A Sustainable Evaluation Processes for Investments in the Transport Sector: A Combined Multi-Criteria and Cost–Benefit Analysis for a New Highway in Italy

Abstract

In the transport sector, a rational and shared planning process is commonly based on the comparison of different design alternatives through quantitative evaluations and stakeholders’ engagement. Among the most adopted evaluation methods, there are cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and multi-criteria analysis (MCA). Both these methods have strengths and weaknesses, which do not allow the conclusion that one technique is dominant over the other. Starting from these considerations, the aim of this paper is to propose a sustainable evaluation process for investments in the transport sector, based on the combined use of both CBA and MCA analysis and a stakeholders’ engagement. The proposed evaluation method was also applied to a real case study: the decision-making process for a new highway in a high naturalistic and touristic area in north of Italy. Furthermore, a “weighted criteria process definition” based on the Delphi method was also performed within a public engagement process. Research results show that the application of both the evaluation analyses (CBA and MCA) allows the selection of the most rational althernative from a sustainable, shared and technical point of view. Precisely, the estimations performed underline that the CBA analysis significantly underestimated the non-users’ benefits, while the opposite occurred for the MCA analysis. The incidence of the non-users’ benefits is only the 14% of the total for the CBA, while it reaches more than the 79% for the MCA. This result is very relevant underling how, for a decision-making processes aimed in comparing different design alternatives for which non-users impacts are expected as relevant against the users ones, the unique application of the most consolidated CBA analyses are not always adequate, while the joint use of the two evaluation methods ensures robust and rational choices for a sustainable development.

Particulate Matter Short-Term Exposition, Mobility Trips and COVID-19 Diffusion: A Correlation Analyses for the Italian Case Study at Urban Scale

“…Among the research perspectives, there will be the estimation of a multivariable model aiming to evaluate daily COVID-19 cases/deaths as a function of some of the main context variables (e.g., population, exposure, peak infectivity, infection associated with heavy symptoms, asymptomatic/mild symptom, hospitalized cases, quarantine at home, and recovered/dead individuals), where mobility and air quality measures (the ones discussed in this research) could contribute to better describing the overall pandemic phenomena. Furthermore, other research perspectives should also consider impact assessment analyses (e.g., cost-benefit vs. multicriteria [60][61][62][63]) of sustainable mobility policies, such as the electric mobility (e-mobility) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), in the "new normal" post-coronavirus era.…”

Urban Development Project Evaluation Using Multi-Stakeholder Cost–Benefit Analysis

“…First, stakeholder analysis aims to recognize the diversity of interests in urban areas. Literature suggests that urban areas and their developments comprise various parties and interests that can and should influence policymaking toward mutual consensus (Atay Kaya and Kaya Erol, 2016;Henke, Cartenì et al, 2020). Second, CBA enables the quantification of externalities caused by development projects, either positive or negative.…”

“…For example, Iwanciw, Zalles et al (2013) studied the CBA of climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially in urban water provision programs. Other past works that performed multi-stakeholder CBA are energy megaproject assessment by Joseph, Gunton et al (2020) and Ren, Wu et al (2019) and the transport sector (Henke, Cartenì et al, 2020). As far as observed, multi-stakeholder CBA that evaluates residential land-use development is less elucidated.…”

Effect of Infrastructure Investment and Freight Accessibility on Gross Domestic Product: A Data-Driven Geographical Approach

“…Martens and Di Ciommo [16] assessed transport projects considering travel time savings and the equity effects of accessibility gains. Henke et al [17] developed a sustainable evaluation method for investment in a new HSR in Italy based on CBA.…”