Evaluation of a project for the radical transformation of the Port of Genoa‐Italy: According to community impact evaluation (CIE)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the evaluation of three innovative project options for the transformation/upgrading of the Port of Genoa‐Italy according to the community impact evaluation (CIE).

Design/methodology/approach

This takes the form of a comparison of two different methodological approaches: on the one hand, that developed by Lichfield for CIE and, on the other, an experimental type variation to CIE, defined here as “weighted evaluation approach.” The first approach is based on the hypothesis that the community sector determines the preferential sector only to the extent to which the impact in which the sector is directly involved occurs. According to the second approach, all the impacts deriving from implementation of the project are considered, also according to the importance (assigned according to a percentage weight) attributed by each sector according to its interests.

Findings

It is possible to measure the importance of application of the transformation project as, also for community sectors that could apparently oppose this and are favourable to the hypothesis of non‐intervention, the evaluation highlights that the benefits outweigh the costs for these sectors. Lastly, although based on different hypotheses, both the methodological approaches adopted establish a preference for the same design solution as it generates benefits with regard to socio‐economic aspects, also with due attention to environmental issues. In both approaches, the preferred solution is the number three, according to which the quayside of the Port of Genoa is transformed into an island connected via an underground gallery to the tunnel in the Apennines.

Originality/value

Application of the “weighted CIE” method illustrated here represents a proposed variant to Lichfield's method, in an attempt to consider all the impacts generated by a project on each community sector; although it requires further testing and tuning, this variant may lay the basis for comparing possible evolutions of the method.

Citation

Lami, I.M. and Beccuti, B. (2010), "Evaluation of a project for the radical transformation of the Port of Genoa‐Italy: According to community impact evaluation (CIE)", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 58-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777831011010865