Towards a comprehensive framework for evaluating sustainable development in new Egyptian cities using GIS as a tool

Abstract EN

The process of urban development is becoming more difficult because of the growing challenges that face the urban developers and negatively interfering with their success.

For example, the shortage of resources, the environmental emissions that are responsible for environmental pollution, and the difficulty to deal with the effects that take place because of the climate change.

Hence, urban planners are taking decisive actions to encourage the development of sustainable cities where they will be able to meet the economic, social and ecological challenges.

Urban Planners and developers should evaluate the performance of a sustainable city.

Life-cycle analysis (LCA), input-output analysis (IOA), carbon footprint (CF), ecological footprint (EF), ), cost benefit analysis (CBA) and Emergy Analysis (EA) are six methods used by planners to conduct such evaluation, but each one is used individually.

This paper aims to set calculation criteria for the for mentioned evaluation methods based on Geographic information system (GIS) as advanced tool to set a pilot method that could be applied by planners for evaluating sustainable city development.

The result sets an integrated scientific framework for the six evaluation methods divided into three main phases inclusive planning phase, towards low carbon phase, and final decision-making phase.

The first phase considers the following evaluation methods EF, EA, CBA, IOA, and LCA.

The second phase uses the following evaluation methods CF, IOA, and LCA.

Finally, the third phase integrates the following evaluation methods CBA, CF, EF, EA.