Developing Assessment Criteria for Sustainable Transport Appraisal

Abstract

Defining a clear, comprehensive, and non-overlapping set of assessment criteria is a crucial step in multi-criteria analysis processes. Although criteria are typically developed based on planning objectives, there currently exists no standard procedure for conducting this exercise when both transportation and wider sustainable development goals need to be considered jointly. Based on research applying the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis approach to the case of a high-speed rail project in the UK, this paper presents a framework and a replicable stakeholder involvement process for selecting, defining, and naming assessment criteria to be used in sustainable transport appraisal (STA). The framework consists of a set of systematic guidelines and considerations for producing a coherent list that addresses known cognitive biases and can be understood by a broad range of stakeholders. A further practicable outcome of the research is a comprehensive list, developed using this framework, of 28 transport assessment criteria encompassing direct project impacts, indirect societal impacts, and environmental impacts. This list can serve as a starting point for planners wishing to conduct MCA-based STA. One key take-away from this research is the emphasis on an inclusive, interactive, and iterative approach for defining sustainable transport assessment criteria.

Engaging Multiple Actors in Large-Scale Transport Infrastructure Project Appraisal: An Application of MAMCA to the Case of HS2 High-Speed Rail

“…The criteria weighting process described below (Sections 3.4.1 and 3.4.2) is based on a list of assessment criteria developed by Barradale and Cornet [23] in a prior, preparatory stage of this research. Using the criteria listed in the Transport Analysis Guidance (WebTAG) by the UK government [29] and the impacts assessed in the HS2 appraisal documents [32,38] as a starting point, Barradale and Cornet [23] consulted a wide range of experts, adopting an iterative, mixed deductive/inductive approach to produce a comprehensive and coherent list of criteria for comparing HS2 and its alternatives. In addition to direct project impacts (those costs and benefits typically considered in transport appraisal, including the official appraisal of HS2 Phase I), this list includes broader impacts on society and the environment.…”

“…Respondents were also given the possibility of adding openended comments. This qualitative data was used in earlier stages of the research to refine the criteria list (see [23]).…”

“…Our results support the findings of others (see Section 3.4.3) that multiplicative AHP is a robust method of capturing judgments. Validity for transport appraisal that addresses sustainability issues requires comprehensiveness in the list of relevant impacts [23]. While it is important that all impacts are included in the initial list, it is not necessary for all respondents to assess all impacts.…”

“…This paper demonstrates a new approach for incorporating sustainability in transport appraisal. From a practical perspective the approach allows for including a standard and comprehensive set of sustainable transport criteria that could be used for ex-ante assessment, monitoring, and ex-post evaluation [23,52]. If the list of criteria is sufficiently comprehensive to include impacts of a wide range of transport projects, this allows for comparing projects with different types of goals.…”

A single-valued neutrosophic decision framework for the assessment of sustainable transport investment projects based on discrimination measure

“…Moreover, using three selected appraisal criteria which refer to three dimensions of sustainability, Mahmoudi et al (2019) presented an integrated tool combining the game theory and the "data envelopment analysis (DEA)" for sustainable road network project. Barradale and Cornet (2018) applied the multi-actor multi-criteria assessment tool to describe the transport evaluation criteria involving direct project impacts, indirect societal and environmental impacts for "sustainable transport appraisal of rail projects (STARPs)". Muvawala et al (2020) observed the impact of "road transport infrastructure investment (RTII)" on Uganda's economic performance and measured the economic aspects related with disorganized urban road transport infrastructure structure in Uganda.…”