Evaluation and Selection of Environmental Factors in Infrastructure Projects Using SWARA Method

Infrastructure projects play a critical role in shaping societies and economies; however, they often have significant environmental impacts. Choosing the most suitable environmental factors for consideration in infrastructure projects is necessary to provide sustainable development. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach specifically adopted for the selection of climatic and socioeconomic factors of environment in infrastructure projects, aiming to improve the decision-making process and promote sustainable outcomes. The paper utilizes a well-known MCDM approach called the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA), as potential frameworks for ranking the alternative infrastructure projects based on their environmental performance. Thirty experts were surveyed to identify and assess the thirteen topmost crucial climatic and socioeconomic criteria for infrastructure projects. In accordance with these precise calculations, the settlement population was determined as the environmental socioeconomic factor that provided the relevant criteria at the most suitable level. Number of subscribers and urban development follow this environmental factor, respectively.