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Sustainability
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The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools
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The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 11801

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Rosaria Guarini

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Design, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: public and private feasibility of urban transformation; economic evaluation of environmental and cultural assets; real estate market; economic valuation of real estate investment projects; environmental economics; sustainability; multi-criteria decision analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Pierluigi Morano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: real estate valuation; urban development; valuation risk; analysis investment; valuation property; management asset; housing economics; project financing; urban economics; financial analysis; real estate management; project management; applied econometrics; environmental economics; urban sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesco Sica

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Design, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Flaminia 359, 00196 Rome, Italy
Interests: economic evaluation of projects; environmental economy; evaluation of ecosystem services; decision-support systems; multicriteria analysis; mathematical programming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many cities are characterized by high building and housing density, significant problems of liveability linked to changing climatic conditions, excessive consumption of energy and environmental resources, as well as the production of pollutants in the atmosphere and scarcity of green areas and services for the people. It is recognized, therefore, that in the processes of transformation/valorization of urban settlements, it is necessary to propose and implement sustainable interventions capable of pursuing multiple objectives concerning, for example, a more rational use of the resources and territory; the improvement of the quality level of the urban context through the creation of new green areas; and the social and economic–cultural development of the population also through ecosystem services. These types of services, for example, set off processes of transformation in an integrated key: setting in motion productive activities useful for the economic development of the territory; improving the quality of life of citizens; reducing the consumption of energy resources; and increasing the real estate values.

In the processes of settlement transformation, the relationships between multiple elements to be considered together in order to express judgements of convenience on interventions in urban areas require the use of multicriteria and multidimensional evaluation methods and tools, as well as an integrated use of traditional tools and methods for estimating their cost, market, and transformation value, and evaluating the financial and economic viability of projects. The implementation of evaluation methodologies and tools in an integrated way can include the processing and analysis of spatial data, such as Nightlights data, through GIS; the use of programming frameworks in which to structure mathematical algorithms to support evaluation processes related to urban initiatives; the use of computational methods for the analysis of the urban real estate system; and the use of participatory procedures based on forms of public–private partnership in which to take into account the interests of stakeholders involved in settlement transformation initiatives.

In this perspective, this Special Issue is dedicated to collecting and disseminating knowledge related to the development of the most recent methodologies aimed at overcoming the limitations of the actual analysis methods. This proposes the use of tools, also used in different disciplines, that in project evaluation use an integrated approach in which an adequate identification and quantification of spatial, architectural, monetary, environmental, ecological, energy, and temporal aspects can lead to the definition, choice, financing, and implementation, as well as management of sustainable interventions through informed decision-making processes.

Original papers related to the above topics and also dealing generally with methodologies, numerical and experimental investigations, and case-studies are welcome.

Thanks for your contributions.

Prof. Maria Rosaria Guarini
Prof. Pierluigi Morano
Mr. Francesco Sica
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • economic evaluation
  • multi-criteria decision analysis
  • integrated assessment framework
  • operative tools
  • urban sustainable development

