Constructing smarter and more sustainable urban ecosystems: a dynamic analysis of challenges and initiatives

Abstract

Cities’ weaknesses have been revealed by their struggle to respond to current challenges (e.g., pandemic crises and population and urbanization exponential growth). Urban planners are thus increasingly concerned about implementing initiatives in their metropolises that favor a better present and future quality of life. In this context, cities need to become enablers of economic and social development and increased prosperity through the integration of technologies into projects promoting smarter and more sustainable urban ecosystems. These ecosystems are, however, highly complex due to their specificities and multifaceted nature, which makes analyzing them a difficult endeavor. Based on a constructivist and complementarity logic, this study sought to develop a multicriteria analysis model to support relevant decision-making processes in this study context. A panel of experts was recruited to create the analysis system using a combination of cognitive mapping and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory technique in an neutrosophic context. This approach overcomes various flaws identified in previous related research. The entire procedure focused on enhancing the experts’ learning through participation not only to structure the problem under analysis but also to identify and prioritize the factors and/or determinants of smartness and urban sustainability. The model provides a holistic, solid, and clear vision of the decision problem that fosters appropriate choices when creating and evaluating smart, sustainable urban ecosystems.

Towards Sustainable Urban Futures: Integrating a Novel Grey Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model for Optimal Pedestrian Walkway Site Selection

“…In the dynamic field of urban planning, the strategic identification of locations for pedestrian access stands as a critical challenge for constructing urban environments that are not only safe and efficient but also sustainable [1,2]. Despite the acknowledged importance of this endeavor, there remains a notable research gap in optimizing the selection of these locations, particularly in the integration of mathematical modeling methodologies and comprehensive multidisciplinary criteria [3][4][5].…”