Multi-Criteria Approach for Prioritizing and Managing Public Investment in Urban Spaces. A Case Study in the Triple Frontier

Abstract

The aspirations of public administrations to meet quality parameters and standards in urban spaces have fostered new strategies and tools that allow users to give safety and well-being. The participation and interaction of different actors during decision-making in the context of allocation of public resources implies a significant degree of complexity when prioritizing actions in public works. The objective of the study focuses on obtaining an urban street condition index (USCI) that allows an efficient diagnosis of urban infrastructure. The study provides an innovation component for decision-making through the construction of guidelines to prioritize spending on investment in urban infrastructure. The case study has been developed in three countries, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina (Triple Border) with the aim of drawing management guidelines during the process in public entities. The results for Brazil and Argentina present streets with satisfactory USCI. Paraguay reflects a significant lack of urban infrastructure and compliance of accessibility regulations. Regarding the city of Foz de Iguazú, it has been observed that 50% of the roads require prevailing actions to improve the mobility of the roads; 40% of these reflect reduced mobility and deterioration of urban components, configured as an urgent action, and only 10% of the roads studied reflect adequate mobility conditions.

1. Introduction

The different interpretations of development and conservation of urban infrastructure are guided by the different appreciations of the disciplines that interact with each other. The interacting social, urban, technical and political perspectives represent a clear conflict in the decision-making process during the exercise of public spending on infrastructure investment in urban spaces [1].

The aspirations of the public administration to advance in high standards of quality in urban roads and improve the mobility conditions of the user have been defining new sustainable development strategies in view of the needs of society and especially with reduced budgets in public management entities [2].

Although most public entities have instruments for measuring and inspecting urban elements, the capacity and need to integrate technical and public management decisions makes new methodological alternatives necessary to diagnose urban streets in order to optimize limited financial resources intended for public infrastructure [3,4,5].

With the growth of large metropolises and urban populations, the demands for public infrastructure are also increasing [6,7]. At the same time, the divergent attention between the aspects that influence user mobility (public transport, poor signage, deterioration of pavements, among others) generates biases in the quality of infrastructure [8].

With committed (or overburdened) public budgets and the reduced possibility of tax increases, governments face difficulties in financing the investments required for urban growth and development [9]. The objectives and financial resources of each public Administration will be able to guide the actions intended to improve the criteria and indicators analyzed here. The sensitivity of these attributes will depend on the public spending destined to the improvement of these evaluated aspects.

In 2015, 195 countries signed an agreement at the United Nations to improve the well-being of society, reduce poverty and increase the commitment to social justice. The Global Challenge for Government Transparency: The Sustainable Development Goals has defined guidelines to achieve these goals in a coherent and organized manner. The importance of including such aspects in the models of inspection and urban evaluation supports following the guidelines of public health, well-being and improvement of the environment.

The inclusion of different types of actors, limited public investment budgets and the lack of management tools that integrate aspects that intervene within an urban space enhances the need to build models and tools that promote the articulation of variables with social inclusion, technical and public institutions.

In the literature, some multicriteria models have been found that seek to measure the quality and well-being of the user in specific situations. These studies aim to conceive and define indexes associated with pedestrian safety [10,11], traffic comfort and environmental impact on bicycle lanes [12,13], pedestrian well-being at the time of transit [14,15,16] and measurement of sustainability in urban spaces [17,18] among others.

The construction of indices that evaluate urban spaces mostly defines aspects and attributes associated with a specific theme of the environment. The contribution of the studies that were frequently analyzed is aimed at solving a reduced number of indicators and above all with a specific impact on the sustainability axis. The singularity of these studies assumes a specific applicability oriented to variables of a very particular order and typology.

The relevance of the proposed model is characterized by a model that defines, identifies and evaluates indicators that interact within an urban space in the different transport models. The developed tool enhances the integration of variables of different nature and different measurement units (noise pollution, deterioration of elements, mobility and well-being of the user, among others).

This study promotes a multicriteria analysis model that allows classifying urban infrastructure through an urban street condition index (USCI) considering each of the actors during decision-making in the application of public spending. The study assumes the integration of aspects and attributes relevant to the urban mobility approach and under the physical conditions of each of the elements.

The study developed has been applied in the triple border region contemplated by the countries: Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (Foz do Iguazú, Puerto Iguazú and Ciudad del Este, respectively). The validation of the model has been developed in a homogeneous way under the same lifting conditions, mobility (working days), traffic, and weather, among others.

The evaluated streets have been selected by means of tourist, commercial and moderate traffic criteria. A total of 27 km has been evaluated in the study, which has allowed us to review the state of the main roads of the highways under an economic, social, environmental and institutional context.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Case Study

The case study was developed in the triple border region, integrated for the cities: Foz de Iguassu (Brazil), Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Puerto Iguassu (Argentina). The region has multiple relationships (economic, social, political, labor and cultural) among the actors that make up such a transnational space under notable contrasts and asymmetries of poverty and inequality.

The region is geographically at the epicenter of the Guaraní aquifer water system, considered one of the largest and easily accessible. This geographical position makes the Triple Frontier a fundamental point for the control of the continent’s territory [19].

