An Alternative Infrastructure Optioneering Methodology Techno-Economic Assessment Tools for Urban Development Projects

Abstract

Cities around the world are in transition seeking to achieve some level of sustainability and considering various low carbon and water sensitive urban renewal scenarios. This paper studies and compares the techno-economic assessment tools that can be used to identify and select alternative infrastructure options for urban water cycle systems, energy efficiency and generation, waste management and resource recovery in cities. The strengths and weakness of numerous decentralised technology options are investigated along with various assessment tools. An early and simplified assessment tool will be derived from various socio-technical and economic techno-assessment methods. The tool will then applied to the proposed Canning city centre project, an urban renewal project in the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia.