Evaluation of Smart and Sustainable Alternatives: AHP and GIS Applications

In Ramadi, urban mobility is hindered by major hurdles stemming from fast urban expansion, poor infrastructure, and insufficient strategic planning efforts. The principal aim of this article is to assess (36) regions within Ramadi for their appropriateness for intelligent and sustainable transportation solutions and to ascertain the most suitable alternative. We developed five core categories of criteria, complete with sub-criteria, to systematically evaluate intelligent and sustainable transport systems. The AHP, or analytical hierarchy process, was used to assess these criteria along with alternatives, and its results were merged with a geographic information system (GIS) for analysis in a spatial context. This study proposes four principal alternatives for intelligent and sustainable transportation in Ramadi: Bus Rapid Transit (AL1), bicycle and pedestrian pathways (AL2), smart solutions (AL3), and electric vehicle infrastructure (AL4). The findings revealed that (AL3) (smart solutions) attained the highest overall performance evaluation. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated that various transportation alternatives are unevenly influenced by alterations in specific criteria, with environmental considerations being paramount for electric vehicle infrastructure, traffic considerations for smart solutions, and road characteristics for bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The academic article showcases maps that illustrate how suitable each choice is throughout Ramadi, with regions categorized accordingly.