Land Use Compatibility Research Articles

Introducing a new hazard and exposure atlas for European winter storms

Winter storms are one of the riskiest natural hazards in Europe. They are often assessed either from a climatology perspective or the exposed land use type. However, for accurate storm protection management, analyzing compatible wind speed and land use data at the highest spatiotemporally accuracy is critical. Thus, the study goals were (1) modeling wind speed for the 27 most extreme winter storm events from 1993 to 2022 at high spatial resolution (250 m × 250 m) and (2) defining and developing new and representative storm hazard and storm exposure indices for forested area, built-up area, and population. The winter storm event-related wind speed was modeled using a least-squares boosting approach based on ERA5 reanalysis data and 1730 wind speed measurement sites from the integrated surface global hourly meteorological dataset. In combination with temporally variable population density, built-up area, and forested area grids, the storm exposure indices for the European NUTS3 regions were calculated. The coefficient of determination of the median of the modeled wind speed fields is 0.73 for an independent subset of measurement sites. The wind speed maps reveal the uniqueness of the winter storm events. Each storm only affects parts of Europe. The study also emphasizes the relevance of distinguishing between storm hazard and storm exposure. The exposure of built-up areas to winter storms has increased considerably in recent years. This example underlines that storm exposure is not temporally constant but depends on the development of wind speed and land use. Decision-makers can apply the results of this study to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of storm protection measures. The developed storm exposures indices enable a sector- and location-specific evaluation with high precision.

Evaluation of the Suitability of Street Vending Planning in Urban Public Space in the Post-COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the resurgence of the informal street vending economy. This revival has boosted the market economy but has also challenged urban governance. Recognizing street vending deregulation as both a stimulus for employment and a potential challenge to hygiene and safety, this study evaluates the suitability of street vending within Wuchang District of Wuhan, China. The methodology unfolds in four steps: constructing an indicator system based on a policy and literature review, a spatial quantitative analysis via GIS, weight allocation through expert consultation and entropy methods, and the identification of suitable areas as well as strategies. Findings reveal suitability clusters centered around key urban nodes, extending across central and mid-western zones through corridors like Zhongnan Road, demonstrating the potential for centralized management and economic permeation into surrounding areas. The analysis of land-use compatibility showed that commercial, park, and residential lands offer the highest suitability for vending activities, proposing management strategies tailored to enhance business in commercial areas, flexible configurations in residential zones, diverse development in parks, quality-oriented development in public squares, and strict control in scenic and tourist facilities. This study not only deepens our understanding of the geographical distribution of and factors influencing street vending, but also proposes integrated management strategies for vending in urban public spaces, fostering vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments.

Aircraft noise contours—From everything for everyone to nothing for anyone

Aircraft noise exposure contours were originally intended as a tool to facilitate compatible land use in the vicinity of airports. The simple concept was for authorities to use historic data and reasonable predictions for near future demands to create a map that identified areas of high aircraft noise impacts. Municipalities and planners would refer to this map to determine appropriate zoning around the airport, restricting noise sensitive development in high noise exposure areas. With time, different demands and applications of the noise contours emerged. Some stakeholders demanded longer term forecasts to allow for planning farther into the future. Some co-opted contours as a PR tool to suggest reduced impacts on communities. Some began using noise contours as a tool to protect against encroachment. Others began to look to noise contours as a representation of daily acoustic conditions in areas surrounding the airport. In Canada, a lack of oversight and guidance for the selection of inputs parameters for noise models, make it such that noise contours have become a product illustrating whatever their creator intends, lacking objectivity and scientific rigour. This research demonstrates how noise contours can be designed to achieve desired results by modulating different input parameters.

Ontario Class 4 classification

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks introduced the Class 4 noise area classification for land-use planning applications in 2013. A Class 4 classification is used in special cases where new noise sensitive developments are proposed in proximity to existing, lawfully established stationary noise source(s). This infrequently used classification is typically applied for in-fill developments in urban settings where land-use compatibility concerns are common. This work summarizes the Class 4 design criteria and discusses the practical implementation of the classification in the context of land-use planning.

