Multi-criteria evaluation applied to a pilot sustainable neighbourhood project in Algeria: The El Ryad neighbourhood concerning sustainability indicators

Abstract In the face of the global climate crisis, sustainable urban development became the essential means to the application of sustainability in urban areas. It presents itself as one of the major issues within urban planning and development. To guide these policies, the evaluation represents a critical step to implement sustainability actions. A series of indicators are available in the form of methods and decision-support software. In Algeria, this process is still brand new; and with this in mind, the exchange of experience from the northern countries needs to have a framework and be “contextualised” so that it is as relevant as possible, to answer the needs of sustainability. In this paper, a reflection is undertaken on the adaptability of an evaluation method—originally developed for a different context—when applied to the Mediteranian setting. This study also looks at a system for repositioning objectives by weighting them according to the importance of each objective selected from among those targeted by existing sustainable development assessment tools in a given context. The application of this method to the case study enabled us to observe a reduction in the gap between the profile obtained and the actual on-site reality, compared with the ‘crude’ application of pre-established imported methods, and consequently to take a more concrete look at the project being assessed. At the same time, the case study, which is a ‘pilot sustainable district’, has a fairly satisfactory sustainability profile in terms of the local context. A few improvements could be made to enhance its sustainability profile, mainly by optimising the use of non-renewable energy and using new technologies for the promotion of renewable resources and renewable energy.