Mega projects and sustainable city image: evidence from Nuevo Norte Project of Madrid

Figures & data

Figure 1. Location and connections to the main transport networks of MNNP.

Source: https://distritocastellananorte.com/project/?lang=en (access: 25/9/2021)

Figure 2. Conceptual framework of the study.

Table 1. MP relation with sustainable development (economic, environmental and social factors).

Economic factors	Codes	Previous studies
1. The procedures for carrying out a MP done in a transparent manner.	VAR1	Banihashemi et al. (2017)
2. MP will have a positive impact on local employment.	VAR2	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Karji et al. (2019)
3. MP have a positive impact on tourism development of a city.	VAR3	Karji et al. (2019)
4. MP have high construction costs.	VAR4	Karji et al. (2019)
5. MP cause a significant increase in land value in Madrid.	VAR5	Song et al. (2018)
6. MP cause a significant increase in nearby property values.	VAR6	Song et al. (2018)
7. MP provide opportunities to local businesses.	VAR7	Song et al. (2018); Ugwu and Haupt (2007)
8. There is a high financial risk in the construction of a MP due to the recent economic recession.	VAR8	Song et al. (2018); Boateng et al., (2015)
9. MP have high maintenance cost.	VAR9	Nair and Nayar (2020)
10. The prices of the houses for residents in a MP will be affordable.	VAR10	Nair and Nayar (2020); Xing et al. (2009)
11. MP contribute to the local economic development	VAR11	Xing et al. (2009)
12. MP contribute to the fair distribution of wealth for the citizens	VAR12	Xing et al. (2009); Karji et al. (2019)
13. MP increase the cost of living in the city	VAR13	Xing et al. (2009)
14. MP have economic benefits for local government.	VAR14	Li et al. (2018)
15. MP encourage businesses to make investments in the area.	VAR15	Karji et al. (2019)
Environmental factors
16. MP cause water pollution	VAR16	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019); Banihashemi et al. (2017)
17. MP cause noise pollution	VAR17	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019); Banihashemi et al. (2017)
18. MP cause air pollution	VAR18	Xing et al. (2009); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
19. MP ground pollution	VAR19	Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009); Karji et al. (2019)
20. MP promotes efficient urban land usage	VAR20	Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009)
21. MP as a mega project, addresses climate change problems	VAR21	Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009)
22. MP will contribute to energy saving	VAR22	Nair and Nayar (2020); Xing et al. (2009)
23. MP promotes usage of green energy	VAR23	Nair and Nayar (2020)
24. MP will provide sufficient public open spaces	VAR24	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Song et al. (2018); Li et al. (2018)
25. MP will provide sufficient green spaces (trees, flora, and fauna in neighbourhood)	VAR25	Nair and Nayar (2020); Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
26. MP promotes, green building practices throughout the design and construction processes will be applied	VAR26	Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
27. MP will preserve the local character (such as natural landscape) and natural resources during construction	VAR27	Song et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
28. MP is harmonised with the local natural setting and with the surroundings	VAR28	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Li et al. (2018)
Social factors
29. MP is designed in a way that represents the local cultural and historical heritage of Madrid	VAR29	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Xing et al. (2009); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
30. Health and safety of the workers will be ensured during the construction of MP	VAR30	Ugwu and Haupt (2007); Song et al. (2018); Xing et al. (2009); Karji et al. (2019)
31. The Community of Madrid is involved in the design and the construction of MP	VAR31	Nair and Nayar (2020); Song et al. (2018)
32. There is public acceptance of MP	VAR32	Banihashemi et al. (2017)
33. MP will ensure safety for pedestrian and public transport users	VAR33	Pardo and Del Prado (2020)
34. The aesthetic quality (visual impact) of MP will be high	VAR34	Song et al. (2018); Li et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
35. MP will reduce traffic problems in Madrid	VAR35	Song et al. (2018); Karji et al. (2019)
36. MP will have a positive impact on the quality of living of the citizens	VAR36	Nair and Nayar (2020); Xing et al. (2009); Wu et al. (2020)
37. MP will reduce social inequity by enabling residents from a wide range of economic levels to live in one community	VAR37	Nair and Nayar (2020); Xing et al. (2009); Karji et al. (2019)
38. MP will ensure security within buildings to end-users	VAR38	Nair and Nayar (2020); Xing et al. (2009); Karji et al. (2019)
39. MP is aligned with resilient planning, enabling future expansions due to population growth	VAR39	Karji et al. (2019)
40. MP will expand mobility and transportation	VAR40	Karji et al. (2019)
41. MP will provide basic services and civic facilities (banks, hospitals, parks)	VAR41	Karji et al. (2019)
42. MP will improve proximity to jobs for the residents	VAR42	Karji et al. (2019)
43. MP will enable walking and biking	VAR43	Karji et al. (2019)
44. MP involves high social risk (involvement of too many multi-level decision-making bodies)	VAR44	Boateng et al., (2015)

