Assessing the Development of Urban Downtown Areas using Multicriteria Decision-Aiding

Abstract

Downtown urban areas play a vital role in tourism, economic, and cultural activities, but the degree of their development is a complicated issue that is hard to assess due to the simultaneous presence of several related factors. In the framework of the present study, a model of integral evaluation is proposed to assess and classify the degree of urban downtown areas’ development from a tourism aspect. The model takes into account the vital dimensions of commercial activity, service provision, and accessibility, but in a way that offers a chance for a systematic and consistent comparison of downtown urban areas. Instead of applying isolated criteria or purely economic criteria, the proposed model offers a complete evaluation, reflecting the multi-faceted nature of downtown urban areas. To show its applicability, a set of downtown areas in Mexico is analyzed with available data, and the results show a clear classification of the areas based on their level of development, providing useful insights for urban planners, managers of tourism, and other stakeholders interested in this field. It is worth noting that this research shows the benefits of a systematic and evidence-based approach to support sustainable and balanced development in downtown areas in a tourism context.