An economic model for selecting urban-scale projects

The evaluation of alternative scenarios of urban and territorial transformation is complex decision problem, the resolution of which requires the simultaneous consideration of issues not only technical, but also social, cultural and environmental, based on a pluralistic and systemic vision of the problem. The Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) techniques offer an effective help in this direction, which provide a rational methodology of choice capable of taking into account multiple objectives to be pursued. The aim of the paper is to define a multi-criteria evaluation model useful for selecting the best compromise combination of projects that must make up an integrated urban regeneration program. The novelty of the research consists in combining the Analytical Network Process (ANP) with the Zero-One Goal Programming (ZOGP), where the ANP allows to express the interdependence relations between the criteria, as well as between criteria and projects, while the ZOGP allows to consider requirements and constraints of the reference system. The actual application of the model may have repercussions on the processes of allocating public resources, thus constituting an economic policy tool.