The main demographic and social characteristics of the cities analyzed in order to observe similar characteristics in the triple border region have been observed from the perspective of comparison of urban infrastructure efficiencies and the social and economic performance of each region. It is important to highlight that the 3 cities present a different but complementary profile between them. On the one hand, Foz do Iguaçu reflects a city (essentially) with a tourist profile, while Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazú can be characterized by commercial impact and high gastronomic offer, respectively.

Foz do Iguaçu reflects an estimated population of 258,532 inhabitants (demographic density 414.58 Hab./km²), maintaining a municipal human development index (MHDI) of 0.751 (Brazil 0.759), compared to a territorial area of 618.057 km², expressing a GDP per capita (2017) of 9270 US $ and with an urbanization of public roads (2018) of 86%. On the other hand. Ciudad Del Este has an estimated population of 301,810 inhabitants (demographic density 2925.79 Hab./km²) with a department human development index (MHDI) of 0.655—Alto Paraná; (Paraguay MHDI 0.702). Ciudad del Este has a territorial area 104.00 km² under a per capita social expenditure of 908 US $, with urbanization of public roads (2010) of 65%.

Puerto Iguassu reflects an estimated population of 45,800 inhabitants (population density 56.5 Hab./km²) under the Department human development index (MHDI) of 0.753—Argentina (MHDI 0.869). Area of the territorial unit of 759.00 km² and with a per capita social expenditure of 694 US $, with urbanization of public roads (2019) of 78%.

The study has considered 27 urban streets, which have been selected with specific criteria defined (10 for Foz do Iguaçu; 7 for Ciudad del Este and 10 for Puerto Iguazú). The following road selection criteria have been considered: High urban mobility and tourist and commercial impact.

Table 1. Selected urban roads.

Foz do Iguaçu	Ciudad del Este	Puerto Iguazú
Paraná Av. (1)	Mariscal López Av. (1)	Victoria Aguirre St. (1)
De las Cataratas Av. (2)	República de Perú Av. (2)	Córdoba St. (2)
República Argentina St. (3)	San Blas (3)	Guaraní St. (3)
Jorge Schimmelpfeng Av. (4)	Gral. Bernardino Caballero (4)	Misiones (4)
Juscelino Kubitscheck Av. (5)	Monseñor Rodríguez (5)	Tres Fronteras Av. (5)
Silvio Américo Sasdelli (6)	Calle 10 (6)	República Argentina Av. (6)
Costa e Silva (7)	Armando Benítez (7)	Horacio Quiroga (7)
Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos (8)		9 de Julio Av. (8)
Andradina Av. (9)		Brasil St. (9)
José María de Brito Av. (10)		Victoria Aguirre St. (10)

shows the urban streets analyzed for the Triple frontier region, indicating in parentheses the nomenclature used in the analysis and results stage.

Even though the case study has been applied to the Triple Frontier, the configuration of the model makes it possible to highlight its application in other Latin American contexts at different geographical levels.

This means that the methodological structure can be reproducible to other scenarios where it is necessary to classify roads under technical, social and environmental criteria. It is important to highlight both the weights of the indicators because the inclusion of others may be subject to the needs and objectives of the public administration that applies the model.

2.2. Process

The Indicators have been selected that contribute significantly to the measurement of the quality of urban mobility during its interaction with urban space. These indicators have been considered in such a way that they adapt to current sustainability needs, such as deterioration of urban components, compliance with international regulations on accessibility, pedestrian density, road service levels, noise pollution, social impact, among others [20,21,22,23,24,25,26].

The study assumes a model based on multi-attribute theory for decision-making. The methodology developed expresses 3 main stages: inspection of urban components, calibration of the model and calculation of the mobility index at its different levels. The phase of urban components inspection collects and constitutes the information of each of the indicators defined for this study, considering the interaction of its components, transport systems and the impact on urban mobility.

This methodology has been defined based on the need to evaluate urban roads in an integrated way and under a sustainable nature. The optimization of environmental and human resources has fully motivated this study.

Next, the responses of the indicators are validated in the MIVES mathematical model [27], supported by the analytical hierarchy process [28] and the mathematical equation of the utility function, represented as the degree of satisfaction of a certain good or service.

The last phase of the model determines the urban mobility index, which allows classifying the urban streets in relation to the value calculated in phase 2 of the model. The mobility index is defined between the values from 0 to 1 at each level of the decision tree. Mobility indices close to 0 show low quality of urban mobility, and the road requires a prevailing intervention to recover urban space. Mobility indices close to values of 1 are understood as those roads with an adequate quality standard in the axes analyzed in this study.

Figure 1 represents the flow of the methodology developed under the sustainability profile, taking into account the international measurement parameters.

The USCI methodology starts from 4 main processes that support decision-making. First of all, the routes to be analyzed under specific criteria (tourism and commercial influence) are defined. In the second phase, the information gathering and inventory of urban indicators is carried out to obtain input information to obtain the USCI.

The third stage uses the MIVES mathematical model based on the methodological framework developed. Finally, the stage of classification of urban roads involves the organization of the roads in a descending way (USCIs from lowest to highest value). This organization and classification of roads is a guide to apply public spending in urban space.

