A model for evaluating sustainability applied to two urban cycleways in brasilia

Abstract

This paper proposed a quantitative model using Sustainability Dimensions, Characteristics and Indicators for evaluating the sustainability of cycleways. The model was applied as a case study to two actual cycleways in the Brazilian capital, Brasília. The sustainability indicator selection process employed the Delphi method with 9 senior experts from the field of transportation and originally 650 indicators were identified. These were converted to provide 28 consolidated indicators. Multi-attribute Utility Theory method was used to establish a hierarchy of the Dimensions, Characteristics and Indicators. Nine other experts defined levels of importance and attributed weights to Dimensions, Characteristics and Indicators. 40 weights altogether were attributed to the three hierarchic levels and the final weight for each level was taken to be the arithmetical average of the weights indicated by the 9 experts. The weights of the indicators were multiplied by the weights of their respective Characteristics and Dimensions, resulting in an equation for the Sustainability Index in the form of a linear combination of the weights with the indicators. The users of the analyzed cycleways were interviewed and assigned scores to each of the indicators. From these scores, it was possible to calculate the sustainability indicator of each bicycle path. The cicloway 2 had a better rating compared to cicloway 1 in all weighting scenarios analyzed.