Analytical DEA-MACBETH-OPA Approach for Selecting the Location of a Student Apartment

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of selecting the location of a student apartment by applying an integrated multicriteria approach that combines the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), MACBETH (Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique), and OPA (Ordinal Priority Approach) methods. The aim of the research is to implement a comprehensive methodological framework that enables objective and rational decision-making under complex conditions in which both quantitative and qualitative criteria are present. The DEA method enables the evaluation of the relative efficiency of alternatives, MACBETH transforms experts’ verbal assessments into numerical attractiveness values, while the OPA method allows the determination of weights based on ordinal preferences. Using the example of student apartment selection in the municipality of Voždovac, the applied integrated model enables the ranking of alternative locations according to multiple criteria such as rental price, distance from faculties, availability of public transportation, apartment size, and housing quality. The research results confirm that the combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches significantly increases the reliability of the decision-making process and contributes to a better understanding of the factors influencing residential location choice among the student population. The proposed model may have broader applications in urban planning, educational institutions, and real estate market analysis.