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The cost-optimal analysis is not able to address the multi-dimensionality of the decision according to the new European objectives and International sustainable development goals in the field of the nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) design. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for guiding energy investment decisions.

The paper explores the Preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations II (PROMETHEE II) application to support the project of transforming a rural building into a NZEB. The evaluation provides an estimate of the effects of alternative energy efficiency measures, involving energy consumption, life cycle costs, carbon emissions, property value and indoor comfort criteria. The study performs a multi-actors analysis in order to understand how different consumers' point of views can influence the final choice of the best investment. Furthermore, a multi-site analysis explores the spatial variation of NZEB building appreciation in the real estate market.

The PROMETHEE II-based model ranks 16 alternative solutions for the NZEB according to energy, economic and extra-economic criteria. The multi-actors analysis highlights the configuration of the NZEB building that best meets the needs of different end-users, respecting the European directives and national standards. The multi-site analysis concludes that location does not change users' appreciation and not influence the output for the best solution.

The MCDA occurs as a support tool that helps to optimize the preliminary design phase of NZEB through the exploration of the optimal solution considering crucial criteria in the energy and environmental and real estate market rules.

The study, within the Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage (ResCult) project, aims to support civil protection to prevent, lessen and mitigate disasters impacts on cultural heritage using a unique standardised-3D geographical information system (GIS), including both heritage and risk and hazard information.

A top-down approach, starting from existing standards (an INSPIRE extension integrated with other parts from the standardised and shared structure), was completed with a bottom-up integration according to current requirements for disaster prevention procedures and risk analyses. The results were validated and tested in case studies (differentiated concerning the hazard and type of protected heritage) and refined during user forums.

Besides the ensuing reusable database structure, the filling with case studies data underlined the tough challenges and allowed proposing a sample of workflows and possible guidelines. The interfaces are provided to use the obtained knowledge base.

The increasing number of natural disasters could severely damage the cultural heritage, causing permanent damage to movable and immovable assets and tangible and intangible heritage. The study provides an original tool properly relating the (spatial) information regarding cultural heritage and the risk factors in a unique archive as a standard-based European tool to cope with these frequent losses, preventing risk.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-methodological approach for assessing the sustainability of urban projects. The proposed framework has the objective of addressing the different dimensions involved in the analysis (economic, environmental, social, technological, cultural, etc.), following the subsequent phases for the definition of the projects (from a very general masterplan to more detailed preliminary projects).

The multi-methodological approach is organized according to subsequent steps, involving the application of different evaluation methods, namely SWOT analysis, multicriteria analysis, discounted cash flow analysis and sensitivity analysis. With the aim of better illustrating the proposed approach, the method is applied on a real case concerning the project of a new boulevard in the city of Skopje.

The proposed approach resulted to be successful in structuring the complex planning context and in increasing and improving the information for the project, thus acting as a learning process.

The paper is based on the experimentation of an hybrid approach for addressing planning process. The multi-methodological framework can be useful in supporting decision making process in the domain of urban projects. In this sense, the proposed framework is able to communicate the planners’, designers’ and decision maker’s perspectives, to enhance transparency in the decision process and thus to increase acceptance.

The increase in issues pertaining to the strategic assessment of territorial transformation has made it necessary to find new methods and tools that are able to consider the several factors at stake. The purpose of this paper is to examine the full range of impacts produced by a project in a territorial context and propose a real application concerning the construction of a new hydropower plant in Bulgaria.

Making use of checklists, network chains and specific impact matrixes, the paper tries to evaluate the overall environmental compatibility of the project.

The performed analysis highlights a final compatibility that in most cases is satisfactory, where the most critical states concern the disturbance to the fauna species living in the area and, above all, the impacts of the project on the landscape.

The work puts in evidence the necessity of further investigations for the definition of mitigation measures that are able to reduce the most relevant effects of the project, especially the visual impact of the dams.

A part from the environmental issues, a key‐role in the general feasibility of large dam projects is played by the analysis of the social impacts. The paper puts in evidence the importance of considering in the evaluation, the effects of the hydropower plant on the community.

The general theme has an interdisciplinary nature and requires several issues to be considered: technical, economic, social and environmental aspects. The paper provides a comprehensive assessment framework in order to implement such an interdisciplinary approach.

The paper, which is based on an integrated approach that is able to aid the comprehension of complex phenomena, aims to investigate innovative models and tools in the field of sustainability assessment of territorial transformations. The model has been applied to a real case study related to the choice of alternative projects for the requalification of a downgraded urban area in Turin (Italy).

