Customizing a sustainability evaluation framework for Infrastructure projects in developing countries: the case study of Iran

ABSTRACT

Considering the profound role of infrastructure in the welfare of societies, it is important to invest in their sustainable development, particularly in developing countries. One of the main challenges, however, is the lack of a practical assessment framework and locally-proper criteria to rate the sustainability level. The purpose of this research is identifying proper context-specific sustainability criteria and introducing a sustainability assessment framework for developing countries like Iran, based on the customization of an existing comprehensive assessment framework (i.e., the Envision Rating System). Research data was collected through in-depth interviews with subject-matter experts and using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach to revise the parameters’ weights and points based on the context-specific conditions. Alongside the five newly added credits, the research’s findings on the weights of the main groups represent the higher importance of the social aspect of sustainability in Iran in contrast to the country where the Envision was developed. Also, credits reflecting water crisis and public health concerns in Iran, including ‘Preserve Water Resources’ and ‘Enhance Public Health and Safety’ were recognized as the most important credits in the customized framework, respectively. To validate the application of the customized framework, sustainability performance of a case was studied. This customized framework can meaningfully contribute to sustainable development by providing a new method and solution to appraise the sustainability of infrastructure projects in developing countries and help decision makers build higher-quality infrastructure to improve urban resilience.

KEYWORDS:

• Infrastructure
• sustainable development (SD)
• Envision (rating system)
• customization
• developing countries (DCs)

Acknowledgments

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Notes

1. Triple Bottom Line; The main aspects of sustainable development.

2. Sustainability Appraisal in Infrastructure Projects.

3. Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries.

4. Sustainable Urban Surface Rating System.

5. Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Gelare Taherian

Gelare Taherian is a PhD student at Toronto Metropolitan University working on automation in the built environment management. She holds MSc in Construction and Project Management from the University of Tehran, Iran and has been working both as a project control specialist and a project manager for architectural and civil projects. Between May 2017 and September 2018 Gelare was a research assistant at the SINFRAD laboratory conducting research on employing international infrastructure-sustainability rating models for developing countries and discovering the pitfalls of such models to propose localized appropriate ones. Her primary research interests concern enhancing sustainability over the facilities lifecycle through efficient decision-making techniques, eco-efficient and socially sustainable building design and construction, and exploring strategies to make sustainability solutions viable through facilities lifecycle.

Seyed Hossein Hosseini Nourzad

Seyed Hossein Hosseini Nourzad is an Assistant Professor of Infrastructure Management at the University of Tehran and an authorized Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Trainer (certified by the World Bank Group) with 15+ years of experience in infrastructure projects and PPP. He also has extensive project management experience and expertise. As a consultant to private sector, he has helped investors prepare feasibility assessment of sustainable infrastructure projects in different countries. In addition, he has assisted the government to develop PPP law, frameworks and infrastructure pipeline. Globally, he collaborated with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in writing the ‘Infrastructure Financing for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific’ book released in 2019.

Mojtaba Neyestani

Mojtaba Neyestani holds MSc in Construction and Project Management with several years of experience in Iran’s construction community as an architect in Estehkam Sazeh Farhad Co. and a project manager in Side Beton Construction Co., earning a reputation for developing areas of improvement in the industry by conducting practical researches. His genuine enthusiasm for sustainability has set him out to look for opportunities to incorporate sustainability into business strategies and project management practices while creating a competitive advantage. He is looking forward to future opportunities to explore sustainable development solutions in the industry deeply and creatively.