Prioritising water-related regional development project ideas based on stakeholder involvement activities: A case study from Szigetköz, Hungary

Szigetköz—a large island of the Danube in Hungary—is attracting a new wave of interest in water-related regional development projects from the public and private sectors alike. The revived interest in the Szigetköz floodplain area, which has historically endured the adverse effects of large-scale water management initiatives, draws attention to the necessity for careful consideration and the active involvement of local stakeholders in the decision-making process.

In our research, we conducted various stakeholder engagement activities, including interviews, questionnaires, and workshops. These activities helped define the problems and objectives of each stakeholder group. Through collaborative consultations, we gathered over 100 proposed water related development project ideas. Additionally, to address key issues in project development and selection, we evaluated the integrative potential of each proposed project, considering the number of distinct water management issues it addressed. We also assigned an attitude score to each project, derived from the diverse objectives of various stakeholder groups, and analysed these quantities using a multiple-criteria analysis.

This paper details a novel approach to assess and rank the proposed water-related regional development project ideas based on the calculated integrative potential and attitude scores. The goal was to prioritise and further develop these proposed projects to benefit Szigetköz and its surrounding areas.

Main results of the study have shown the average project scored between 0.33–0.50 in integrative potential out of a maximum of 1.00 For positive attitude score the average was between 0.28–0.43, out of a maximum of 1.00 while for the negative attitude score the average project scored between -0.14–0.00 out of a minimum of -1.00.

The ranking of projects that was based on these scores, highlighted three types of proposed projects that need to be further developed in different ways. The top-ranked positive attitude integrative projects need cost-benefit calculations involving all ecosystem services to justify their economic sustainability. Top-ranked opposing attitude integrative projects need conflict resolution to be socially sustainable. Finally, project ideas that scored low on integrative potential need to be developed to make use of blue-green infrastructure, and circular economical advancements to foster their environmental sustainability.