The BEQUEST toolkit: A decision support system for urban sustainability

A prototype decision support system for making informed decisions on urban development has been produced by the pan-European BEQUEST network. The overall aim is to enhance urban sustainability, the process of developing a built environment that meets peoples' needs whilst avoiding unacceptable social or environmental impacts. The system, called the BEQUEST toolkit, consists of modules that present advice on how to make urban development projects more sustainable, how to assess their sustainability and whom to contact for further advice. A glossary of terms related to sustainable urban development (SUD) as well as links to best practice examples and other additional information are also included in the toolkit. The system addresses the issues in a holistic manner and aims to bridge the various scales of urban development from whole urban regions down to buildings and their components and materials. The toolkit has been developed in collaboration with the project's Extranet, an advisory body of more than 100 mainly European professionals and researchers. This group has supported the development of the toolkit through participation in an iterative development process with the core BEQUEST team, addressing the structure of the toolkit and the information that it contains. The Extranet has also tested the system through the Internet, and provided feedback that has led to improvements in the navigational and presentational features of the toolkit and identified areas for future development. The system is a prototype but already demonstrates the usefulness that a full-scale version would possess.