The use of qualitative system dynamics to identifyrnsustainability characteristics of decentralizedrnwastewater management alternatives

摘要

In order to pursue more sustainable alternatives in wastewater management, it is vital that wenunderstand how a given infrastructure alternative will impact the various aspects of sustainability.nA set of qualitative tools (force field diagrams and causal loop diagrams (CLDs)) for thenassessment of wastewater management alternatives is proposed and demonstrated in thencontext of a decentralized wastewater infrastructure upgrade. The objective for the application ofnthese tools is to improve decision makers’ understanding of how a given alternative will impactnthe economic, environmental/ecological, social, and functional aspects of sustainability.nIn the proposed method, each aspect of sustainability is treated as a stock, and its movementn(up or down) can be inferred using both qualitative and quantitative data. By incorporatingnthese tools into a participatory planning process, project-specific CLDs can be developednand loops of interest can be identified to help elucidate stakeholder values. The ultimate goalnof this methodology is to facilitate the pursuit of sustainability in wastewater managementnby allowing decision makers to address specific sustainability challenges without creatingnnew ones.