Setu Rating System for Sustainability Evaluation

Abstract

The term ‘Sustainability’ was coined during the Brundtland Commission held in 1987. The concept that was broadly accepted was “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The aim and ambition of making a provision of sustainable characteristics in the planning and execution of transportation corridor in an urban environment are to minimise footprints on the natural resources and their consumption, promote the application of latest, modern and most suitable approaches, maintain the archaeological values and integrate these concept for the benefit of society and sound economical practices. These 3 Parameters i.e. social, economic and environmental were most commonly accepted as three pillars of sustainability.

With the above concept of sustainability, studies have been carried out on transportation infrastructure projects in a predominantly urban area to identify the sustainability indicators that governs the construction stage. During the studies at four sites in New Delhi during the peak of the construction period, it was identified that Sustainability of the transportation corridors during the construction stage in an urban environment is just not limited to three Pillars, but is actually much beyond that. The construction stage makes an impact on the residents living nearby as well as on the commuters passing through the corridor on the diverted route. Environment faces irreversible degradation besides other adverse impacts on the number of directly or indirectly related issues.

Various Sustainability Indicators during the construction stage as identified have been classified under various categories. Finally, a SETU rating system has been evolved for the Sustainability Evaluation of the Transportation infrastructure in an Urban Environment and based on the rating, the projects during the construction stage can be assigned a SETUrating.