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Highway Sustainability Factors: Holistic and Social Network Analyses

  • Construction Management
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope

Abstract

This study provides a holistic list of factors that affect highway sustainability (HWS) and determines the most significant factors throughout the triple-bottom-line of sustainability. Previous studies analyzed many factors related to sustainability performance in highway projects during their life cycle, whereas the social sustainability aspects were commonly ignored. In addition, there is imperative to consider the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of highway projects in local and global future visions. On the other hand, the infrastructure rating systems specified different thresholds to achieve sustainable highways. Thus, this study analyzed published articles, SDGs, and infrastructure rating systems to extract the most important factors affecting HWS. A content analysis was conducted to specify the most relevant publications in HWS, which are strongly related to the research keywords. According to the content analysis, 150 articles out of 6,422 were selected for further investigation. Social Network Analysis (SNA) analyzed and ranked 224 factors that were extracted from the aforementioned sources to determine the factors of utmost importance. We found that 78 factors out of 224 are of paramount influence on HWS. Finally, the evaluation of the most widely used infrastructure rating systems revealed a shortage in the common factors affecting the HWS.

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Abbreviations

ANDC:

Average Normalized DC

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

DC:

Degree Centrality

GHG:

Greenhouse Gases

HWS:

Highway Sustainability

KDV:

Knowledge Domain Visualization

LCA:

Life Cycle Assessment

LCCA:

Life Cycle Cost Analysis

LR:

Literature Review

RS:

Rating Systems

SDGs:

Sustainable Development Goals

SNA:

Social Network Analysis

SocnetV:

Social Network Visualizer

TRR:

Transportation Research Record

UN:

United Nations

VOSviewer:

Visualization of Similarities Viewer

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Correspondence to Mohamed O. Rageh.

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Rageh, M.O., Gabr, A.R., El-Badawy, S.M. et al. Highway Sustainability Factors: Holistic and Social Network Analyses. KSCE J Civ Eng 27, 4584–4601 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-023-0343-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-023-0343-2

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