2.2.1. Inspection of Urban Components

The model developed for this study involves the integration of indicators associated with measuring the quality of an urban component that promotes proper mobility. The study reflects quantitative and qualitative aspects with different units of measurement, organized in such a way that they can be specifically evaluated.

Table 2. Attributes considered in the inspection model.

Indicator	Parameter	Reference
I1-Sidewalk quality	Sidewalk deterioration	[29,30,31,32]
	Sidewalk continuity	[33,34]
	Sidewalk illumination	[35]
	Deterioration of the asphalt surface	[36,37]
I2-Asphalt surface quality	Service levels	[38,39]
I3-Adaptations in urban infrastructure of elderly and infirm persons	Adaptations of urban infrastructure	[40,41]
I4-Circulation areas	Presence of circulation areas	[42]
I5-Sidewalk service level	Service levels	[43,44]
I6-Mobility quality	Sidewalk density (Service levels) Mobility interferences Traffic lights for pedestrians Shading	[43,45]
		[46]
		[47]
		[48]
I7-Noise pollution	Measurement in decibels	[49,50,51]
I8-Interferences	Presence of speed devices Light vehicle pedestrian interruptions Percentage of light vehicles	[43,52]
I9-Quality of the journey and safety	Bikeway Traffic lights Track lighting Respect for the cyclist	[53,54]
I10-Quality of infrastructure and signaling	Preferential transit route Existence of speed controls Quality of bus stop Frequency quality Signaling	[55,56]

represents the parameters and indicators considered for this study and the revised references that have provided support in its structure. These parameters represent the inventory of aspects and attributes evaluated in order to measure the impact of mobility based on the presence, degree of deterioration and compliance with international regulations.

Table 3. Decision tree for the Triple Frontier.

Requirement	Criteria	Indicator	Unit
Urban infrastructure	Physical state of the element.	Sidewalk quality	Score 0–100
		Asphalt Surface quality
Accessibility	Compliance with regulations.	Adaptations in infrastructure for people of elderly and infirm persons
		Circulation areas
Mobility	Pedestrian	Mobility quality
		Noise pollution	Decibels
	Light vehicle	Interferences	Score 0–100
	Cyclist	Quality of the journey and safety
	Public transportation.	Quality of infrastructure and signaling

represents the main structure of the study defined as a decision tree that allows organizing the aspects based on the multi-attribute theory. The study specifies requirements for urban infrastructure, accessibility and mobility, manifesting through the criteria, the quality of its components, compliance with regulations and possible interferences that promote the reduction of user mobility in an urban space.

In this way, with the aim of providing traceability to the study, each of the indicators considered in the study are characterized below.

Table 4. “Sidewalk quality” indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Sidewalk deterioration	A—Continuous and totally flat sidewalk. No deformations in 100% of the studied section. No presence of gaps or material wear. Surface with tactile signage for users with reduced visibility. Curbs in perfect condition and without deterioration.	60
	B—Continuous and totally flat sidewalk. Without deformation up to 80% of the studied section. No gaps and little material wear. Absence of tactile signage for users with reduced visibility. Presence of wear on protection curbs.	40
	C—Discontinuous sidewalk with deformations in most of the section studied. Little presence of holes and visual deterioration of the pavement coating. It does not present risk to the user. Absence of tactile signage for users with reduced visibility. Possibility of rehabilitation of the sidewalk.	20
	D—Discontinuous sidewalk with deformations in most of the section studied. High presence of voids and high material wear. Start of material loss from the sidewalk. Absence of tactile signage for users with reduced visibility.	10
	E—Discontinuous sidewalk with deformations in most of the section studied. Detachment of pavement coating material. Presence of gaps and wear of the material with risk for the user. Absence of tactile signage for users with reduced visibility. Need for replacement of the sidewalk.	0
Sidewalk continuity	i. Without interruptions	20
	ii. 1 to 4 interruptions	10
	iii. 5 to 10 interruptions	5
	iv. more than 10 interruptions	0
Sidewalk illumination	The studied section has sidewalk lighting	20
	The section studied is without sidewalk lighting	0

defines the parameters considered for the indicator “sidewalk quality” referring to the criterion “physical state of the element”. Thus, the weights express, to a certain extent, the degree of importance of the attribute relative to the mobility of the user in the urban space.

Table 5. “Quality of the asphalt surface” indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Asphalt Surface deterioration	A—Surface in perfect condition and without the presence of pathologies on the asphalt. Presence of rain collectors. Identification of signage on the runway.	100
	B—Surface in perfect condition with initial presence of pathologies in the asphalt. Presence of rain collectors. No signaling on the runway.	50
	C—Surface with presence of pathologies without loss of material. Existence of crocodile skin and cracks greater than 5 mm.	20
	D—Asphalt surface deteriorated with loss of material. Visible asphalt layer groove. Lack of surface drainage elements.	10
	E—Deterioration of the asphalt surface greater than 80%. Loss of material, presence of rutting with risk for the user. User speed reduction due to surface pathologies.	0

identifies the indicator “quality of the asphalt surface” of the criterion “physical state of the element”. This indicator shows levels of service with regard to the deterioration of the rolling track of light vehicles, public transport and cyclists promoting (or not) the quality of mobility of the user in urban space.

