Cathy Macharis

PROMETHEE and AHP: The design of operational synergies in multicriteria analysis.: Strengthening PROMETHEE with ideas of AHP

Abstract This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Preference Ranking Organisation MeTHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods. Building upon this analysis, recommendations are formulated to integrate into PROMETHEE a number of useful AHP features, especially as regards the design of the decision-making hierarchy (ordering of goals, sub-goals, dimensions, criteria, projects, etc.) and the determination of weights. As a result of mixing basis features of both methods, operational synergies can be achieved in MCA.

Transport of Goods to and from the Center of Brussels: Using the Port to Improve Sustainability

City distribution plays a key role in supporting urban lifestyles, helping to serve and retain industrial and trading activities, and contributing to the competitiveness of regional industry. Despite these positive effects, it also generates negative (economic, environmental and social) impacts on cities worldwide. Relatively little attention has been paid to these issues by researchers and policymakers until recently. The analyses found in City Distribution and Urban Freight Transport aim to improve knowledge in this important area by recognizing and evaluating the problems, with a focus on urban freight transport systems.

Key outcomes from life cycle assessment of vehicles, a state of the art literature review

In this paper, an overview of the main findings in vehicle LCA is performed. This overview covers both methodological issues and results. The main challenges in terms of modelling the vehicle production, the vehicle use phase and the End-of-Life are addressed. For each of these vehicle life cycle phases, the main modelling approaches and data existing in the literature are studied. Finally, a comparison of vehicle LCA results from different sources is performed and the main result trends for different pollutants and/or impact categories are addressed. The paper points opportunities to improve the quality of vehicle-LCA studies.

An Application of Stakeholder Analysis to Infrastructure Development: The Case of the ‘DHL Super-hub Location Choice’

This book revisits traditional evaluation methods, such as cost–benefit analysis, to try and find a balance between the ever-increasing demand for transport, the search for sustainable mobility and green transport solutions, and the limited financial resources that governments are able to invest in transport infrastructure projects.

Transport: Addicted to Oil

Transport fulfils a crucial role for both economic and social development, since it enables people and goods to move from one place to another. Globalization and technological innovation have led to a drastic increase in national and international freight and passenger transport and consequently also in transport-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this chapter, we first discuss the historical developments in transport in the EU, the sector’s potential role in decarbonization and the current EU policies with regard to decarbonization in the transport sector. Second, we identify a number of policy gaps, since current policies are most likely insufficient to achieve the targeted decarbonization in the transport sector by 2050. Third, we analyse the drivers and barriers to achieving the transport-sector reduction targets focusing on functional overlap, political will, societal backing and institutional set-up.

A valuation of the environmental performance of vehicles: an analysis and comparison of two methodologies

The European Clean Vehicle Directive was introduced in 2009 to create an obligation on public authorities to take into account the impact of energy consumption, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and pollutant emissions into their purchasing decisions for road transport vehicles. This should stimulate the market for clean and energy-efficient vehicles and improve transports impact on environment, climate change and energy use. Therefore the so-called ‘Operational Lifetime Cost’ of a vehicle is calculated, divided into the cost for energy consumption, CO2 and pollutant (nitrous oxide, particulate matter, non-methane hydrocarbons) emissions. In Belgium, a different methodology has been developed to calculate the environmental impact of a vehicle, called ‘Ecoscore’, based on a well-to-wheel approach. More pollutants are included compared to the Clean Vehicle methodology, but also indirect emissions are taken into account. In this paper, both methodologies are compared and used to analyze the environmental performance of passenger cars with different fuel types and from different vehicle segments. Similar rankings between both methodologies are obtained; however, the large impact of energy use (and CO2 emissions) in the Clean Vehicle methodology disadvantages compressed natural gas cars, as well as diesel cars equipped with particulate filters, compared to the Ecoscore methodology.