Application of a Hybrid Approach in Developing Urban Road Livability-Related Indicators for the Sustainable Urban Road Rating System

Abstract

In light of recent sustainable development goals, there is a growing demand for developing a systematic and quantifiable sustainable roadway assessment, also known as a sustainability rating system, on a global scale. Accordingly, efforts have been undertaken to improve the adaptability of rating systems by formulating country-specific indicators. This research focuses on the existing limitations in selecting indicators and assigning scores to indicators. This study adopted a hybrid approach to establish urban road livability-related indicators (URLIs) and the corresponding indicator weights within a sustainability rating system and identify significant obstacles to URLI application in urban road projects. This novel hybrid approach combines the top-down and bottom-up approach. The top-down approach involves an extensive literature review to identify potential URLIs and preselected obstacles. The bottom-up approach incorporates insights from experts in Taiwan and Vietnam to finalize 16 requirements under four URLIs and nine obstacles. The URLIs are pedestrian infrastructure, equitable road design, intermodal transportation, and utility infrastructure. Then, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was employed to assign weights to proposed indicators/requirements, while the weighted sum model (WSM) investigated three critical obstacles: unfavorable conditions on-site, absence of coordination interface among stakeholders, and lack of support from government policy and regulations. The suggested hybrid approach could be a foundation for establishing the indicator system across various categories and investigating obstacles to indicator adoption in other regions/countries. The research findings also provide roadway engineers and policy makers with improved insights into the livability standards for urban road projects.