Table 6. “Circulation areas” indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Circulation	The section has circulation areas for people with reduced capacities on the road; it considers accesses and circulations for wheelchairs without interference throughout the road.	100
	The section has circulation areas for people with reduced capacities on the road; it considers accesses and circulations for wheelchairs in some parts of the studied section.	50
	The section does not have circulation areas for people with reduced capacities on the road; it does not consider accesses and circulations for wheelchairs in any part of the studied section.	0

shows the indicator “Areas of circulation” with three levels or degrees of compliance that allow for adequate pedestrian mobility on roads under the minimum international standards. It is important to highlight that the criterion “Compliance with regulations” (decision tree) observes the different strategies in public management to achieve international standards and guidelines with regard to the quality of life of elderly and infirm persons.

In the “Accessibility” axis of the decision tree, the indicator “Adaptations in infrastructure for people with reduced capacities” has been considered. To measure the “Accessibility” requirement,

Table 7. “Adaptations in infrastructure of elderly and infirm persons” indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Urban infrastructure in accessibility	Accessibility adaptations to comply with regulations	50
	Adequate sidewalk marking	25
	Integration of international symbols	25

is presented, according to the parameter “urban infrastructure in accessibility” following the respective regulations of Brazil (ABNT NBR 9050: 2004), Paraguay (Paraguayan National Law No. 4934) and Argentina (Law National Argentina N° 24314).

In this sense, the study promotes actions to improve urban components both in signaling and support elements in mobility itself. The requirement of the degree of compliance with these parameters supposes a clear policy of social inclusion and a significant improvement in urban mobility.

The “Mobility” requirement has considered four (4) qualitative and quantitative criteria: Pedestrian (indicators: quality of mobility, noise pollution), light vehicle (Indicator: interference), Cyclist (indicator: quality of the journey and safety) and public transport (indicator: quality of infrastructure and signaling). The analysis and measurement of these indicators correspond to a quantitative measurement from 0 to 100 points and measurement of decibels in the urban area.

Regarding the quality of mobility (indicator) of the pedestrian (criterion),

Table 8. “Mobility quality” Indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Sidewalk density	If It is service level A	20
	Between service level B and C	10
	Between service level D and E	5
	If It is service level F	0
Mobility interferences	The section studied does not present interferences.	45
	Between 1 and 5	20
	Between 6 and 10	10
	more than 10	0
Pedestrian traffic lights	The section has a pedestrian traffic light	10
	The section has not a pedestrian traffic light	0
Shading	Presence of trees in the section: More than 200	25
	Presence of trees in the section between 100 and 200	10
	Presence of trees in the section between 50 and 100	5
	Presence of trees in the section between 0 and 50	0

is presented, which represents each of the parameters considered for this attribute. Compliance with each of these represents a weighting of 100 points.

The parameter of density of the sidewalk has been measured through service levels corresponding to the number of pedestrians that travel on the sidewalk and the area within the urban space.

For this,

Table 9. Measurement of road density in service levels.

Service Level	Space (m2 per Pedestrian)	Flow Rate (Pedestrian/min/m)	Speed (m/s)
A	>5.60	≤16	>1.30
B	>3.70–5.60	>16–23	>1.27–1.30
C	>2.20–3.70	>23–33	>1.22–1.27
D	>1.40–2.20	>33–49	>1.14–1.22
E	>0.75–1.40	>49–75	>0.75–1.14
F	≤0.75	Variable	≤0.75

has been followed, which allows to measure this attribute quantitatively. In the same way, mobility interferences are physically represented in the field, such as those interruptions to the mobility of the pedestrian during its journey from one point to another [57].

That is, the sidewalk is analyzed through interferences within the sidewalk that interfere with the quality of the user’s movement in a short period of time (informal vendors, waste deposits, among others). In the same way, the parameters “pedestrian traffic lights” and “Shading” have been incorporated in order to review the quality of pedestrian traffic from an origin and destination.

The “noise pollution” indicator has been measured by means of a portable device (Portable Digital decibel meter SKILL-TEC SKDEC-01 Digital Sound Leve Meter- Range 30 dB–130 dB), allowing to check compliance with the ABNT NBR 10151: 2019 regulation (in the case of Foz de Iguassu—Brazil), National Law N° 1540/04 (in the case of Puerto Iguazú—Argentina) and Law N° 1100/97 (in the case of Ciudad del Este—Paraguay). It is important to note that the tolerance limits (maximum) in the urban noise pollution indicator are defined as allowed values of 60 dB for Brazil, 70 dB for Paraguay and 70 dB for Argentina.

Regarding the “light vehicle” criterion,

Table 10. “Interferences” Indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Presence of speed devices	Yes	25
	Not	0
Light vehicle pedestrian interruptions	Without interruptions	15
	Between 1 and 5	5
	More than 5	0
Percentage of light vehicles	More than 50%	10
	Less than 50%	0

shows the indicator “interference” that evaluates the quality of traffic and mobility with respect to 3 main parameters: presence of radars, light vehicle pedestrian interruptions and percentage of light vehicles (vehicular breakdown through gauges).

Regarding the “Quality of the journey and safety” indicator of the “Cyclist” criteria, measurement and evaluation parameters of the road are incorporated in relation to the presence of urban infrastructure and electronic devices.

