Comprehensive sustainability assessment through multicriteria analysis
Sustainability cannot be comprehensively assessed from a single perspective – as we discussed today together with unfold consulting in the webinar “The Underestimated ‘S’ in ESG”. This conviction is equally relevant for our project URBAN MENUS CircularityOptimizer. Only when all three dimensions – ecology, economy, and society – are considered together does a reliable picture emerge as a solid basis for decision-making.
Who benefits how much from which urban planning initiative?
Measuring or calculating energy and emissions in absolute terms is not sufficient. The essential question that must not be overlooked is: “How much benefit is derived from it?” Even more importantly: “Who benefits how much?” Cities are planned for people – we put them at the forefront.
We incorporated the multicriteria analysis approach with careful attention to various social perspectives into the URBAN MENUS CircularityOptimizer: Stakeholders in urban and regional planning can jointly reflect on technology scenarios, individually switch on or switch off elements, and compare impact values across different scenarios.
Promoting quality of life for all through perspective shifts
The tool helps understand and discuss different perspectives. It offers the option to switch between urban and industrial perspectives. Additionally, a scenario can be viewed from the perspective of various stakeholders involved in planning processes – for example, one can assume the position of investors, public planning authorities, or citizens.
The tool makes visible what numbers alone conceal: The same technology can simultaneously appear attractive from an investor’s perspective, burdensome from a citizen’s perspective, and neutral from a planning perspective.
As the responsible partner for impact assessment, akaryon ensured with the ESG-Cockpit that urban planning decisions and the integration of technologies into existing networks are not evaluated one-dimensionally, but rather in the interplay of their real impacts on environment, economy, and society – it’s about quality of life!
The project Circularity Optimizer is funded under the bilateral TECXPORT-FTI Call of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) (Call 2023).