*3.4. Administrative Dimensions*

The administrative criterion was assessed using three sub-criteria, which primarily addressed Targets 3 and 8 of SDG-11: existing master plans or protection plans for the historical area (T3), design guidelines that support protection plans or policies (T3), and the existence of protection urban master plans with regional plans (T8). Accordingly, if a corresponding official document for each criterion was extant in both cases, it was marked as equal; otherwise, the city where those conditions were met was evaluated higher. Nicosia has a comprehensive master plan compared to Famagusta, which does not have an officially published master plan. It must be noted that Famagusta, a walled city, has a revitalization plan, but it is not officially published and is referred to more as a general guideline. The revitalization plan for Famagusta has a set of design policies and protection targets for regeneration and upgrading the historic cultural environment. The National Physical Plan (2015) also has goals and targets for Famagusta, but it does not have any economic, social, or physical items for the historic walled city.

Criteria values and resources which data were collected is shown in Table 3.

After obtaining the criteria values for the case areas, AHP-generated weights and criteria values were combined using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) formula (see Equation (1)). SAW is a multi-attribute procedure based on the concept of a weighted summation:

$$f(\mathbf{x}) = \sum\_{j=1}^{n} \left( \mathcal{W}\_{\mathbf{j}} \cdot \mathbf{X}\_{nij} \right) \tag{1}$$

where *Wj* is the relative importance weight of criteria *j*, *Xij* is the standardizing value of area i under criterion *j*, and *n* is the number of criteria. Each criterion was summed for the calculation of the main criteria values by using the formula. As can be seen from Figure 8, Nicosia's walled city (North) is more sustainable than Famagusta in economic and administrative terms. Physically and socially, they are very close (see Figure 8).


**Table 3.** Evaluation of the Criteria and Sub-Criteria for the case areas.

**Figure 8.** Comparison of Main Criteria Results for the case areas.

#### **4. Discussion and Conclusion**

In this study, urban renovation in historical and cultural heritage areas was evaluated within the scope of the sustainable urban development goal and targets. First, the SDG-11 target and sub-targets were examined, and a list of criteria for these objectives was created corresponding to the relative circumstances of the two case studies. The weights of these criteria have been demonstrated by experts using the AHP method. After the determination of relative weights, all criteria were analyzed, and the values found were normalized in the range of 0–1. After this stage, all data related to the Nicosia Walled City and Famagusta Walled City regions were collected, and the basic criteria and sub-criteria for sustainability were compared with criteria weights.

The United Nations' sustainable development goals, even when explored individually, are highly complex and interconnected concepts. Contextual preferences add an extra layer of complexity to projects aiming for tangible progress toward the SDGs. This is more apparent in urban regeneration plans, which are highly contextual and correspond to different layers of local populations and stakeholders [86]. Complexity is an intrinsic quality of cities [87], which makes approaching Goal 11—sustainable cities and communities—that includes a multitude of criteria more challenging. What is more, the data associated with different dimensions of an urban regeneration project can come from a multitude of sources. Superimposing these data layers requires methodological innovations and interdisciplinary explorations. Thus, decision-making encapsulates these challenges, requiring a method that can address different criteria at once. AHP was used in this study to highlight a methodological possibility for addressing these complexities with regard to multiple data sources while hearing the voices of local experts. What is more, the involvement of stakeholders in regeneration plans is essential to moving toward the SDGs [20], and AHP can provide a framework for different voices to be heard. Future studies can further explore the comparison of criteria weights generated by the different parties involved. This is critical as the image of neighborhood regeneration can differ from the viewpoint of local communities and governing bodies [88]. The current method aims not to remain merely top-down or bottom-up; rather, it aims to utilize both. What is more, the diversity of supporting data sources makes the approach more comprehensive. In this case, the outcome did not merely reflect the point of view of experts, the department of antiquities, or the municipalities, for instance, but rather a combination of them.

The experts, in this case, evaluated economic, social, and environmental criteria as almost equally important, followed by the administrative criterion. The weighting of sub-criteria was a much more complicated process consisting of a multitude of data layers from different sources in two cases. The results show that each city has unique strengths and shortcomings in its regeneration approach when aiming for SDG-11. Northern Nicosia scores higher in most sub-criteria because it has a clear master plan, some neighborhood regeneration projects, better road safety, affordable housing, and pedestrianization schemes. This might be attributed to the centrality of the city, its population, and the flow of capital through it, which makes many of these projects feasible in the eyes of stakeholders. Famagusta, on the other hand, only excels in terms of the amount of green or open space per capita. In general, walkability and accessibility seem to be highly influential dimensions of sustainable regeneration efforts.

The importance of proper planning for land use in a growing, conflicted city is a concern. In both cases, the Cyprus conflict has left its mark, slowing regeneration efforts and especially international investments. Making a meaningful connection with the tourism sector by highlighting local culture and contextual values in the regeneration plan would make Nicosia's regeneration plans more resilient [89]. Within the context of Nicosia, Atun [48] argues that regeneration plans should be a link between the past and future of the city. As one of the rare communal efforts between the north and south sides, these urban master plans could serve to create a more sustainable future for the cities. Savvides [90] shows the critical importance of accounting for residential and housing rehabilitation within the framework of the regeneration of Nicosia. In a regeneration plan, the housing sector is the seed for improving the economy and local job market. Although the administrative criterion was evaluated lower than the main pillars of suitability, it encapsulates and guides those criteria if conducted properly. It could be argued that the reason why Northern Nicosia scores higher across sub-criteria concerning SDG-11 is its masterplan, which is lacking in the case of Famagusta.

One of the current study's findings was the apparent lack of attention paid to urban residential tissue when compared to well-known historic buildings. Affordable and socially inclusive housing is an essential component of sustainable urban regeneration planning and policies [91]. Thus, regeneration efforts targeting long-term sustainability need to pay closer attention to the residential tissue that is associated with the everyday life of the city. This is particularly important as both sites are points of interest for UNDP, so it could be argued that a more comprehensive approach that does not solely focus on the physical restoration of structures needs to be implemented. Furthermore, it cannot be denied that economic issues are the most central in terms of immediate impact on sustainable urban regeneration plans [92]; therefore, the micro-economy that empowers local production, involvement, and investigation is critical. This is critical as lack of attention to the local population can lead to displacement (intentional, incremental, or as a side effect of the economic transformation), transformation of the social fabric, and gentrification in some cases; these are well-known phenomena that occur when the planning parties are disconnected from the setting [88,93]. Therefore, the involvement of the local communities in the decision-making process is critical in achieving more sustainable and resilient future neighborhoods that aim for regeneration without displacement [93]. In this regard, AHP provides a methodological possibility for the involvement of different parties together with various secondary data sources.

In the end, it must be noted that this study was not without limitations. Many dimensions such as cultural heritage, social neighborhood structures, place attachment, and identity are influential elements of planning for urban regeneration [94], which are not investigated in this paper. Nevertheless, the methodological novelty of the study indicates the possibility of creating more inclusive and complex AHP models. Accordingly, future studies are required to expand on the list of criteria and to include other SDGs in the model.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, C.K. and A.I.; methodology, C.K. and A.I.; software, C.K.; validation, C.K.; formal analysis, C.K.; investigation, C.K. and A.I.; resources, C.K.; data curation, C.K.; writing—original draft preparation, A.I. and C.K.; visualization, C.K.; supervision, C.K.; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Data Availability Statement:** Data can be made available upon reasonable request.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to thank Famagusta and Nicosia Municipalities, Police Department R&D Branch, Antiquities and Town Planning.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
