Decision-thinking about land use

Abstract

Our present methods of reaching decisions about land use suffer from an over-reliance on adversarial procedures and a failure to examine the likely consequences of adopting various options. This paper argues that decision-making should be preceded by a decision-thinking process that focuses attention on the critical issues, creates the most effective range of alternative solutions, evaluates their consequences, and facilitates the use of judgement in making a final choice. Expert computer systems could facilitate this wider discussion of available options for land use.