Analysis of sustainable development in Malta using a multi-criteria model

Abstract

Sustainable development is nowadays considered a possible base to help solve threatening problems which are occurring in today’s world, such as climate change, water quality, unemployment rate or people at risk of poverty. These problems happen in a complex environmental and socio-economic system. Helping these systems move to a more sustainable path requires particular action. The introduction of such action has been done by various researchers; however, sometimes these processes face a number of challenges. This research was focused on developing a basic understanding of multi-criteria analysis as a tool for decision aiding when making complex decisions such as that of assessing the level of sustainability in a particular area. This study presents the potential role that multi-criteria analysis has in the decision making processes related to sustainability. The aim of the research is to develop a methodology able to support a better understanding of sustainability through the analysis of various criteria related to the environmental, social and economic structure of the Island of Malta. This research presents an assessment of the levels of sustainability of different districts in the Maltese Islands using a multi-criteria approach. The results showed that using a multi-criteria approach is a more effective assessment tool with that, results are easy to understand, and apply for decision making.