Source: Author.

Table 2. Sample demographics.

Variable		N	%
Gender
	Male	84	68.9
	Female	38	31.1
	Total	122	100.0
Age
	18–29	9	7.4
	30–39	34	27.9
	40–49	47	38.5
	50–59	25	20.5
	60+	7	5.7
	Total	122	100.0
Educational level
	University/College	14	11.5
	Master	74	60.7
	PhD	34	27.9
	Total	122	100.0
Experience and Involvement		Mean
	Degree of involvement in MNNP	2.29
	Level of experience in participating in large infrastructure projects	4.45
	(1=Not at all, 7= to a great extent)

Table 3. Results of the three exloratory factor analyses.

Construct	Items	Factor loadings	Cronbach A	Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin	Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (Sig.)
Economic Benefits	VAR2	743	873	858	000
	VAR3	674
	VAR6	741
	VAR7	555
	VAR11	660
	VAR14	565
	VAR15	774
Environmenttal Benefits	VAR20	582	0,913	895	000
	VAR22	705
	VAR23	822
	VAR24	776
	VAR25	711
	VAR26	811
	VAR27	610
	VAR28	587
Social Benefits	VAR29	723	914	896	000
	VAR34	496
	VAR35	781
	VAR36	853
	VAR39	857
	VAR40	634
	VAR41	618
	VAR42	841
	VAR45	811

Figure 3. The mediating role of sustainability criteria in the overall competitiveness of Madrid.

Table 4. Direct effects.

							95% Confidence Interval
			Estimate	Std. Error	z-value	p	Lower	Upper
NN_Performance → Competitivness_Madrid			0.053	0.071	0.744	0.457	−0.086	0.192

Note. Delta method standard errors, normal theory confidence intervals, ML estimator.

Table 5. Indirect effects.

									95% Confidence Interval
					Estimate	Std. Error	z-value	p	Lower	Upper
NN_Performance	→	Economic_Benef	→	Competitivness_Madrid	0.241	0.051	4.716	<.001	0.141	0.341
NN_Performance	→	Social_Bene	→	Competitivness_Madrid	0.421	0.085	4.940	<.001	0.254	0.588
NN_Performance	→	Envir_Ben	→	Competitivness_Madrid	0.020	0.061	0.329	0.742	−0.100	0.140

Table 6. Residual covariances.

							95% Confidence Interval
			Estimate	Std. Error	z-value	p	Lower	Upper
Economic_Benef	↔	Social_Bene	0.396	0.081	4.873	<.001	0.237	0.556
Economic_Benef	↔	Envir_Ben	0.348	0.085	4.094	<.001	0.181	0.514
Social_Bene	↔	Envir_Ben	0.680	0.103	6.587	<.001	0.478	0.882

Note. Delta method standard errors, normal theory confidence intervals, ML estimator.

Figure 4. The mediating role of sustainability criteria in ensuring economic fairness.

Table 7. Indirect and total effects of path analysis- sustainability criteria and economic fairness.

