Enhancing urban public space through appropriate sustainable mobility policies. A multi-criteria analysis approach

Abstract

Decision-making in the context of urban sustainability is a challenging problem for policy-makers, given its complex nature, demanding the compromise between different and, often, conflicting social, economic and environmental criteria. This multi-factor problem needs to be addressed in a holistic way, on the basis of an integrated transport and urban planning approach, through ad hoc planning for each different area. Land use and mobility policies are characterized by a high level of interaction, a fact that needs to be taken into account in urban and transport planning within the framework of sustainability. Effective land use policies may have a positive impact on sustainable mobility and vice versa: effective mobility policies may have a positive impact on sustainable land use in urban areas. Aiming at developing and testing via a case study a decision-support tool for policy-makers and decision-analysts to promote sustainable urban and transport planning, the application of two hybrid multi-criteria analysis models is proposed in this research work, in order to rank land use and transportation policies in the framework of urban sustainability, especially in terms of public space. The center of Thessaloniki (Greece), an urban area suffering from sustainable mobility and public space problems, is selected as a case study.