Integration of sustainability issues in strategic transportation planning: A multi-criteria model for the assessment of transport infrastructure plans

Last decades have witnessed significant advances in transportation planning methodologies, facilitated by the development of computational algorithms, technologies, spatial modeling tools–such as geographical information systems (GIS) and decision support systems (DSS). However, at strategic planning levels, a commonly accepted assessment model integrating the sustainability paradigm is still lacking. This work presents a novel contribution to this research line, with the proposal of a multi-criteria assessment model embedded in a GIS. The criteria have been designed covering the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. This assessment model constitutes an interdisciplinary approach tightly linking network analysis, spatial geography, regional economic, and environmental issues in a GIS-based computer framework. The validity of the methodology is tested with its application in a case study: the extension of the high speed rail (HSR) network included in the Spanish Transport and Infrastructure Plan 2005-2020 (PEIT).