CIB W116—Smart and Sustainable Built Environments - Test Input

county function of the value of the property. If the reduction in the value of the IMI will be superior to
40% of the reference value it will initiate a process of pressure of the population next to the city
council, so that the PDM may be changed in order to contemplate measures that may correct the
negative deficit in the balance between emission and absorption.
4. Delphi method
The Delphi method is a process for gathering information from a group of specialists (Jillson, 1979) to
reach a consensus of opinion about a certain subject (Fuller and Jones-Evans, 1994).
The method is used for formalization during a decision-analysis process in order that all the experts
(panelists) reach identical opinions or clear differences (Harmanthy, 1982) so that the final result is a
consequence of the participation of several experts and not just one person (Shields et al., 1987). With
Delphi, Communications between geographically dispersed groups of experts are improved (Linstone
and Turoff, 1975).
In the Delphi process a group of specialists, who represent a population of experts, answers
several rounds of questionnaires about a certain subject in order to reach a common approach about it
(Jillson, 1979). These rounds are repeated until the panel (group of specialists) reaches a consensus on
that subject (Fuller and Jones-Evans, 1994).
Before beginning the rounds of questionnaires, a pilot questionnaire should be constructed so that
issues like the number of panelists and number of rounds can be fine-tuned (Jillson, 1979).
The Delphi technique is based on three essential features (Dalkey 1969; Perez and Schuler, 1982):
1. Anonymity. A face-to-face discussion between experts can lead to a distorted conclusion
because experts with dominant personalities can impose their thoughts to others and
misguide the process (Shields et all., 1987). Besides that anonymity prevents (Linstone and
Turoff, 1975) the following aspects:
• The unwillingness of individuals to take a position on an issue before. All facts are known
The difficulty of publicly contradicting individuals in higher positions. The unwillingness to abandon a
position once it is publicly taken.
• The fear of bringing up an uncertain idea that may turns out to be misconstrued.
2. Controlled feedback. The first questionnaire is analyzed, summarized and sent back to the
panelists with the second questionnaire, which was developed, based on the results of the first
(Linstone and Turoff, 1993). This process is repeated through two to five rounds (Linstone
and Turoff, 1993).
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