A spatial multi-criteria model for the evaluation of land redistribution plans

A planning support system for land consolidation has been developed that has, at its heart, an expert system called LandSpaCES (Land Spatial Consolidation Expert System) which contains a "design module" that generates alternative land redistributions under different scenarios and an "evaluation module" which integrates GIS with multi-criteria decision making for assessing these alternatives. This paper introduces the structural framework of the latter module which has been applied using a case study in Cyprus. Two new indices are introduced: the "parcel concentration coefficient" for measuring the dispersion of parcels; and the "landowner satisfaction rate" for predicting the acceptance of the land redistribution plan by the landowners in terms of the location of their new parcels. These two indices are used as criteria for the evaluation of the land redistribution alternatives and are transferable to any land consolidation project. Moreover, a modified version of the ratio estimation procedure, referred to as the "qualitative rating method" for assigning weights to the evaluation criteria, is presented, along with a set of non-linear value functions for standardizing the performance scores of the alternatives and incorporating expert knowledge for five evaluation criteria. The application of the module showed that it is a powerful new tool for the evaluation of alternative land redistribution plans that could be implemented in other countries after appropriate adjustments. A broader contribution has also been made to spatial planning processes, which might follow the methodology and innovations presented in this paper

EU WATER POLICY: RESEARCH DEVELOPMENTS AND NEW MANAGEMENT TOOLS

At the end of 2000, the European Commission published its Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the Official Journal of the European Communities (2000/60/EC). This new legislation provides for achieving the sustainable management of water resources through its 26 articles that focus primarily on the improvement and protection of the quality of European water resources. The WFD adopts an integrated approach, based upon general principles deriving mainly from four disciplinary approaches, Geography; Ecology; Economics and Sociology. The new challenges posed to the people responsible for the management of water resources across the European Union include the "marrying" of existing national policies with the stipulations of the WFD. Research can support this transition by identifying compatibility and conflicts between legislative instruments, and by encouraging trans-national cooperative relationships. A relevant role of research is also foreseen in providing criteria and tools for conflict resolution by representing the goals of sustainable management in an objective and transparent way. The elaboration required for making planning decisions are increasing in number and complexity, requiring tools that help to organise and communicate the data that should be used to describe the decision context in terms of sustainability, in a holistic way by including environmental, economic and social information. These problems are being addressed by the MULINO Project, a 3-year research program aiming at producing a Decision Support System that will assist water managers in responding to the evolution of policies and management methodologies. The development of the system, which will be prepared in a software format, is being steered by a group of people from European water authorities. This steering committee is contributing to the policy analysis component of the research and to the software design which aims to be applicable in five different national contexts. This paper addresses the challenges and innovations that have been encountered in the second phase of research in which the first prototype of the software has been developed to operate in specific decision situations in each of MULINO's six case studies.Sustainable water management, EU policy, DSS tool, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

COMMUNITY BASED RESOURCE PLANNING - Studies from Zimbabwe and Northern Australia

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Exploring the ‘middle ground’ between state and market: the example of China

Studies of housing systems lying in the ‘middle ground’ between state and market are subject to three important shortcomings. First, the widely used Esping-Andersen (EA) approach assesses only a subset of the key housing outcomes and may be less helpful for describing changes in housing policy regimes. Second, there is too much emphasis on tenure transitions, and an assumed close correspondence between tenure labels and effective system functioning may not be valid. Third, due attention has not been given to the spatial dimensions in which housing systems operate, in particular when housing policies have a significant devolved or localised emphasis. Updating EA’s framework, we suggest a preliminary list of housing system indicators in order to capture the nature of the housing systems being developed and devolved. We verified the applicability of this indicator system with the case of China. This illustrates clearly the need for a more nuanced and systematic basis for categorising differences and changes in welfare and housing policies

Map-based multicriteria analysis to support interactive land use allocation

This article focuses on the use of map-based multicriteria analysis to develop a negotiation support tool for land use allocation. Spatial multicriteria analysis is used to make explicit trade-offs between objectives and to provide guidance and feedback on the land use changes negotiated by the participants. Digital maps are the means of communication among workshop participants, and an interactive mapping device (the 'Touch table') is used as the interface. Participants are informed about the relevant trade-offs on the map and use this information to change the land use maps. The approach is tested during a negotiation session as part of the land use planning process of the Bodegraven polder, a peat meadow area in the Netherlands. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

The strategically located land index support system for human settlements land reform in South Africa

Creating sustainable human settlements is fundamental in fostering spatial and socio-economic integration in South Africa. Policy makers are often faced with the problem of identifying strategically located land for human settlements land reform in South Africa. To date there is no tool or standard framework that assist the government to identify land that is strategically located for land reform. This study proposes the use of geographic in- formation systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) data and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to develop a strategically located land index (SLLI) deployed in a web viewer to identify land that is smart for human settlements land reform. The study demonstrates that using the GIS and EO and the GIS webserver are invaluable tools in facilitating streamlined, coordinated, standardised and evidence-based decisions for human settle- ments land reform. However, there is need for capacity building in government departments responsible for land reform and development planning

ANALYZING ALTERNATIVES IN REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Community/Rural/Urban Development,