The work proposes the use of a comprehensive key environmental indicator framework and multi‐criteria analysis to evaluate the sustainability of different strategies. The evaluation has been performed through the application of the analytical network process (ANP) and by means of a set of indicators, which have been arranged according to the Driving Force‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Responses (DPSIR) framework. The assessment model provides priority lists of the importance of the considered indicators and alternatives. All the analysis elements are modelled with the ANP, taking into consideration the interconnections between the indicators and their respective cumulative importance.

According to the aim of the paper, the most important element in the performed analysis refers to the variation of the well‐being of the population, followed by the changes in the accessibility and attractiveness of the area, then by the effects on the real estate market and the presence of new cycle tracks.

The work is the first study at a national level and one of the first applications at an international level in research concerning the use of the DPSIR framework integrated with an ANP analysis.

The aim of the paper is to assess an urban transformation project in Italy, from a sustainability point of view. Taking into consideration alternative solutions for the project (zero option, initial project and final project), the paper highlights the most important elements for the sustainability evaluation and the best solution for the transformation.

The sustainability assessment of the transformation project is performed using a particular multicriteria analysis, the analytic network process (ANP). Multi‐criteria techniques provide a useful support when a choice must be made among several alternatives with different objectives and criteria and also allow one to include tangible and intangible factors in the evaluation. The ANP is used to derive relative priority scales of absolute numbers from individual judgments and it offers a general framework to deal with complex decisions which provides a comparison of the different options.

The priority list of the alternatives gives a great deal of importance to the final project, with respect to the other possibilities. With reference to the most relevant criteria for the sustainability of the project, the problems related to energy efficiency, the aspects concerning the landmark and the new services for the inhabitants were given the most importance.

The procedure described in the paper is suitable for dealing with the complexity of the problem, in a transparent way, taking into consideration the multiplicity of the aspects involved and the presence of several stakeholders in the decision‐making process.

This study is one of the first examples of the application of the ANP to the field of urban transformation at an international level.

Policy makers are frequently challenged by the need to achieve sustainable development in cities and regions. Current decision-making processes are based on evaluation support systems which are unable to tackle the problem as they cannot take a holistic approach or a full account of actors. The purpose of this paper is to present a new generation of evaluation systems to support decision making in planning and regeneration processes which involve expert participation. These systems ensure network representation of the issues involved and visualization of multiple scenarios.

A literature review is used for both revising existing evaluation tools in urban planning and the built environment and highlighting the need to give stakeholders (industry, cities, operators, etc.) new tools for collaborative or individual decisions and to facilitate scaling up solutions. An overview of the new generation of decision support systems, named Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support Systems (MC-SDSS) is provided and real case studies are analyzed to show their ability to tackle the problem.

Recent research findings highlight that decisions in urban planning should be supported by collaborative and inclusive processes. Otherwise, they will fail. The case studies illustrated in this study highlight the usefulness of MC-SDSS for the successful resolution of complex problems, thanks to the visualization facilities and a network representation of the scenarios.

The case studies are limited to the Italian context.

These SDSS are able to empower planners and decision makers to better understand the interaction between city design, social preferences, economic issues and policy incentives. Therefore, they have been employed in several case studies related to territorial planning and regeneration processes.

This study provides three case studies and a review of the new MC-SDSS methodology which involve the Analytic Network Process technique to support decision-making in urban and regional planning.

Several healthcare quality assessment tools measure the processes and outcomes of the care system. The actual physical infrastructure (buildings and organizational) aspects are, however, rarely considered. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of validation and weighting of an evidence-informed framework for the quality assessment of hospital facilities from social, environmental and organizational perspectives to complement other assessments.

Sustainable High-quality Healthcare version 2 (SustHealth v2) is the updated version of an existing framework composed of three domains (social, environmental and organizational quality). To validate and establish a relevant weighting, interviews were conducted with 15 professionals within the field of healthcare planning, design, research and management. The study has been conducted through semi-structured interviews and the application of the Simon Roy Figueras (SRF) procedure for the elicitation of weights criteria. The data collected have been processed through the DecSpace web platform.

Among the three domains, the organizational qualities appear to be the most important (W = 49%), followed by the environmental (W = 29%) and social aspects (W = 22%). Relevant indicators such as future-proofing, wayfinding and users’ space control emerged as the most important within each macro-area. Those results are confirmed by the outcome of the interviews that highlight user/patient-centeredness, wayfinding strategies and space functionality as the most important concepts to foster in existing healthcare facilities improvement.

The study highlights important structural and organizational aspects that hospital managers and planners can consider when dealing with healthcare facilities’ quality improvement.

The use of the SRF multicriteria method is novel in this context when used to weight an assessment tool with a focus on hospital built environment.