There is growing interest in the ways that value is understood in the context of projects and within project-based settings. Recent studies emphasise the multiplicity of project value in various project settings as perceived by different project actors. Drawing on previous work on project value and project front-end, this study expands on the idea of multiplicity of project value in the early project definition phase. To this end, the study draws from empirical data on infrastructure projects provision, including semi-structured interviews with a set of highly experienced and senior level informants with extensive knowledge and familiarity of infrastructure project planning and front-end decision making. The study is bounded with a focus on London, UK as an example of a complex, highly established global city with a great reliance on its infrastructure and a well-established projects ecology. Through inductive qualitative data analysis the study explores the role of infrastructure projects as solutions to policy problems, the multiple and complex nature of value in project definition and identifies three value levels, which are instrumental for project definition: local value, sector value and user value. The multi-level value framework in the project front-end extends and complements early decision making in planning and setting up of infrastructure projects.

人们对在项目背景下和基于项目的环境中理解价值的方式越来越感兴趣。最近的研究强调了不同项目参与者所感知的不同项目环境中项目价值的多样性。本研究借鉴以往在项目价值和项目前端方面的工作，在项目定义的早期阶段扩展了项目价值的多样性。为此，该研究借鉴了基础设施项目提供的经验数据，包括对一组经验丰富的高级线人的半结构化访谈，他们对基础设施项目规划和前端决策具有广泛的知识和熟悉度。该研究的重点是英国伦敦作为一个复杂的例子，高度依赖其基础设施和完善的项目生态的全球城市。通过归纳定性数据分析，该研究探讨了基础设施项目作为政策问题解决方案的作用、项目定义中价值的多重性和复杂性，并确定了三个对项目定义有帮助的价值水平：地方价值、行业价值和用户价值. 项目前端的多层次价值框架扩展和补充了基础设施项目规划和设置的早期决策。价值在项目定义中的多重性和复杂性，并确定了三个对项目定义有帮助的价值水平：本地价值、部门价值和用户价值。项目前端的多层次价值框架扩展和补充了基础设施项目规划和设置的早期决策。价值在项目定义中的多重性和复杂性，并确定了三个对项目定义有帮助的价值水平：本地价值、部门价值和用户价值。项目前端的多层次价值框架扩展和补充了基础设施项目规划和设置的早期决策。