Multicriteria evaluation of flood control measures: the case of Ribeira do Livramento

This paper describes the multicriteria process used to evaluate flood control options for the catchment of Livramento creek in the peninsula of Setúbal, in Portugal. In the structuring phase, the environmental, social, and technical dimensions were identified. The MACBETH approach – Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique – was then used to construct a quantitative evaluation model based on qualitative value judgements formulated by a group of experts from different technical and scientific fields. The model enabled the overall benefit associated with each option to be appraised, and extensive sensitivity analyses to be performed.