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2855 KiB  
Article
Waste Landscape: Urban Regeneration Process for Shared Scenarios
by Lucia Della Spina and Claudia Giorno
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2880; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052880 - 1 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2917
Abstract
The theme of urban redevelopment and regeneration has long been a priority in the international debate and current practices in the field of urban policies and strategic programs for sustainable development, implemented according to the circular economy model. In the contemporary city, there [...] Read more.
The theme of urban redevelopment and regeneration has long been a priority in the international debate and current practices in the field of urban policies and strategic programs for sustainable development, implemented according to the circular economy model. In the contemporary city, there are fragments of unused, residual, abandoned landscapes, defined as “Waste LandScapes” which are the natural consequence of the metabolic process of growth and development of cities, both for the incompatibility of their original use and for the loss of their economic value. These waste landscapes, if inserted in virtuous processes of urban redevelopment, have a great intrinsic value and a considerable regenerative potential, capable of triggering virtuous development processes, not only on an urban scale but also on a territorial level. In this context, the research applied to a degraded area located on the edge of the historic center of Catanzaro (Italy) illustrates an adaptive and multi-methodological, inclusive and site-specific evaluation process, useful to support decision-makers in the selection of a shared scenario, evaluated both in multi-group and multi-criteria terms, capable of generating benefits in terms of cultural enhancement, social inclusion and economic development for a circular city. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools)
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30 pages, 1322 KiB  
Article
Public-Private Negotiation of the Increase in Land or Property Value by Urban Variant: An Analytical Approach Tested on a Case of Real Estate Development
by Maria Rosaria Guarini, Pierluigi Morano, Alessandro Micheli and Francesco Sica
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10958; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910958 - 2 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1863
Abstract
The insufficiency of public resources in Europe, which increased due to the debt crisis of 2010, has raised the need for combined financing forms to activate urban settlement transformation processes. Among these is the partial recapture of surplus value generated by interventions that [...] Read more.
The insufficiency of public resources in Europe, which increased due to the debt crisis of 2010, has raised the need for combined financing forms to activate urban settlement transformation processes. Among these is the partial recapture of surplus value generated by interventions that derogate from urban planning tools as a regulation form of the differential rent phenomenon. This form of financing recalls the concept of land value recapture; it consists of an extraordinary charge of urbanisation (ECU) paid to policymakers. In Italy, the national law (2014) assigns responsibility for ECU determination to local decision-makers. Their plurality of operational guidelines are generally inspired by the transformation value criterion, and are sometimes methodologically incoherent and dispersive in their modus operandi. To support policymakers in the programming of public works within the limits of their available financial resources, the aim of the present work is to test a coherent, rational and applicable procedure in the field of estimation in order to analytically determine the “surplus value” generated by the intervention ante and post urban variant. The proposed procedural model is based on the structural characterisation of multiple methodologies used in practice and in the literature. The procedure was tested on a case study in the Italian context of Rome City. The results deduced from its implementation clarify that the ECU evaluation must also appropriately weigh the mutual benefits according to the “timing” and “riskiness” of the investment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools)
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17 pages, 1025 KiB  
Article
A Logical-Mathematical Approach for the Implementation of Ecologically Equipped Productive Urban Areas
by Maria Rosaria Sessa, Benedetta Esposito, Daniela Sica and Ornella Malandrino
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1365; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031365 - 28 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
Sustainability is a complex phenomenon that refers to economic, environmental, and social aspects. Any concept of sustainable urban development must incorporate sectoral concepts; these must be well integrated into the overarching urban, regional, and governance policies. One sectoral policy of great importance is [...] Read more.
Sustainability is a complex phenomenon that refers to economic, environmental, and social aspects. Any concept of sustainable urban development must incorporate sectoral concepts; these must be well integrated into the overarching urban, regional, and governance policies. One sectoral policy of great importance is the redevelopment processes of disused industrial areas into Sustainable Industrial Areas (AIS), Ecologically Equipped Productive Areas (APEA), or Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP). These territories, as socioeconomic systems that are being observed in the framework of the development of sustainability monitoring, are complex objects for evaluation due to the presence of a large number of interconnections between the constituent elements and hierarchical levels (sectors and spheres). For this reason, it is necessary that a new interpretation of economical, natural, and social phenomena, following a systemic and integrated approach, is able to reinterpret them for the dissemination of an ecologically and socially sustainable economy. The purpose of this work is to analyse the state of realisation of APEA on the Italian national territory, in order to understand the real benefits of production areas managed through eco-efficiency standards and to guarantee an integrated management system of environmental aspects. An additional aim is to consider a logical-mathematical model that would be able to support territorial policies in the identification of suitable areas to be converted into APEA, in order to promote sustainable development of the territory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools)
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27 pages, 3864 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Sustainability of Social Housing Policies through the Social Impact Approach: Innovative Perspectives form a “Paris Affordable Housing Challenge” Project in France
by Cristina Coscia, Subhash Mukerjee, Bianca Ludovica Palmieri and Chiara Quintanal Rivacoba
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9903; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239903 - 26 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4169
Abstract
The environmental, economic and social challenges re-launched in the European Union Agendas (e.g., Horizon 2020 and Europe 2020–2030) have recently returned to being highly debated. In particular, policies and interventions in the field of social housing (SH) are still remaining crucial issues for [...] Read more.
The environmental, economic and social challenges re-launched in the European Union Agendas (e.g., Horizon 2020 and Europe 2020–2030) have recently returned to being highly debated. In particular, policies and interventions in the field of social housing (SH) are still remaining crucial issues for urban regeneration. These interventions are aimed to combine sustainability criteria with architectural, urban and environmental quality. In this context, our goal in this article is to provide an innovative perspective on the topic highlighting the positive returns enabled by the logic of the social impact approach (SIA). A pilot project is proposed to be performed in the VI arrondissement of Paris. Starting from the French regulatory context and the requirements set by the “Paris Affordable Housing Challenge” competition, the levers of social finance for new social demands and the levers of incentives are applied to a real case. The research results show that the application of the emerging principles of social impact investing (SII) in areas difficult to access in the private market had positive returns. The final aim of the article is to outline guidelines that consider the quality, management and generation of the social impact requirements highlighted in the proposal to facilitate the application of the SIA to other interventions and contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evaluation of Urban Projects: Integrated Methods and Operative Tools)
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