Defining national net zero goals is critical for food and land use policy

The identification of agriculture and land use configurations that achieve net zero (NZ) greenhouse gas emissions is critical to inform appropriate land use and food policy, yet national NZ targets lack consistent definitions. Here, 3000 randomised scenarios projecting future agricultural production and compatible land use combinations in Ireland were screened using ten NZ definitions. When aggregating carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions using various methods, 1–85% of scenarios met NZ criteria. Despite considerable variation, common actions emerged across definitions, including high rates of afforestation, organic soil re-wetting, and cattle destocking. Ambitious technical abatement of agricultural emissions moderated, but could not substitute, these actions. With abatement, 95th percentile milk output varied from 11–91% of 2021 output, but was associated with reductions of up to 98% in suckler-beef production, and a 47–387% increase in forest cover. Achieving NZ will thus require transformation of Ireland’s land sector. Lagging land use change effects require urgent action, but sustaining a just transition will require visioning of future NZ land use combinations supporting a sustainable and resilient food system, alongside an expanding circular bioeconomy. We provide new insight into the sensitivity of such visioning to NZ definitions, pointing to an urgent need for international consensus on the accounting of methane emissions in NZ targets.

Environmental filtering and landscape composition drive multifaceted diversity of bird assemblages in vineyards

Abstract Agricultural landscapes are productive areas with high biodiversity potential, but their conversion to monocultures and intensification of practices are recognised drivers of bird biodiversity loss worldwide. This challenges the compatibility of agricultural land use with bird conservation, as landscape composition affects both the diversity of bird species and traits and the assembly of bird communities. We address the underlying mechanisms of avian community assembly in vineyards at the plot and landscape levels in relation to landscape composition in one of the major wine producing regions of France. We jointly analyse how the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic facets of bird alpha and beta diversity respond to a gradient of landscape heterogeneity and test for a non‐random assembly rule. We found that birds tended to avoid vineyard monocultures. There was consistent support for the co‐occurrence of both closely related species and similar functional traits within vineyard plots (namely, phylogenetic and functional clustering, respectively). Landscape composition, both within plots and on a large scale (1000 m), was critical in explaining the occurrence of species and traits within plots. Landscape composition determined a nested pattern of functional and phylogenetic beta diversity from vineyard monoculture to more complex landscapes with increasing seminatural land cover. Synthesis and applications. Landscape composition in seminatural vegetation features significantly influenced both the alpha and beta bird diversity in vineyard‐dominated agricultural landscapes. Interspersed shrubs and woodland can help increase bird abundance and species richness in vineyards, while large‐scale land cover diversity might help promote functional and phylogenetic bird diversity.

Analysis of noise distributions at heliports and vertiports: A guide for site selection and land use planning

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the noise profiles of helicopters and eVTOLs at heliports and vertiports in order to support site planning and the development of local land-use compatibility guidelines. Design/methodology/approach: This study used existing helicopter and eVTOL sound profiles to develop noise distribution contours for heliports and vertiports. This study collected noise data from available studies on helicopters and eVTOLs. This data was then entered into dBmap noise mapping tool to develop noise maps for helicopters and eVTOLs. Three air transit facility configurations for each aircraft category were analyzed: open (unobstructed), urban, and rooftop. Two additional vertiport configurations were created by overlaying building and noise data with Google Earth imagery. Noise data was entered into dBmap for processing. Noise contours were mapped for three configurations for both aircraft categories.Findings: Key observations from the noise distribution analysis showed that open (unobstructed) facility configurations have even noise distributions for both eVTOLs and helicopters. Noise maps for urban locations showed areas of attenuation and asymmetrical patterns due to the interactions of sound waves with surrounding buildings. An analysis of a rooftop installation of a heliport or vertiport provided some noise mitigation advantages. Noise contour distributions closely matched those outlined in previous research; however, the sound intensities modeled in this study were lower than indicated in exigent research. Assessments were also conducted for real-world sites with potential future use as vertiports in Seattle, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois.Practical Implications: This study suggests that current land use compatibility guidance may be inadequate for rotorcraft and eVTOL operations. Findings suggest the development of symmetrical noise-impact zones centered around heliports and vertiports. Examples of these zones are outlined, and recommendations for future research are provided. Local planners can use the data from this study to make educated choices about the siting of heliports and vertiports. Additionally, the findings can assist planners in the development of zoning and land use compatibility standards.Social Implications: Land use compatibility standards for heliports and vertiports will help ensure a synergistic relationship between local communities and these air transit facilities. The data from this study can also help protect individuals from excessive noise and annoyance.Originality/value: This study is one of the few on this topic and the only known research on noise distributions of helicopters and eVTOLs with a particular focus on land use compatibility

