Title: The multi-actor multi-criteria analysis in action for sustainable urban mobility decisions: the case of Leuven

Authors: Imre Keseru; Jeroen Bulckaen; Cathy Macharis

Addresses: Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology Research Centre (MOBI), Department Business Technology and Operations (BUTO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050 Brussel, Belgium ' Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology Research Centre (MOBI), Department Business Technology and Operations (BUTO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050 Brussel, Belgium ' Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology Research Centre (MOBI), Department Business Technology and Operations (BUTO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050 Brussel, Belgium

Abstract: Urban mobility strategy-making usually involves a large number of stakeholders with diverse objectives. Therefore, participatory decision-making is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. This paper discusses how the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) methodology complemented with an electronic group decision support system (GDSS) can contribute to a well-structured decision-making process to come to a commonly supported mobility policy. The proposed approach is demonstrated through a workshop in Leuven, Belgium where four scenarios to improve mobility in the city centre were evaluated based on the preferences of 34 stakeholders. Our findings show that criteria weighting, the set-up of the evaluation matrix, the ranking of alternatives and implementation can be enhanced with our approach. The proposed workshop setting provides an opportunity for stakeholders to interactively weight and evaluate scenarios in an online software tool, while interacting with each other in a workshop setting. Further improvements of the process in terms of finding a compromise are also proposed.

Keywords: multi-actor analysis; multicriteria analysis; MAMCA; multicriteria decision making; MCDM; electronic GDSS; group DSS; decision support systems; sustainable urban mobility; strategy making; stakeholder participation; decision making; interactive workshop; scenarios; evaluation; online software; compromise; PROMETHEE; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; case study; Leuven; Belgium; city centres; cities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCDM.2016.079713

International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making, 2016 Vol.6 No.3, pp.211 - 236

Received: 10 May 2015
Accepted: 11 Mar 2016

Published online: 12 Oct 2016 *

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