Journal Article

New Weighting System for the Ordered Weighted Average Operator and Its Application in the Balanced Expansion of Urban Infrastructures

Diniz, Alexandre Magno Alves, Libório, Matheus Pereira, Laudares, Sandro, dos Santos, Angélica C. G., D’Angelo, Marcos Flávio Silveira Vasconcelos, Brunsdon, Chris, Ekel, Petr

2025

Overview

Urban infrastructure, such as water supply networks, sewage systems, and electricity networks, is essential for the functioning of cities and, consequently, for the well-being of citizens. Despite its essentiality, the distribution of infrastructure in urban areas is not homogeneous, especially in cities in developing countries. Socially vulnerable areas often face significant deficiencies in sewage and road paving, exacerbating urban inequalities. In this regard, urban planners must consider the multiple elements of urban infrastructure and assess the compensation levels between them to reduce inequality effectively. In particular, the complexity of the problem necessitates considering the multidimensionality and heterogeneity of urban infrastructure. This complexity qualifies the operational framework of composite indicators as the natural solution to the problem. This study develops a new weighting system for the balanced expansion of urban infrastructures through composite indicators constructed by the Ordered Weighted Average operator. Implementing these weighting systems provides an opportunity to analyze urban infrastructure from different perspectives, offering transparency regarding the weaknesses and strengths of each perspective. This prevents unreliable representations from being used in decision-making and provides a solid basis for allocating investments in urban infrastructure. In particular, the study suggests that adopting weighting systems that prioritize intermediate values and avoid extreme values can lead to better resource allocation, helping to identify areas with deficient infrastructure and promoting more equitable urban development.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Compensation / Decision making / Developing countries / Electricity / Inequality / Infrastructure / Infrastructure (Economics) / LDCs / multicriteria methods / multidimensional problems / non-compensatory aggregation / objective-based weighting systems / Public services / Resource allocation / Sanitation services / Sewage disposal / Sewer systems / Transparency / Urban areas / Urban development / urban infrastructure / Urban planning / Wastes / Water supply / Weighting / Well being