Eco-industrial park planning based on industrial ecology and ecological network analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Eco-industrial parks integrate industrial ecology with spatial planning to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in sustainable industrial development. The integration of standard subjective weighting methods, notably the analytic hierarchy process, into conventional geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis for eco-industrial park selection introduces potential biases and limits the replicability of the findings. Additionally, suitability assessment and industrial symbiosis network design are often addressed separately, limiting their systematic integration. The study objectives were to develop an integrated geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis and ecological network analysis framework for planning the East Baghdad Village Eco-Industrial Park in North Sinai Governorate, Egypt.METHODS: The framework comprises six sequential phases: ۱) literature review and gap analysis; ۲) geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis of thirteen environmental, infrastructural, and socio-economic criteria; ۳) entropy weight method objective weighting cross-checked using the criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method; ۴) weighted overlay suitability mapping and ecological network analysis evaluation using total system throughput, cycling index, Finn cycling index, average path length, and network density; ۵) industrial symbiosis network design; and ۶) sensitivity analysis. Model robustness was verified via a ±۲۰% criterion weight perturbation analysis using standard classification stability metrics.FINDINGS: Geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis identified ۸۴۷ hectares (۲۳.۴ percent) of the ۳,۶۱۹-ha study area as highly suitable for industrial development. Environmental sensitivity, flood risk, and transportation accessibility were the most influential criteria. Ecological network analysis yielded a total system throughput of ۲.۸۷ million tonnes per year, a cycling index of ۰.۳۴, a Finn cycling index of ۰.۴۱, and an average path length of ۲.۳, indicating circularity potential within the range reported for established eco-industrial parks. Compared to a conventional industrial configuration, the projected symbiotic exchanges demonstrate significant potential for minimizing both resource consumption and waste generation. Sensitivity analysis confirmed high classification stability (۰.۹۳۵; mean map-consistency coefficient = ۰.۸۷۵).CONCLUSION: This study introduces an integrated planning workflow that sequentially combines geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis and ecological network analysis to evaluate both spatial suitability and industrial symbiosis workflow. The framework provides a replicable approach for supporting sustainable eco-industrial park planning in arid, data-scarce, and resource-constrained regions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Baghdad Village-North Sinai ، Eco-industrial park (EIP) ، Ecological network analysis (ENA) ، Entropy weight method ، Geographical information system-multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA).