Identifying barriers to implementing a sustainability assessment tool for road project planning: an institutional perspective from practitioners in Indonesia

There has been a growing interest in developing tools to assist decision-making in moving towards sustainable development, such as Sustainability Assessment (SA). It is argued here that more advanced and sophisticated tools are less useful than strengthening institutions when it comes to better engagement of stakeholders and more integrated decision-making. This paper aims at understanding barriers that impede the implementation of an SA tool for road project planning by examining how and when practitioners experience these barriers. From the empirical perspective of Indonesian road planning practitioners, the study reveals the five most influential barriers, including i) insufficient funding support, ii) limited skilled personnel that can use the tool, iii) unavailability of data and information, iv) unavailability of a specific arena for decision-making, and v) unavailability of detailed procedures/manuals. This research discusses strategies for successful implementation, particularly in a context that is less favourable to integrated decision-making, such as Indonesia.