A conflict-risk assessment model for urban regeneration projects using Fuzzy-FMEA

One of the main reasons urban regeneration projects are highly complex and uncertain is that there are various stakeholders; additionally, the relationships among them are very complex. Considerable conflict tends to occur among the stakeholders of such projects. As a result, the success of an urban regeneration project depends on how successfully conflicts among stakeholders are mediated and a “middle ground” is found. In this respect, performing an adequate assessment of conflict-risk in advance is essential to effective project management. In this research, we propose a conflict-risk assessment model based on Fuzzy-Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (Fuzzy-FMEA) for an urban regeneration project. The proposed model largely consists of three steps: fuzzification, fuzzy rule-based inference, and defuzzification. The methodology and components of each step, such as a membership function for each of fuzzification and defuzzification, and a fuzzy rule base for approximate inference are proposed. Assessment factors, which are suitable for evaluating the conflict-risks in urban regeneration projects, are also suggested. This research provides a typology of conflict-risks in urban regeneration projects so that practitioners can easily use the proposed model. To validate the effectiveness and suitability of the proposed conflict-risk assessment model, we applied the proposed conflict-risk assessment model to 34 conflict types in South Korea using survey results from 84 people currently participating in urban regeneration projects. We expect that this model will assist project managers in examining possible conflict risks more precisely compared with previous risk assessment models including traditional FMEA method.