Strategic Sustainability Analysis: Broadening Existing Assessment Approaches for Transport Policies

Abstract

Assessment tools based on static and linear concepts such as traditional cost-benefit analysis cannot reasonably be applied for long-term assessments of complex systems. One major reason is that secondary effects of policies caused by endogenous dynamics of the system are not considered. Therefore, the strategic environmental assessment is developed for environmental impacts; it already includes a feedback mechanism—from the failure to reach environmental targets to changes of policy initiatives and to a repeated impact prediction. Because the need to further integrate environmental assessment with economic and social assessment to achieve sustainability is recognized, a so-called strategic sustainability analysis (SSA) is suggested. The SSA is applied for integrated long-term assessment of policies and programs. Requirements and two prototypical examples (Economic Assessment of Sustainability Policies of Transport, Assessment of Transport Strategies) on how to realize SSAs are presented.

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