Both advocacy and performance measurement ends of the city planning spectrum have advanced the approach of measuring and monitoring urban indicators as a practical means to lofty planning goals. Urban and regional indicator projects aim to generate synergistic utility out of measures of urban quality and progress, trying to transform assessment measures into strategic levers for system change. This article reports on the theory, methods and design of an action research project that has taken place since late 2004, the Regional Vancouver Urban Observatory (RVu). RVu is the first member of the UN-Habitat Global Urban Observatory network to be established in a developed country. RVu conceptualized and completed overlapping processes in generating both expert-based and citizen-based recommendations on key regional indicators, with a view toward sustainable development. Our hypothesis has been that negotiation and integration of values and ideals will occur throughout such a process and common indicators will emerge that approach a new sustainable view of the region.
Selection of the suitable shipping registry alternative for the existing fleet or new building ships is one of the critical decision milestones of the shipping business. The main aim of this paper is to structure a practical decision support mechanism on ensuring multiple criteria analysis of shipping registry selection. Fuzzy AHP methodology, based on Chang’s extent analysis, is determined to be utilized in order to model the shipping registry selection. After structuring the fundamental hierarchy, the model is performed with a case application on Turkish maritime industry to be able to obtain illustrative results. The shipping registries of Turkiye, Panama, and Malta are determined to evaluate as the potential alternatives for Turkish ship owners. When the literature was examined for the applications of analytical methodologies on maritime business, it was seemed that they were so rare. Therefore, the originality of this study appears on modeling of the critical process under multidisciplinary philosophy in ship management.
This study analyzes urban expansion and spatial restructuring of land use patterns in the Pearl River Delta of south China by using remote sensing and GIS. The region has pioneered the nation in economic development and urbanization process. Tremendous land use changes have been witnessed since the economic reform in 1978. Land use changes over two time periods, 1988–1993 and 1993–1997, are analyzed to demonstrate how enforcing land use policies can influence the direction and magnitude of landscape change. The adoption of a market economy has resulted in the internal restructuring of agricultural land use from traditional paddy production to more diversified agricultural activities, such as growing cash crops, fruits and aquaculture. Spatial dependency of land use changes and variations of land development can be identified between the eastern development corridor and the western development corridor. The measurement of spatial patterns is accomplished by using the indicators of compactness index and entropy. This study provides new evidence with spatial details about the uneven land development in the Pearl River Delta.
Scientists need a better and larger set of tools to validate land-use change models, because it is essential to know a model’s prediction accuracy. This paper describes how to use the relative operating characteristic (ROC) as a quantitative measurement to validate a land-cover change model. Typically, a crucial component of a spatially explicit simulation model of land-cover change is a map of suitability for land-cover change, for example a map of probability of deforestation. The model usually selects locations for new land-cover change at locations that have relatively high suitability. The ROC can compare a map of actual change to maps of modeled suitability for land-cover change. ROC is a summary statistic derived from several two-by-two contingency tables, where each contingency table corresponds to a different simulated scenario of future land-cover change. The categories in each contingency table are actual change and actual non-change versus simulated change and simulated non-change. This paper applies the theoretical concepts to a model of deforestation in the Ipswich watershed, USA.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a method of scaling ratios using the principal eigenvector of a positive pairwise comparison matrix. Consistency of the matrix data is defined and measured by an expression involving the average of the nonprincipal eigenvalues. We show that λmax = n is a necessary and sufficient condition for consistency. We also show that twice this measure is the variance in judgmental errors. A scale of numbers from 1 to 9 is introduced together with a discussion of how it compares with other scales. To illustrate the theory, it is then applied to some examples for which the answer is known, offering the opportunity for validating the approach. The discussion is then extended to multiple criterion decision making by formally introducing the notion of a hierarchy, investigating some properties of hierarchies, and applying the eigenvalue approach to scaling complex problems structured hierarchically to obtain a unidimensional composite vector for scaling the elements falling in any single level of the hierarchy. A brief discussion is also included regarding how the hierarchy serves as a useful tool for decomposing a large-scale problem, in order to make measurement possible despite the now-classical observation that the mind is limited to 7 ± 2 factors for simultaneous comparison.
As part of the 50th anniversary of Management Science, the journal is publishing articles that reflect on the past, present, and future of the various subfields the journal represents. In this article, we consider decision analysis research as it has appeared in Management Science. After reviewing the foundations of decision analysis and the history of the journal's decision analysis department, we review a number of key developments in decision analysis research that have appeared in Management Science and offer some comments on the current state of the field.