				95% C.I. (a)
Type	Effect	Estimate	SE	Lower	Upper	β	z	p
Indirect	NN_Performance ⇒ Economic_Benef ⇒ Ec_Fariness	0.11208	0.0486	0.0169	0.207	0.11025	2.3085	0.021
	NN_Performance ⇒ Social_Bene ⇒ Ec_Fariness	0.17000	0.0647	0.0432	0.297	0.16722	2.6282	0.009
	NN_Performance ⇒ Envir_Ben ⇒ Ec_Fariness	0.28755	0.0623	0.1655	0.410	0.28285	4.6186	<.001
Direct	NN_Performance ⇒ Ec_Fariness	0.00583	0.1150	−0.2195	0.231	0.00574	0.0507	0.960
Total	NN_Performance ⇒ Ec_Fariness	0.57547	0.0847	0.4096	0.741	0.52571	6.7980	<.001

Note. Confidence intervals computed with method: Standard (Delta method).

Note. Betas are completely standardised effect sizes.

Figure 5. The mediating role of sustainability criteria in applying economic development strategies.

Figure 6. The mediating role of sustainability criteria in applying local governance strategies.

Table 8. Indirect and total effects of path analysis- sustainability criteria and economic development strategies.

				95% C.I. (a)
Type	Effect	Estimate	SE	Lower	Upper	β	z	p
Indirect	NN_Performance ⇒ Economic_Benef ⇒ Develop_Str	0.2439	0.0457	0.1543	0.3335	0.2280	5.337	<.001
	NN_Performance ⇒ Social_Bene ⇒ Develop_Str	0.4318	0.0609	0.3125	0.5511	0.4037	7.092	<.001
	NN_Performance ⇒ Envir_Ben ⇒ Develop_Str	0.0168	0.0386	−0.0589	0.0924	0.0157	0.434	0.664
Direct	NN_Performance ⇒ Develop_Str	0.0496	0.0829	−0.1129	0.2121	0.0464	0.598	0.550
Total	NN_Performance ⇒ Develop_Str	0.7420	0.0795	0.5862	0.8979	0.6469	9.331	<.001

Note. Confidence intervals computed with method: Standard (Delta method).

Note. Betas are completely standardised effect sizes.

Table 9. Indirect and total effects of path analysis- sustainability criteria and local governance strategies.

				95% C.I. (a)
Type	Effect	Estimate	SE	Lower	Upper	β	z	p
Indirect	NN_Performance ⇒ Economic_Benef ⇒ Local_G_Stra	0.1002	0.0388	0.0241	0.176	0.0946	2.580	0.010
	NN_Performance ⇒ Social_Bene ⇒ Local_G_Stra	0.4530	0.0655	0.3247	0.581	0.4276	6.921	<.001
	NN_Performance ⇒ Envir_Ben ⇒ Local_G_Stra	0.1729	0.0464	0.0819	0.264	0.1632	3.726	<.001
Direct	NN_Performance ⇒ Local_G_Stra	−0.0133	0.0908	−0.1914	0.165	−0.0126	−0.147	0.883
Total	NN_Performance ⇒ Local_G_Stra	0.7127	0.0839	0.5482	0.877	0.6110	8.491	<.001

Note. Confidence intervals computed with method: Standard (Delta method).

Note. Betas are completely standardised effect sizes.

Figure 7. Sustainability criteria and social acceptance of MNNP.

Table 10. Indirect and total effects of path analysis- sustainability criteria and social acceptance of MNMP.

					95% C.I. (a)
Type	Effect	Estimate	SE	Lower	Upper	β	z	p
Indirect	Economic_Benef ⇒ Saf_Soci_Acc ⇒ NN_Performance	0.1308	0.0468	0.0390	0.2226	0.1179	2.793	0.005
	Envir_Ben ⇒ Saf_Soci_Acc ⇒ NN_Performance	−0.0569	0.0435	−0.1423	0.0284	−0.0614	−1.308	0.191
	Social_Bene ⇒ Saf_Soci_Acc ⇒ NN_Performance	0.1929	0.0637	0.0681	0.3177	0.2062	3.029	0.002
Direct	Economic_Benef ⇒ NN_Performance	0.0751	0.0962	−0.1134	0.2637	0.0677	0.781	0.435
	Envir_Ben ⇒ NN_Performance	0.1845	0.1068	−0.0249	0.3938	0.1989	1.727	0.084
	Social_Bene ⇒ NN_Performance	0.2246	0.1243	−0.0191	0.4683	0.2401	1.806	0.071
Total	Economic_Benef ⇒ NN_Performance	0.2059	0.0985	0.0129	0.3989	0.1856	2.091	0.037
	Envir_Ben ⇒ NN_Performance	0.1276	0.1143	−0.0965	0.3516	0.1375	1.116	0.264

Note. Confidence intervals computed with method: Standard (Delta method).

