Early integration of a sustainability assessment tool to aid decision making processes in urban (re)development projects

Urban development in the Netherlands faces significant challenges due to growing pressures to meet
sustainability objectives, particularly in the context of housing shortages and the transition to a circular
economy. The Dutch government’s ambitious targets for housing construction and a fully circular
economy have placed constraints on urban planning, especially with restrictions on greenfield
development. To address these issues, this thesis developed a decision support system for early-stage
sustainability assessments in urban redevelopment, using the DGNB Urban Districts framework as a
model. By providing suggestive feedback on sustainability performance, the tool enables urban
planners and developers to make informed decisions throughout the design process. The methodology
of this research follows a design cycle approach, star ng with a comprehensive literature review and
expert interviews to establish a knowledge base. This is followed by iterative model development,
encompassing design, development, and validation processes of an Excel-based tool, offering practical
solutions for integrating sustainability into urban planning. Validation results show that early
sustainability assessments significantly improve project outcomes and support broader environmental
goals. Further research is recommended to explore its application in diverse urban contexts and
enhance decision-making capabilities through integration with technologies like Geographic
Informa on Systems.