Methodology for the development of a new Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC)

The improvement of infrastructures in developing countries has become a priority for the most advanced economies, which have founded a broad range of international development organizations to undertake infrastructure projects worldwide. Infrastructure is the key driver that can accelerate the balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects forming the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) in these countries. Given the lack of appropriate tools to ensure the achievement of this goal, this paper describes the methodology conceived for the development of a Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System (SIRSDEC) aimed at promoting the design, construction and operation of sustainable infrastructure projects in these geographical areas. SIRSDEC is structured into a hierarchical decision-making tree consisting of three levels of elements (requirements, criteria and indicators) selected to assess infrastructure systems according to sustainability principles. The methodology on which SIRSDEC is based combines the action of two multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (MIVES). AHP is proposed to weight the elements forming the decision-making tree after processing the opinions provided by a group of international experts regarding the importance of requirements, criteria and indicators, whilst MIVES is suggested to value infrastructure projects according to their contribution to the TBL. The article emphasizes the added value provided by the combination of AHP and MIVES in the design of an ad-hoc rating system aimed at fostering the implementation of sustainable infrastructure projects in developing countries

Application of the Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC) to a case study

A large amount of international public and private not-for-profit organizations strives to enhance the conditions of less developed economies under the flagship of sustainability throughout a wide range of infrastructure projects. However, the results are uncertain. Sustainable development in poorer countries requires effective frameworks to ensure the balanced consideration of social, economic and environmental dimensions. This paper discusses the application of the Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC) to a mining infrastructure project located in Peru, in order to validate the methodology developed for this framework. The opinions returned from a questionnaire addressed to international experts according to the pairwise comparison scale of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method were processed to obtain the weights of the elements forming the decision-making tree of SIRSDEC. The Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (MIVES) was introduced to assess infrastructure projects through the definition of value functions for each sustainability indicator, which enables the integration of variables measured in different units into a standardized value index. The weights obtained for SIRSDEC reflected the balance of the three pillars of sustainability, with a slight predominance of the social dimension. The case study highlighted the contribution of the new system to identify key sustainability issues which were omitted in the original project and posed several actions to improve community?s perception and facilitate the development of the project

Evaluation of existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems for their application in developing countries

Several sustainable building rating systems were created worldwide during the last decades due to economic growth and the significance of environmental impact associated with the building industry. Similar infrastructure rating tools have started to be developed and implemented, being highly necessary to promote its development. Even though the existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems are focused on advanced economies, growing environmental concerns are increasing the need for new systems in the Developing World. This research analyses some of the mainstream infrastructure rating frameworks such as Envision (USA), Civil Engineering Environmental Quality (CEEQUAL) assessment (UK) and Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Tool (Australia) from the perspective of the Triple Bottom Line (economy, environment and society), in order to determine the effectiveness of their application in the context of the least developed countries. The analysis revealed that the three tools are biased towards the environmental dimension and are mainly oriented to developed countries. Consequently, the foundations on which these systems are based need to be further developed and enhanced to be of real relevance in poorer nations by balancing the weight of sustainable pillars, incorporating effective management guidelines and development goals set by United Nations declarations, and considering impacts beyond the single project framework

Development and Application of Teachers´ Attitudes Rating System at Secondary School (SEVADES)

RESUMEN: Si la determinación de las actitudes que debe de poseer un buen docente es una tarea complicada, aún lo es más el de su evaluación, que tradicionalmente ha sido realizada por los propios alumnos u otros colectivos ajenos a los propios docentes. Es por ello, que esta investigación desarrolla un Sistema de Evaluación de las Actitudes de los Docentes de Educación Secundaria (SEVADES) a través de la aportación de la literatura especializada y de los directivos de los 22 centros educativos de la ciudad de Santander que participaron en el estudio. La aplicación de la nueva herramienta permitió la autoevaluación de 88 docentes de centros públicos y privados. Los resultados revelaron una puntuación promedio de 8,341 (Muy Bueno) para todos los participantes en los cuestionarios. En los centros públicos apenas se apreciaron diferencias entre las valoraciones de los directivos y la de los docentes. Sin embargo, la puntuación de los directivos de los centros concertados fue sensiblemente superior a la de los docentes. Mientras que el Liderazgo fue la actitud más apreciada por los directivos y docentes, la Vocación presentó las puntuaciones más bajas. La falta de colaboración del 45% de los centros concertados de la ciudad fue la mayor limitación en el desarrollo del estudio.ABSTRACT: Although the determination of teaching attitudes shows a great difficulty, their evaluation is even more complicated. Thus, this research developed a new rating system to assess teaching attitudes at secondary school (SEVADES) through an extensive literature review and the contribution of 22 centers located in the city of Santander. The application of the new framework allowed the self-evaluation of 88 teachers of public and private institutions. Findings revealed an average score of 8,341 (Very Good) comprising all respondents. No significant differences between managers and teachers scores were disclosed, excluding private centers. Leadership was the attitude most rewarded, whilst Vocation was the least scored. The lack of responses from 45% of private institutions limited the research.Máster en Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundari

Development and application of a new sustainable infrastructure rating system for developing countries (SIRSDEC)

RESUMEN: Las ingentes inversiones en infraestructuras que se realizan anualmente en los países subdesarrollados para promover su desarrollo sostenible requieren herramientas que cuantifiquen el cumplimiento de los objetivos establecidos. El análisis de los sistemas existentes de rating de la sostenibilidad de los proyectos de infraestructuras (Envision, Civil Engineering Environmental Quality (CEEQUAL) e Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Tool) determinó la necesidad de un nuevo sistema contextualizado a estos países. Esta Tesis Doctoral tiene como objeto el desarrollo de esta nueva herramienta (SIRSDEC). La metodología seguida para el desarrollo del sistema incluye la definición de su árbol de decisión, el cálculo de los factores de ponderación utilizando el método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) y la caracterización de las funciones de valor de sus indicadores según el Modelo Integrado de Valor para Evaluaciones Sostenibles (MIVES). El sistema quedó validado con su aplicación al proyecto de una balsa de lixiviados en una mina peruana.ABSTRACT: The huge investments in infrastructures annually conducted in developing countries to promote sustainable development require frameworks to appraise the achievement of established goals. The assessment of existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems (Envision, Civil Engineering Environmental Quality (CEEQUAL) and Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Tool) determined the need for a new ad-hoc tool for these countries. This PhD Thesis aims at developing this new framework (SIRSDEC). The methodology followed for developing this system includes the definition of its decision-making tree, the weighting of its elements according to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the characterization of the value functions associated with the indicators using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessments (MIVES). The new framework was validated through its application to a case study based on the construction of a raft leaching in a Peruvian mine