Table 11. Parameters of the indicator “quality of the journey and safety”.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Bikeway	The section considers bike path	50
	The section does not consider bike path	0
Traffic lights	The section considers a traffic light for cyclists	10
	The section does not consider a traffic light for cyclists	0
Road Illumination	Illuminated road	25
	Unlit road	0
Respect for the cyclist	Yes	15
	Not	0

shows the parameters associated with the degree of compliance and their weighting from values of 0 to 100 points.

Finally, the urban transport criterion considers the indicator “quality of infrastructure and signaling” through 5 analysis parameters. In this case, the existence of urban infrastructure that provides support for a better quality of mobility on the roads has been defined.

Table 12. “Quality of infrastructure and signaling” Indicator.

Parameter	Degree of Compliance	Weighing
Preferential traffic lane	Yes	30
	Not	0
Devices speed control	Yes	15
	Not	0
Bus stop quality	Excellent	25
	Good	10
	Regular	5
	Poor or not present	0
Frequency quality (Minutes)	Between 5 and 10	25
	Between 11 and 20	10
	Between 20 and 30	5
	More than 30	0
Signaling	Excellent	20
	Regular	10
	Poor	0

reflects the parameters analyzed for this indicator: existence of a preferential bus lane, speed control devices, quality of the public transport waiting point, quality of frequency and signaling.

It is important to highlight that each of the indicators, criteria and requirements proposed for this study have been defined with the aim of significantly improving mobility conditions in each of the transport systems analyzed.

Likewise, the weightings indicated in each of the tables pertaining to the indicators and parameters have been defined through periodic meetings with specialists in the area of transport, development of urban indicators and creators of project evaluation methodologies.

2.2.2. Urban Street Condition Index (USCI)

For the integration of the indicators selected in the study, a value quantification methodology called Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Buildings (MIVES) has been used. Figure 2 shows the flow of the process of integration and evaluation of attributes considered for the study of the diagnosis of urban streets (characterization of the problem).

The MIVES model evaluates alternatives through two main processes: weighting of variables and value function. The weight of the attributes for the requirements, criteria and indicators has been defined through the AHP tool [58]. The weights indicated in each variable are in percentage, which establish the degree of importance of each of these aspects. It is important to highlight that the definition and application of the AHP methodology has been carried out under the consensus of specialists in areas related to this study (transportation, managers, engineers and public policy experts).

It is important to highlight that 8 experts associated with the transport sector have participated in an interdisciplinary way. The definition of the value function trends, the allocation of weights by AHP (construction of decision matrices) and the characterization of the requirements tree itself have been configured by 2 civil engineers with a transport profile, 2 engineers belonging to the Public administration, 2 architects with an urban development and implementation profile and 2 engineers with an urban management profile). On the other hand, the value function transforms the indicator with physical units to common units (value). The use of the value function allows transforming the different measurement units into one-dimensional units, allowing the attributes to be integrated in an organized and coherent way [59]. The value function is defined by 4 parameters that, when transformed, allow to obtain all kinds of trends (shapes) characterized by Equation (1).

$$I_{indicator}=A\ast B\ast (1- e^{-k_i\ast {(\frac{X-X_{mín}}{C_i})}^{P_i}})$$

(1)

where A = value that generates the abscissa “Xmin”, generally A = 0, Xmin = abscissa of the indicator that generates a value equal to “A”, X = abscissa of the evaluated indicator that generates a value equal to Vind, Pi = determines the slope of the curve at the coordinate inflection point (Ci, Ki), defining the shape of the curve. Ci = for “S” shaped curves; this factor establishes the value of the abscissa around the inflection point, Ki = defines the value of the ordinate of the point Ci. On the other hand, the parameter “B” (Equation (2)) is the factor that guarantees keeping Equation (1) in the interval 0 and 1 and is expressed by Equation (2).

$$B=(1-e^{-k_i\ast {\left({\frac{\left|Xmáx-Xmín\right|}{C_i}}^{P_i}\right)}^{-1}})$$

(2)

According to the MIVES model and the scheme in Figure 2, urban roads are quantified in a stepwise fashion from right to left in the three cities analyzed. The mobility index for each indicator is obtained from the value function and the response (in the field) for each path corresponding to the decision tree.

To obtain the mobility index with respect to its criteria, Equation (3) is followed, which represents the sum of the product of the indicators belonging to the same criterion and their respective weights. The mobility index of the criterion supposes the evaluation of aspects in a more general way of the route analyzed.

$$I_{Mobility criteria= }{\displaystyle \sum }_{I=1}^n{I}_{mobility indicator \times W_i}$$

(3)

In the same way, the model allows evaluating the aspects in the three main axes of the study (urban infrastructure, accessibility and mobility), through the sum of the product of the criteria belonging to the same requirement and their respective weights (Equation (4)).

$$I_{mobility requirement }= {\displaystyle \sum }_{i=1}^n{I}_{mobility criteria i }\ast W_i$$

(4)

Finally, to obtain the mobility index for each of the roads, Equation (5) is indicated, which represents the sum of the product of the requirements pertaining to the case study and their respective weights.

$$I_{mobility index }= {\displaystyle \sum }_{i=1}^n{I}_{mobility requirement i }\ast W_i$$

(5)

2.2.3. Value Function

Table 13. Decision tree applied to the case of diagnosis of urban streets.

