Heliyon (Jul 2024)
Factor analysis of key parameters for effective design delivery of urban transport infrastructure in Ethiopia
Abstract
Urban infrastructure can be depicted as critical facilities for providing urban public services and supporting urban socioeconomic activities. Economic growth, especially the provision of sustainable mobility in urban areas, is found to be reliant on the availability of effective transport infrastructure. Urban transport assets, mainly road and railway infrastructure, have notable influence on the safety and convenient connectivity of economies, communities, and ecosystems. While the vitality of urban transport infrastructure provision is well recognized, its practice is marred by several challenges. Addressing those challenges may require interventions throughout the life cycle of the facilities, including planning, design, construction, commissioning, operation, and demolition phases. This study, however, focuses on formulating key guiding principles and methods for effective design of transport infrastructure in urban areas of Ethiopia. The provision of transport infrastructure requires an effective design methodology throughout the lifecycle of the built element. The study involved a thorough analysis of the literature review to identify the current delivery approaches, and a questionnaire survey with a sample size of 204 (N = 204) was then utilized to determine, based on the opinions of experts, the most efficient methods of delivering transportation infrastructure. A descriptive and factor analysis were utilized to forward the demographic data of the research findings and to identify the key components of transport infrastructure delivery through design, respectively. The study found that the principal components that directly impact the design and delivery process of urban transport are design context, design necessities, institutional competency, and professional competency. It can be concluded that consideration of the principal components at the time of design assignment would facilitate the design products' effectiveness.