An innovative Analytic Hierarchy Process-based structure is developed to capture the relationship between various levels of activities contributed by people to society. Physical objects have widespread extension and degrees of importance that often differ by many orders of magnitude. Similarly, mental thoughts and criteria occur in widely heterogeneous entities that have to be sorted and arranged into homogeneous groups of few elements in each group so that one can evaluate the relationships among them accurately, from the smallest to the largest. It is through such a framework for organizing factors with smooth transition that it is possible to derive reliable priorities from expert judgments. The proposed model enables one to make decisions and allocate resources in as detailed and fine a way as possible. In addition to the traditional approach of structuring criteria into multiple clusters, the alternatives of a decision are also organized into the lowest multiple levels of that hierarchy. This arrangement and evaluation of alternatives differs from one criterion to another, which adds to the complexity of the undertaking when the alternatives are heterogeneous. The coherent approach to structuring complex decisions with the Analytic Hierarchy Process enables one to transcend the complexity of dealing in a scientific way with the problem of widespread orders of magnitude of criteria and alternatives in a complex decision. When the magnitudes are actually very small or very large, the accuracy of ratingalternativesoneatatime instead of comparing them in pairs involves much guessing, and can lead to a questionable outcome. Alternatively, comparisons, which are necessary for the measurement of intangibles, have greater and better justified accuracy.
In this paper the authors review the developments of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) since its inception. The focus of this paper is a neutral review on the methodological developments rather than reporting its applications that have appeared since its introduction. In particular, we discuss problem modelling, pair-wise comparisons, judgement scales, derivation methods, consistency indices, incomplete matrix, synthesis of the weights, sensitivity analysis and group decisions. All have been important areas of research in AHP.
Urban growth patterns are characteristic of spatial changes that take place in metropolitan areas (MA). They are particularly prominent in more recently formed MAs, such as those in certain locations in Spain, where the structure of the traditional city has undergone sweeping changes. Given the capacity of spatial metrics to characterize landscape structure, these metrics can be a valuable instrument to identify growth
patterns in MAs and to evaluate possible urban growth options, based on spatial characteristics.
This article focuses on a medium-sized MA (Granada, Spain), and explores the use of spatial metrics to quantify changes in the urban growth patterns reflected in three future scenarios (2020). The scenarios were simulated with a model based on cellular automata, which reproduced three urban growth processes (aggregation, compaction, and dispersion) and four urban growth patterns (aggregated, linear, leapfrogging, and nodal). The scenarios were evaluated with metrics that quantified changes in the spatial
characteristics of urban processes. Thus, for example, the NP and AREA MNallowed us to characterize the decreased aggregation of high-density residential land uses in one scenario (S1) and the linear growth patterns in industrial land uses in another scenario (S2). In this way, spatial metrics were found to be useful for the evaluation of urban planning.
In the field of decision making, creating a structure is the first step in organizing, representing and solving a problem. A structure is a model, an abstraction of a problem. It helps us visualize and understand the relevant elements within it that we know from the real world and then use our understanding to solve the problem represented in the structure with greater confidence. In general, there are two kinds of structures used to represent problems: hierarchies and networks. Both rely to a varying degree on the interactions. Some examples are given followed by a discussion about how to structure the problem. At a minimum, a structure must satisfy two requirements: that it be logical in identifying and grouping similar things together, and that it relates them accurately according to the flow of influence among them. It must be complete with nothing left out that has an important influence. The structure is then tested as to whether it helps solve the problem to one's satisfaction.
In a paper by Chang [D.Y. Chang, Applications of the extent analysis method on fuzzy AHP, European Journal of Operational Research 95 (1996) 649–655], an extent analysis method on fuzzy AHP was proposed to obtain a crisp priority vector from a triangular fuzzy comparison matrix. It is found that the extent analysis method cannot estimate the true weights from a fuzzy comparison matrix and has led to quite a number of misapplications in the literature. In this paper, we show by examples that the priority vectors determined by the extent analysis method do not represent the relative importance of decision criteria or alternatives and that the misapplication of the extent analysis method to fuzzy AHP problems may lead to a wrong decision to be made and some useful decision information such as decision criteria and fuzzy comparison matrices not to be considered. We show these problems to avoid any possible misapplications in the future.