Integrated urban regeneration for high-rise multi-family buildings by providing a multidimensional assessment model and decision support system

Abstract

Current urban challenges on promoting an integrated urban regeneration demand new decision support systems to adjust and optimise renovation strategies in the housing stock. This research aims to provide a multidimensional decision support system, specifically focused on high-rise multi-family buildings, which entails an added complexity in the design and decision-making stages of building renovation. The need to promote assessment protocols of key parameters that promote a viable and efficient renovation in high-rise multi-family buildings constitutes a research gap to be fulfilled in this study. This research contributes with an assessment and weighting model based on 12 indicators, both during and after renovation works, under 4 multidisciplinary dimensions: Technical; Social; Economic; and Environmental, in a -5 to 5 drawback-benefit index scale. An application procedure has been tested in two representative neighbourhoods in Argentina and Spain, identified by GIS resources, and demonstrating its operation and usefulness for vulnerable neighbourhoods due to global inflation. The implications of the graphic output of results, weighted for Mild, Moderate, Intense and Deep action strategies, allows us to identify drawbacks and benefits of each strategy independently, for each of the 12 indicators, visualising the trend, performance and variations between dimensions and strategies in large-scale buildings. Conclusions generate key recommendations and insights on decision-making patterns to urban policymakers by ensuring feasible and satisfactory renovation strategies in high-rise multi-family buildings.