An assessment system for measuring levels of sustainability in area development

Abstract

The evaluation process of tender bids in area development by Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij het Nieuwe Westland (ONW) is addressed, which currently uses non-quantified selection criteria to find developers, one of them being 'Vision of Sustainability'. With sustainability gaining importance, this research aims to enhance the tender process by quantifying sustainability criteria and incorporating them into a preference-based decision-making model. The research question guiding this thesis is: ‘How can sub-criteria of sustainability in area development be quantified and implemented into a preference-based decision-making model?’

The quantification of sustainability sub-criteria was performed using the DCBA method, which defines forty sustainability characteristics in area development. Each characteristic is assessed across four scenarios (D, C, B, and A), ranging from least to most sustainable. The sustainability scenarios were quantified based on costs and revenue across different variables (house types). For this thesis, a selection of these characteristics was elaborated as a prototype. The Preferendus Tool, combining Preference Function Modelling and Tetra software, was used to create a model that optimises housing differentiation and ranks tender bids based on stakeholder preferences.

User experiments revealed that while the model's complexity requires technical support, it holds value primarily as an assessment tool, to rank different developer bids, rather than a design tool. The model's potential was hindered by variability in optimisation results, suggesting the need for further mathematical refinement. Incorporating sustainability into an optimisation model shows promise for enhancing the evaluation of sustainability in area development tenders. Future recommendations include incorporating updated sustainability criteria, expanding user experiments with actual stakeholders, and iteratively improving the model.

In conclusion, the thesis demonstrates how sustainability sub-criteria can be quantified and integrated into a preference-based decision-making model, providing a structured approach to optimise and evaluate sustainability in area development. The findings support the development of a model that can potentially improve the current tender evaluation process by offering a quantifiable assessment of sustainability.