Urban redevelopment: A multi-criteria valuation model optimized through the fuzzy logic

In decision-making processes related to urban redevelopment, the clarity and the transparency play a primary role. In these contexts, the multi-criteria techniques, despite having a wide application, are not always adequate to represent and to quantify the quality effects of the urban initiatives, as well as to compare the alternatives for choosing the best solution, phases in which the logical rules followed by the decision-maker are not usually explicited. In the present work, with reference to a multi-criteria model recently developed for the municipality of Rome (Italy) to streamline and make more transparent the definition of urban regeneration projects, a solution to these issues is proposed, through the use of a fuzzy logic system. Using linguistic variables and expressions of ordinary language, logical rules followed by the decision-maker in performing the evaluations have been formalized. The result is a decision-making process clear and easy to understand, with positive effects on the legitimacy of the decisions of the Public Administration. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.