Requirement	Criteria	Indicator	Value Function
Urban Infrastructure (50)	Physical condition of the element (100)	Sidewalk quality (30)
		Asphalt surface quality (70)
Accessibility (20)	Compliance with regulations (100)	Adaptations in infrastructure for elderly and infirm persons (40)
		Circulation areas (60)
Mobility (30)	Pedestrian (20)	Level service sidewalk (40)
		Mobility quality (40)
		Noise pollution (20)
	Light vehicle (10)	Interferences on the street (100)
	Cyclist (20)	Travel quality and safety (100)
	Public transportation (50)	Quality of infrastructure and signage (100)

reflects the structure of the decision tree with the weights assigned by analytical hierarchy (in parentheses) and the shape of the value functions assigned for the study. It should be noted that the configuration of these has been derived from the consensus of specialists in the transport area (transportation, managers, engineers and public policy experts), defining the degree of importance of the evaluated aspects and the trends of the value functions used in the three countries.

The specific weights in each variable and the definition of the trend of the value functions make possible to have a guide for public spending in the administration of urban infrastructure. The adaptation of specific indicators for each region could be understood within the needs and objectives of each public administration.

3. Results

The integration of parameters through the indicators, criteria and requirements has allowed obtaining specific results at the different levels of the decision tree. The presented model provides a strong component of innovation to diagnose urban spaces, specifically urban corridors, with the clear objective of classifying the urban streets and guiding decision-making entities in public spending.

The variables analyzed are represented in an organized way and in relative percentage in order to represent the mobility indices in relation to the weighting given in the analytical hierarchy process. Thus, the variables are organized by the different hierarchical levels defined in the decision tree.

First, the global (or total) indices are observed for each urban street studied, understanding that for values close to 100%, they show a positive response of the attributes. In other words, values close to the unit represent that the conditions of the analyzed road favor the correct mobility of the user in the different modes of transport. On the contrary, values close to 0.00% reflect a clear reduction in mobility and the prevailing need for public spending to improve the conditions of urban elements in order to improve the quality of life of the user in the urban space.

In order to be practical in guiding decision-making in public infrastructure investment, 4 levels of urban road care have been defined. For urban streets with mobility rates between 100% and 80%, it is considered a low-urgency road. Values between 79% and 60% indicate a necessary action, values between 59% and 40% imply the prevailing action by the public administration, and values below 40% suggest urgent actions (clear conditions of reduced mobility, deterioration of urban components and low quality of user’s life in urban space).

Urban Street Condition Index (USCI) for the Triple Border Region

The results of the study have been organized in such a way that the mobility indices can be observed in each of the roads in each country and in each attribute evaluated. Thus, the main parameters related to the triple border (Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina) have also been identified.

Table 14. USCI for Foz do Iguazú (Brazil).

Mobility Index	Urban Street (%)
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	0.55	0.48	0.50	0.85	0.56	0.34	0.31	0.20	0.28	0.45
Urban Infrastructure	50	42	50	98	44	32	14	26	20	42
Accessibility	70	60	50	70	60	70	50	10	50	50
Mobility	50	50	47	73	70	10	47	17	23	43
Physical state of the element	50	42	50	98	45	33	13	26	21	42
Compliance with regulations	72	62	51	70	62	72	51	10	51	51
Pedestrian	40	50	60	60	60	50	55	40	35	45
Light vehicle	30	60	60	60	60	10	80	30	30	10
Cyclist	74	40	25	100	90	0	16	25	15	90
Public transport	52	52	52	72	72	0	42	0	24	34
Sidewalk quality	78	52	78	96	62	24	9	0	33	52
Asphalt Surface quality	38	38	38	100	38	38	16	38	16	38
Infrastructure adaptations	52	26	0	26	26	52	0	26	0	0
Area of circulation	86	86	86	100	14	86	86	0	86	86
Sidewalk service levels	63	38	63	38	83	38	63	45	25	48
Mobility quality	86	92	21	92	92	92	92	86	72	86
Noise pollution	45	66	0	53	41	66	22	41	37	60
Interferences	32	63	63	63	63	11	82	32	32	11
Quality of the journey and safety	74	42	26	100	91	0	42	26	16	91
Quality of infrastructure and signaling	52	52	52	72	72	0	42	0	25	35

represents the values of the USCI for the city of Foz de Iguazú in Brazil through the different aspects and indicators considered in this study. For the city of Foz de Iguazú, it can be noted that the roads with a predominant tourist profile present better global mobility conditions, and the commercial roads represent a decrease in the mobility index.

In the same way, compliance with international regulations and the quality of mobility itself present satisfactory results in most of its roads. However, the indicators “quality of the asphalt surface” and “quality of the journey and safety” suggest special attention to the aspects of road infrastructure for cyclists, lighting and safety of the journey.

The Figure 3 reflects the behavior of all the aspects evaluated for the city of Foz de Iguazú in a radial way with the integration of the studied roads. It can be clearly seen that Schimmplfeng Avenue considers the best mobility conditions in most of the attributes analyzed in relation to the other roads studied. Commercial roads such as Tarquínio dos Santos, Andradina and José Maria de Brito Avenue represent unsatisfactory mobility rates, indicating a clear need for investment in urban infrastructure to improve travel conditions in urban space.

