Decision theory provides methodological support to compare alternative choices in conditions of certainty and uncertainty, in order to determine the preferable solution and identify effective methods of intervention in the economic, social, environmental, political and organizational fields.
In this perspective, the study of a decision problem should be interdisciplinary, considering the complex relationships between qualitative / quantitative objectives to pursue, available resources, constraints to face, consequences and effects that the same decisions entail; in addition, in the face of common needs, it is necessary to ensure a wide sharing of public choices (the problem of collective decisions).
The renewed interest in decision-making processes today finds some reasons in the reflections on the transformations of the contemporary city which is configured as a dynamic and complex decision-making system, and in the risk and uncertainty factors that characterize the intervention scenarios. The course offers an analysis of the factors that modify the relationship between the natural environment, the built environment and the settled community, conditioning development in contemporary urban areas (social and cultural capital, location factors); in particular, reference will be made to the role of decision-makers in the interpretation of the changing city and in the search for the most appropriate sustainable development strategies (economic, social and environmental). Finally, some techniques for assessing sustainability in territorial planning and urban redevelopment will be discussed, with reference to methods of active involvement of local communities in the definition and weighting of objectives and criteria for the management of social housing settlements.