Method for estimating the social sustainability of infrastructure projects

Abstract

Nowadays, sustainability assessments tend to focus on the biophysical and economic considerations of the built environment. Social facets are generally underestimated when investment in infrastructure projects is appraised. This paper proposes a method to estimate the contribution of infrastructure projects to social sustainability. This method takes into account the interactions of an infrastructure with its environment in terms of the potential for short and long-term social improvement. The method is structured in five stages: (1) social improvement criteria and goals to be taken into account are identified and weighed; (2) an exploratory study is conducted to determine transfer functions; (3) each criterion is homogenized through value functions; (4) the short and long-term social improvement indices are established; and finally, (5) social improvement indices are contrasted to identify the socially selected alternatives and to assign an order of priority. The method was implemented in six alternatives for road infrastructure improvement. The results of the analysis show that the method can distinguish the contribution to social sustainability of different infrastructure projects and location contexts, according to early benefits and potential long-term equitable improvement. This method can be applied prior to the implementation of a project and can complement environmental and economic sustainability assessments.

Evaluating the regional social sustainability contribution of public‐private partnerships in China: The development of an indicator system

“…Meanwhile, PPPs should regard the promotion of regional social sustainability as the primary goal. The social aspect in the concept of the sustainability of PPPs requires particular attention (Diaz‐Sarachaga et al, ; Mostafa & El‐Gohary, ; Sierra et al, ; Sierra, Pellicer, & Yepes, ). Therefore, the SSCES for PPPs addresses the role of PPPs as a key driver for regional sustainable development from the external perspective, especially for socially sustainable development.…”

“…Therefore, several evaluation tools have begun focusing on the socially sustainable contribution of PPPs. Sierra, Pellicer, and Yepes () focused on the potential for short‐ and long‐term social improvement. Sierra, Yepes, García‐Segura, and Pellicer () used the theory of Bayesian reasoning and a harmony search optimization algorithm in their evaluation process.…”

“…On the other hand, a consensus is that social aspect of regional sustainability has not been widely studied (Mostafa & El‐Gohary, ; Sierra, Yepes, & Pellicer, ). PPP projects can complement many social interventions and facilitate participation in sociopolitical processes (Sierra, Pellicer, & Yepes, ). Ignoring the social aspect in the development process of PPPs may have detrimental effects on society and can jeopardize the quality of living environment (Sierra, Pellicer, & Yepes, ).…”

Assessing the social sustainability contribution of an infrastructure project under conditions of uncertainty

“…A multicriteria deterministic method was recently proposed to assess social sustainability in infrastructure projects (Sierra et al 2017). This method is structured in three processes that determine (a) a short-term social improvement index; (b) a longterm social improvement index; and (c) a multi-objective prioritization of the public infrastructure investment alternatives.…”

Analyzing the Coupling Coordination among Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits of Urban Infrastructure: Case Study of Four Chinese Autonomous Municipalities

“…This system provides the basic substance guarantee for the development of urban economy [1][2][3]. At the same time, the construction of urban infrastructure changes urban living condition which is beneficial to promote the development and progress of society [4,5]. In addition, urban infrastructure has positive influence on the protection of urban ecological environment [6][7][8].…”