A Study on the Sustainability of Urban Transportation in Iranian Metropolitan Areas

Due to their long-lasting environmental, social, and economic impacts, urban transportation decisions have significant implications for urban sustainability. Recognizing this, there has been a surge of interest in assessing the sustainability of urban transportation systems over the past few decades. There is, however, still a lack of research in the context of developing countries like Iran. In this regard, the main objective of this study is to develop a framework to assess the sustainability of the urban transportation system in eight metropolitan areas of Iran. The developed assessment framework includes 48 indicators and variables related to 3 main dimensions of sustainability, namely, transportation environmental sustainability (TENS), transportation social sustainability (TSOS), and transportation economic sustainability (TECS). Data were collected using interview surveys and analyzed using the Fuzzy Delphi-Analytical Hierarchy Process (FDAHP) to understand the relative importance of each indicator and variable. Results indicate that TENS has a relatively more significant impact on the sustainability of urban transportation in metropolitan areas of Iran. Taking actions related to environmental issues is of relatively higher immediacy. According to the findings, to achieve transportation sustainability, it is particularly essential to pay attention to the following issues: fuel consumption, CO2 and CO emissions, land consumption for urban transportation infrastructure development, social equity, and traffic safety. The paper concludes with some policy recommendations.