Conceptual framework for Information and Communication Technology applications to enhance eco-efficiency

Abstract

The quality of community decisions about the key characteristics of urban services depends on the level of involvement of local stakeholder groups. The identification of the environmental, economic and social impacts of investments to improve urban services is a critical aspect of the decision preparation phase. Assessment of the main stakeholder groups being affected by the impacts of urban services is required to understand what kind of problems they perceive. Based on their demand, different solutions can be provided to create an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) software system to facilitate environmental cooperations. The aim of this research is to propose an ICT system to support citizens’ active involvement in the transformation of the environment with access to essential information, and enable them to make more effective decisions about the investments. Most of the features of the proposed system have the potential to support eco-effective environmental policy implementations and form part of a sustainable policy toolkit. We explore the different interests and what functions should be provided to make access to information easier and more integrated. Our proposed conceptual framework would fulfill the requirements and gives practical examples how to increase eco-efficiency of products, technologies or investments in urban areas.

Keywords

• Eco-efficiency
• Stakeholder involvement
• Information and communication technology
• Unified modeling language (UML)
• Transaction cost