Prioritizing selection criteria of distributed circular water systems: A fuzzy based multi-criteria decision-making approach

Abstract

Extreme weather events, population growth, and industrial activities all contribute to the worldwide water crisis. The traditional linear water management model is one of the causes of global water shortage, following a take-make-use-dispose pattern that is both environmentally and economically unsustainable. The circular economy has been proposed to mitigate water shortages, encouraging a paradigm shift in urban water systems. A circular water system seeks to close the water loop by reducing consumption, recovering natural resources, and minimizing waste. Compared with a centralized water system, a distributed water system is more flexible and resilient as it allows neighborhoods to prepare for unexpected stressor events. However, there have been no thorough investigations of essential factors that primarily impact the decision-making process of implementing distributed water systems. Thus, this study aims to uncover significant selection criteria that impact the assessment of feasible options to assist in the planning phase. The researchers proposed a systematic framework to develop criteria and their relative weights for selecting the most appropriate distributed water system to be deployed in a neighborhood. The authors identified four criteria and seventeen sub-criteria through a comprehensive literature review. Then, the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was performed to collect experts’ opinions to remove insignificant sub-criteria. Subsequently, a Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was conducted to obtain relative weights of the eleven remaining sub-criteria via pairwise comparison. In conclusion, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing selection criteria to facilitate the assessment of implementing distributed water systems. In addition, the proposed framework is applicable to other urban systems, such as food and energy.