Regarding Ciudad del Este (Paraguay),

Table 15. USCI for Ciudad del Este (Paraguay).

Mobility Index	Urban Street (%)
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	0.25	0.21	0.13	0.62	0.28	0.21	0.26
Urban Infrastructure	37	29	11	55	34	31	42
Accessibility	0	0	0	86	13	0	0
Mobility	24	22	24	57	30	18	16
Physical state of the element	37	24	11	55	34	31	42
Compliance with regulations	0	0	0	86	13	0	0
Pedestrian	49	42	54	64	57	61	47
Light vehicle	0	0	0	32	0	11	11
Cyclist	42	42	0	91	26	26	26
Public transport	11	11	26	45	26	0	0
Sidewalk quality	33	9	0	96	24	16	52
Asphalt Surface quality	38	38	16	38	38	38	38
Infrastructure adaptations	0	0	0	64	32	0	0
Area of circulation	0	0	0	100	0	0	0
Sidewalk service levels	59	5	59	59	86	86	59
Mobility quality	33	53	33	56	11	33	11
Noise pollution	60	95	85	90	90	66	94
Interferences	0	0	0	32	0	11	11
Quality of the journey and safety	42	42	0	91	26	26	26
Quality of infrastructure and signaling	11	11	26	45	26	0	0

shows the mobility indices belonging to the 7 urban streets studied. It has been observed that urban street number 4 (Gral. Bernardino Caballero) represents the urban space with the best mobility conditions with a value of 0.62 (62%). Although this street represents a significant mobility index compared to the other roads, the response of the Bernardino Caballero street shows deficiencies in the quality of its elements. Most of the urban streets studied have shown poor USCI globally (close to 0.30).

There is a need to generate public investment attitudes in the Ciudad del Este Administration to provide better traffic and mobility conditions, specifically on the República del Perú, San Blas and Street 10. The Figure 4 shows the deficiency, lack or absence of urban components suggests the detriment to the quality of user mobility on these streets, resulting in harmful social effects and phenomena in the sustainable development of a city.

It has been observed that the streets analyzed (for the most part) do not address the aspects that have a significant impact on the quality of life of the user during their origin-destination journey. For example, compliance with regulations on accessibility, mobility in light vehicles, public transport and adaptations for people with reduced capacity have been little considered or in some cases non-existent.

Finally, the case of analysis of the city of Puerto Iguazú (Argentina),

Table 16. USCI for Puerto Iguazú (Argentina).

Mobility Index	Urban Street (%)
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	0.73	0.80	0.31	0.45	0.78	0.52	0.45	0.48	0.74	0.54
Urban Infrastructure	87	97	34	60	99	75	71	78	97	77
Accessibility	73	76	24	5	73	13	5	5	73	17
Mobility	49	53	31	47	47	37	29	28	38	38
Physical state of the element	87	97	34	60	99	75	71	78	97	77
Compliance with regulations	72	76	24	4	72	13	4	4	72	17
Pedestrian	87	76	76	52	87	73	76	80	55	79
Light vehicle	32	53	53	32	53	32	32	3	53	32
Cyclist	39	39	28	39	42	28	28	28	28	28
Public transport	42	49	11	52	32	28	11	6	32	28
Sidewalk quality	90	90	24	2	96	53	2	62	90	24
Asphalt Surface quality	85	100	38	85	100	85	100	85	100	100
Infrastructure adaptations	52	60	60	11	52	32	11	11	52	42
Area of circulation	86	86	0	0	86	0	0	0	86	0
Sidewalk service levels	100	100	100	58	100	100	100	100	58	100
Mobility quality	71	50	43	33	71	50	43	50	33	50
Noise pollution	95	80	95	80	92	63	96	100	91	95
Interferences	32	53	53	32	53	32	32	32	53	32
Quality of the journey and safety	39	39	28	39	42	28	28	28	28	28
Quality of infrastructure and signaling	42	49	11	52	32	28	11	6	32	28

highlights the homogeneity of its USCIs on the streets studied. The Córdoba, Tres Fronteras and Brazil Avenue have satisfactory indices in the face of a tourist and commercial road profile.

The proper arrangement, quality and proper conservation of its elements are manifested in a remarkable degree of mobility for this city. Although 30% of the streets present remarkable results; the other streets (50%) represent prevailing actions by the public administration in order to restore the quality of mobility in the section analyzed.

Public management could take care of the parameters of the cycling indicator and interferences on the urban streets, to increase the response of the studied roads, as well as the quality of the journey and safety of the cyclist (lighting, cycle routes, etc.) within the urban space.

Figure 5 shows the clear tendency of the public administration to attend to certain attributes of the public space to promote strategies for increasing urban mobility. In the graph, it can be seen that both indicators I8–I9 and criteria C4–C6 should be observed to increase the quality of life of the user in this niche of study.

Finally, Figure 6 represents the intersection of case studies of the triple border, integrating the indices of global mobility (average between roads), the requirement of urban infrastructure (R1), accessibility (R2) and urban mobility (R3).

