Sustainability assessment model for Brazilian hydroelectric projects using multicriteria analysis

2022 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 101851
Author(s):  
Paulo Victor Freitas Lopes ◽  
Cássia Monteiro da Silva Burigato Costa ◽  
Aleska Kaufmann Almeida ◽  
Isabel Kaufmann de Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Hydroelectric Projects

scholarly journals The assessment of Lithuanian private forestry sustainability

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stasys Mizaras ◽  
Asta Doftartė ◽  
Diana Lukminė
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Criteria And Indicators ◽  
Private Forestry ◽  
Private Forest Management ◽  
Sustainability Principles

The development of private forestry in Lithuania has raised the problem of its sustainability assessment. In order for private forest management in small holdings to be based on sustainability principles, this sustainability must be characterized by a system of measurable criteria and indicators. The purpose of the study is to assess the sustainability of Lithuanian private forestry. Based on European and other processes on criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management for the first time Lithuanian private forestry sustainability was assessed. The assessment model is based on the multicriteria analysis and includes 7 steps: 1) criteria and indicators, 2) their importance, 3) values of indicators, 4) target indicators, 5) assessment scales, 6) assessment of indicators, 7) overall assessment. The article describes the small-scale private forestry of Lithuania, the model of its sustainability assessment and the results of the assessment. The assessment score for the sustainability of Lithuanian private forestry is 3.2 on the 5-point scale.

scholarly journals Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Filer ◽  
Justin D. Delorit ◽  
Andrew J. Hoisington ◽  
Steven J. Schuldt
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Remote Community ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Study Results

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.

Sustainability assessment model for heritage buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abobakr Al-Sakkaf ◽  
Ashutosh Bagchi ◽  
Tarek Zayed ◽  
Sherif Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Equal Weight ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Regional Variations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heritage Buildings

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to focus on the evaluation of heritage buildings' sustainability. BIM modeling was necessary for the design of the sustainability assessment model for Heritage Buildings (SAHB). Using ArchiCAD®, energy simulations were performed for two case studies (Murabba Palace, Saudi Arabia, and Grey Nuns Building, Canada), and the developed model was validated through sensitivity analysis.Design/methodology/approachHeritage buildings (HBs) are unique and must be preserved for future generations. This article focuses on a sustainability assessment model and rating scale for heritage buildings in light of the need for their conservation. Regional variations were considered in the model development to identify critical attributes whose corresponding weights were then determined by fuzzy logic. Data was collected via questionnaires completed by Saudi Arabian and Canadian experts, and Fuzzy TOPSIS was also applied to eliminate the uncertainties present when human opinions are involved.FindingsResults showed that regional variations were sufficiently addressed through the multi-level weight consideration in the proposed model. Comparing the nine identified factors that affect the sustainability of HBs, energy and indoor environmental quality were of equal weight in both case studies.Originality/valueThis study will be helpful for the design of a globally applicable sustainability assessment model for HBs. It will also enable decision-makers to prepare maintenance plans for HBs.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Environmental and Economic Performance of Remote Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Filer ◽  
Steven Schuldt
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Remote Site ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Renewable Energy Systems ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Waste Management Practices ◽  
Post Disaster

Remote communities such as oil production sites, post-disaster housing camps, and military forwardoperating bases (FOB) are often detached from established infrastructure grids, requiring a constantresupply of resources. In one instance, a 600-person FOB required 22 trucks per day to delivernecessary fuel and water and remove generated wastes. This logistical burden produces negativeenvironmental impacts and increases operational costs. To minimize these consequences,construction planners can implement sustainability measures such as renewable energy systems,improved waste management practices, and energy-efficient equipment. However, integration ofsuch upgrades can increase construction costs, presenting the need for a tool that identifies tradeoffsamong conflicting criteria. To assist planners in these efforts, this paper presents the development ofa novel remote site sustainability assessment model capable of quantifying the environmental andeconomic performance of a set of infrastructure alternatives. Through field data and literatureestimates, a hypothetical FOB is designed and evaluated to demonstrate the model’s distinctivecapability to accurately and efficiently assess construction alternatives. The proposed model willenable construction planners to maximize the sustainability of remote communities, creating sitesthat are more self-sufficient with reduced environmental impacts.Keywords: Sustainability, infrastructure, remote communities

Participatory decision support for sustainable forest management: a framework for planning with local communities at the landscape level in Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1515-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen RJ Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Landscape Level

There is an increasing demand for active public involvement in forestry decision making, but there are as yet few established models for achieving this in the new sustainable forest management (SFM) context. At the level of the working forest, the fields of forest sustainability assessment, public participation, decision support, and computer technology in spatial modelling and visualization need to be integrated. This paper presents the results of a literature review of public participation and decision-support methods, with emphasis on case study examples in participatory decision support. These suggest that emerging methods, such as public multicriteria analysis of alternative forest management scenarios and allied tools, may lend themselves to public processes addressing sustainability criteria and indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for participatory decision support to address the special needs of SFM in tactical planning at the landscape level. This framework consists of principles, process criteria, and preliminary guidelines for designing and evaluating SFM planning processes with community input. More well-documented studies are needed to develop comprehensive, engaging, open, and accountable processes that support informed decision making in forest management, and to strengthen guidance for managers.

Integrating the analytic network process (ANP) and the driving force‐pressure‐state‐impact‐ responses (DPSIR) model for the sustainability assessment of territorial transformations

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 618-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Bottero ◽  
Valentina Ferretti
Keyword(s):  
Driving Force ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Real Estate Market ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Dpsir Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Network Process ◽  
Impact Responses ◽  
Pressure State ◽  
Force Pressure

PurposeThe paper, which is based on an integrated approach that is able to aid the comprehension of complex phenomena, aims to investigate innovative models and tools in the field of sustainability assessment of territorial transformations. The model has been applied to a real case study related to the choice of alternative projects for the requalification of a downgraded urban area in Turin (Italy).Design/methodology/approachThe work proposes the use of a comprehensive key environmental indicator framework and multi‐criteria analysis to evaluate the sustainability of different strategies. The evaluation has been performed through the application of the analytical network process (ANP) and by means of a set of indicators, which have been arranged according to the Driving Force‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Responses (DPSIR) framework. The assessment model provides priority lists of the importance of the considered indicators and alternatives. All the analysis elements are modelled with the ANP, taking into consideration the interconnections between the indicators and their respective cumulative importance.FindingsAccording to the aim of the paper, the most important element in the performed analysis refers to the variation of the well‐being of the population, followed by the changes in the accessibility and attractiveness of the area, then by the effects on the real estate market and the presence of new cycle tracks.Originality/valueThe work is the first study at a national level and one of the first applications at an international level in research concerning the use of the DPSIR framework integrated with an ANP analysis.

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