Note. Betas are completely standardised effect sizes.

Table

Economic Factors

1. The procedures for carrying out Nuevo Norte are done in a transparent manner.

2. Nuevo Norte will have a positive impact on local employment.

3. Nuevo Norte will have a positive impact on tourism development of Madrid.

4. I consider the cost of construction of Nuevo Norte as high.

5. Nuevo Norte will cause a significant increase in land value in Madrid.

6. Nuevo Norte will cause a significant increase in nearby property values.

7. Nuevo Norte will provide opportunities to local businesses.

8. There is a high financial risk in the construction of Nuevo Norte due to the recent economic recession.

9. There is a high economic risk in the construction of Nuevo Norte due to the pandemic (COVID-19).

10. Nuevo Norte will have high maintenance cost

11. The prices of the houses and residents in Nuevo Norte will be affordable.

12. Nuevo Norte will contribute in the local economic development of Madrid.

13. Nuevo Norte will contribute in the fair distribution of wealth in the citizens of Madrid.

14. Nuevo Norte will Increase the cost of living in Madrid.

15. Nuevo Norte will have economic benefits to local government.

16. Nuevo Norte will encourage businesses to make investments in the area.

Environmental factors

17. Nuevo Norte will cause water pollution.

18. Nuevo Norte will cause noise pollution.

19. Nuevo Norte will cause air pollution.

20. Nuevo Norte will cause ground pollution.

21. Nuevo Norte promotes efficient urban land usage.

22. Nuevo Norte, as a Mega project, addresses climate change problems.

23. Nuevo Norte will contribute in energy saving.

24. Nuevo Norte promotes usage of green energy.

25. Nuevo Norte will provide sufficient public open spaces.

26. Nuevo Norte will provide sufficient green spaces (trees, flora, and fauna in neighbourhood).

27. In Nuevo Norte project, green building practices throughout the design and construction processes will be applied.

28. Nuevo Norte will preserve the local character (such as natural landscape) and natural resources during construction.

29. Nuevo Norte is harmonised with the local natural setting and with surrounding.

Social factors

30. Nuevo Norte is designed in a way that represents the local cultural and historical heritage of Madrid.

31. Health safety of the workers will be ensured during the construction of Nuevo Norte.

32. The community of Madrid is involved in the design and the construction of Nuevo Norte.

33. There is public acceptance towards the project of Nuevo Norte in Madrid.

34. Nuevo Norte will ensure safety for pedestrian & public transport users.

35. The aesthetic quality (visual impact) of Nuevo Norte will be high.

36. Nuevo Norte will reduce traffic problems in Madrid.

37. Nuevo Norte will have a positive impact on the quality of living of the citizens of Madrid.

38. Nuevo Norte will reduce social inequity by enabling residents from a wide range of economic levels to live in one community.

39. Nuevo Norte will ensure security within buildings to end users.

40. Nuevo Norte is aligned with resilient planning enabling future expansions due to population growth.

41. Nuevo Norte will expand mobility and transportation.

42. Nuevo Norte will provide basic services and civic facilities (banks, hospitals, parks).

43. Nuevo Norte will improve proximity to jobs for the residents.

44. Nuevo Norte will enable walking and biking.

45. Nuevo Norte involves high social risk (Involvement of too many multi-level decisions making bodies).

Other critical factors – NN success

46. Project engineers and technical professionals have the ability to effectively perform Nuevo Norte.

47. Local authorities in Madrid have the ability to effectively manage Nuevo Norte.

48. Nuevo Norte will be completed on schedule

49. The construction of Nuevo Norte will last long.

50. Nuevo Norte will be completed on budget

51. The results or deliverables of Nuevo Norte will meet the expected objectives.

52. Overall, the community of Madrid will be satisfied from the establishment of Nuevo Norte.

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