In this way, Argentina represents a significant improvement in a general way (by evaluated area-country) and Paraguay remains with an urgent attention character in each of the studied streets. The integration and representation of requirements in this context allows observing different management policies (among countries) that allow increasing the benefits and qualities of mobility in the region.

4. Discussion

Public spending on urban infrastructure has decreased in real terms, generating insufficient infrastructure that impacts the economic development of Latin American regions. While the private and public initiatives make efforts in various sectors, the total investment has not been enough for the average cities to have a better well-being for their inhabitants.

The few and increasingly reduced municipal and state budgets push inappropriate decisions or act in the shadows of social pressure and with the absence of management tools that support the decision-making processes when planning public investment.

Although there are mechanisms for inspection, maintenance and prioritization of urban spaces, the integration of technical, political and social decisions makes the analysis and evaluation process consider variables of different origin and measurement that hinder decision making.

For practical purposes, Paraguay has 10% of roads with a mobility index with a character of necessary action; the remaining 90% is with reduced mobility and with high deterioration of urban components. Most of the roads contemplate significantly low responses compared to the Bernardino Caballero road in most of the indicators studied.

Regarding the city of Puerto Iguazú, 10% of the roads are in adequate conditions (or with a low need for action), 30% request necessary attention, 50% suggest a prevailing investment action, and only 10% present conditions of reduced mobility or deterioration of urban elements.

The study of the triple frontier has sought to integrate parameters of a diverse nature that impact on the quality of user mobility in modes of transport (pedestrian, cyclist, public and light transport). The integration and articulation of these parameters into indicators through technical competences (criteria and requirements; weights and value functions) have allowed us to achieve better responses in compliance with international regulations, social perception and political decisions.

In this way, the application of the methodology of inspection of elements until the evaluation of the USCI allows building urban development strategies in an organized, coherent and systematic way under the specific conditions of each region.

5. Conclusions

The methodology presented here provides a great methodological advance in terms of evaluating indicators of different nature and different units of measurement. The juxtaposition of criteria and requirements in three different countries inherently supports decision-making in public investment.

Regarding the city of Foz de Iguazú, it has been observed that 50% of the roads require prevailing actions to improve the mobility of the roads; 40% of these reflect reduced mobility and deterioration of urban components, configured as an urgent action, and only 10% of the roads studied reflect adequate mobility conditions.

In a global way, the triple border includes economic, social and environmental relationships throughout the last decade. The scope of social policies significantly impacts these relationships, which foster sustainable development ties and create migratory ties throughout the three countries. Thus, the juxtaposition of objectives and strategies with regard to urban mobility is an aspect that must be addressed with tools and models that promote the adequate use of economic resources in a sustainable and appropriate way for the region.

The integration of entities in decision-making, both public management and the technical part, translates into better approaches and solutions that provide guidelines in a sustained regime of environmental, social and economic development.

The study aims to provide useful information to officials who are in charge of planning and implementing public policies of public spending in relation to conservation and maintenance of urban roads with focus on The Global Challenge for Government Transparency: The Sustainable Development Goal, following those established guidelines by the United Nations that reflect the international instruments of well-being and Human rights, in public policies.

In the context of the triple border, it can be observed that public policies on public spending in the studied axes (urban infrastructure, accessibility and urban mobility) are more favorable in Puerto Iguazu in two of the requirements. Although Brazil maintains constant improvements in the conservation and maintenance of urban roads by supporting mobility in its 5 transport systems, there is a significant and positive USCI in universal accessibility policies.

In the same way, Argentina has presented important results in the axis of quality and presence of urban infrastructure. This situation can be reflected as a city with less deterioration in the presence of tourism with a gastronomic profile under relevant public policies on welfare and user safety.

On the other hand, in Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), the values corresponding to the USCI show deficiencies and important deficiencies in urban infrastructure (in presence and functionality), potentiating significant problems of mobility, quality and well-being of the user. It is highlighted that the policies associated with urban accessibility in the analyzed indicators present serious deficiencies (40% less than Brazil) and in most of the roads they contemplate values close to 0 of the USCI, manifesting an imperative need for actions and public spending on accessibility that allow meeting international standards.

In the context of Brazil (Foz do Iguazu), the 3 requirements analyzed present consistent USCI results. There is a need to implement actions in public spending that improve the USCI in accessibility and mobility issues. It is important to highlight that the study clearly reflects that there is a public policy inherent to the conservation and maintenance of urban roads with a tourist profile with respect to commercial roads.

Regarding Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), the results inherent to the analyzed indicators systematically present USCIs with the same behavior. The study area developed in Argentina presents outstanding results in the implementation of actions in urban infrastructure. On the other hand, there is a prevailing need for the improvement of mobility actions associated with the frequency of urban transport, signaling, user welfare (pedestrian) and implementation of cycle paths in the region.

In Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) there is an imperative need to increase policy actions and public spending associated with urban infrastructure, accessibility and urban mobility. The values found in the requirements, criteria and indicators suppose a reduced quality of mobility of the user and negative effects on the welfare of the user.

The construction of public policies regarding the administration of public spending in urban infrastructure must be guided by interdisciplinary diagnoses that allow generating strategies for action for the benefit of society.