An Integrated Framework for Risk, Green Project, and Sustainability Management in Urban Megaprojects: Insights from Tehran’s Metropolitan Development

Urban megaprojects in rapidly expanding metropolises like Tehran often suffer from fragmented risk governance, poor environmental accountability, and insufficient long-term sustainability planning. Existing frameworks typically treat risk management, green project management (GPM), and sustainability management as separate domains, leaving critical synergies underexplored—especially in high-risk, resource-constrained cities of the Global South. To address this gap, the present study introduces an integrated framework that combines these three disciplines to optimize project lifecycle performance in urban infrastructure development. Drawing on systems thinking and validated through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), the model was tested on three of Tehran’s most significant megaprojects: Metro Line ۷, the Southern Ring Expressway, and the Sadr-Niyayesh Urban Tunnel Complex. Data were collected through expert panels (n = ۲۲), stakeholder questionnaires (n = ۶۵), and official environmental and performance audits. Results show that projects embedding sustainability principles early in the design phase outperformed others across all five key criteria. Specifically, Metro Line ۷ achieved top scores in lifecycle sustainability (۸.۶/۱۰), risk identification (۸.۵/۱۰), and public acceptance (۸.۲/۱۰), while the Tunnel Complex showed strong performance in environmental compliance (۷.۴/۱۰) and adaptive engineering. The Expressway, by contrast, lagged in stakeholder engagement (۶.۹/۱۰) and environmental planning (۶.۹/۱۰), highlighting critical weaknesses in linear surface projects. Overall, the proposed framework demonstrates a scalable, decision-support approach that enhances urban infrastructure resilience, public legitimacy, and ecological alignment. The study offers actionable insights for policymakers and project managers aiming to modernize infrastructure delivery while aligning with global climate and development goals.

کلیدواژه ها:

Urban Megaprojects ، Green Project Management (GPM) ، Sustainability Management ، Risk Integration ، Tehran Metropolitan Development ، Project Lifecycle Optimization ، Sustainable Infrastructure Planning