An FCM Approach to Achieve Near Zero-CO2 Urban Mobility: The Case of Larissa, Greece

Abstract

Numerous urban mobility projects attempt to utilize near zero-CO2 emission practices in order to reduce greenhouse effect. Most initiatives attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change through controlling the resources consumed by human activity. In this study, the assessment of the degree by which these initiatives affect urban mobility and resulting impacts utilizes a fuzzy semi-quantitative methodology with the inclusion of all stakeholders into an innovative Decision Support System (DSS). This holistic approach effectively assesses the interaction of linguistic evaluations and fuzzy set theory to produce a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) that overcomes the ambiguity caused by a lack of quantitative evidence. The study strands include scenarios that emphasize the impact to sustainable urban mobility due to urbanization and the rise of urban actors (social, technical, transport, and economic) in influencing environmentally friendly decision-making. We concentrate in the use case of Larissa, Greece (city of the CIVITAS initiative) that started implementing the sustainable urban development plan in 2015. The suggested decision-making tool employs analytics and optimization algorithms to direct responsible authorities and decision-makers towards sustainable urban mobility of Larissa and eventually decarbonization of the urban and suburban area.