Sustainability of urban regeneration projects: Novel selection model based on analytic network process and zero-one goal programming

The urban land use policy must pursue sustainable development goals. These objectives are not only economic but also social, cultural, and environmental. Therefore, the definition of investment programs for the city must take place by selecting the projects on the basis of multiple evaluation criteria. The aim of the work is to define a multi-criteria evaluation model capable of selecting the combination of the best combination of the projects that must make up an integrated urban regeneration program. The novelty of the research consists in combining the algorithms of the Analytical Network Process (ANP) with those of the Zero-One Goal Programming (ZOGP), where the ANP makes it possible to clarify the interdependence relations between the criteria, as well as between criteria and projects, while the ZOGP allows considering requirements and constraints of the reference system. The effectiveness of the analysis tool is verified in a case study. The results of the research show that the model is able to direct the decision-maker towards urban regeneration programs that, effectively, reach the maximization of the final benefits, both in financial and socio-environmental terms. The algorithms also reveal considerable flexibility of the instrument, so much that it can be easily applied also for the characterization of urban programs aimed at different territorial contexts. The effects that the application of the model may have on land use and on the processes of allocating public resources highlight the important implications of Economic Policy.