A Computational Geospatial Approach to Assessing Land-Use Compatibility in Urban Planning

Amidst rapid urbanization, sustainable development requires moving beyond subjective land-use planning techniques toward innovative computational geospatial models. This paper introduces a GIS-based quantitative framework to enable objective, rigorous land-use compatibility analysis. Uniquely, the model evaluates radial impacts and expert-defined criteria across multiple scales, overcoming the limitations of qualitative approaches. Cell-by-cell computation identifies emerging spatial conflicts with enhanced realism. A case study in Qaemshahr, Iran, demonstrated the model’s proficiency in revealing incompatibilities and hotspots, surpassing conventional methodologies. Quantitative analysis provided accurate, transparent insights for evidence-based planning and consistency in evaluation. Ongoing improvements through 3D, real-time data integration and machine learning will further the objectivity. While extensive testing across diverse urban contexts is still needed, this pioneering computational technique marks a transition from subjective to objective methodologies. Situated at the intersection of geographic information science and urban planning, this study serves as a launchpad for advancing robust geospatial models to shape more equitable, resilient urban futures amidst complex sustainability challenges. The development of rigorous computational techniques remains fundamental, and the present innovative model can be used to provide objective, scientifically grounded compatibility analyses to guide land-use planning.

Evaluation of Urban Commercial Land Use Intensification Based on Land Parcels: Taking Wuxi City as an Example

Intensive land use assessment is a key research topic in urban land use, and most of the existing studies focus on macro-level assessment. There is a lack of research on the micro-level assessment of intensive urban land use, especially at the parcel level. The objective of this research is to propose a method for the parcel-based evaluation of urban commercial land intensification. The study uses a multidimensional evaluation framework and index system, comprehensive evaluation, and spatially exploratory analysis of urban commercial intensive land use based on “building intensity, use efficiency, compatibility, and diversity”. The study finds that (1) the average value of intensive use of urban commercial land is 13.01, the standard deviation is 5.11, and the median value is 13, which generally indicate a medium level. (2) The degree of intensive use of commercial land has obvious characteristics of a high, medium, and low level. The study shows that when evaluating the degree of land use intensification at the parcel level, it is also necessary to consider the influence of the compatibility and diversity of external land use. The research results can provide a basis for spatial planning and the optimal design of urban land resources to improve urban vitality.

Improvement in the quality of living environment with mixed land use of rural settlements: A case study of 18 villages in Hebei, China

The concept of mixed land use encompasses both land-use diversity and land-use compatibility. However, the negative effects of unreasonable land mixing on the living environment must be considered. In an empirical study of 18 villages in Hebei Province, China, an analytical framework was constructed to investigate the influence of mixed land use in rural settlements on the quality of living environment. The results are as follows: (1) The index of living environment for villages with high and low levels of mixed land use was 0.0194 and 0.0143 in 2010, and 0.0433 and 0.0337 in 2020, respectively. The growth index of living environment for villages with high and low growth rates of mixed land use was 217.16% and 112.07% from 2010 to 2020. (2) Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the levels (growth rates) of mixed land use and living environment. Additionally, Mann-Whitney U analysis showed that mixed land use can improve the quality of living environment. (3) The land-use diversity had a significant influence on the economy, infrastructure, and governance indicators of living environment. Land-use compatibility had a significant influence on the service indicator. This study indicates that improving the internal structure of rural settlements to optimize its mixed land use is an effective way to promote the comprehensive improvement of living environment.

How to understand the mixed land use of rural settlements? Empirical evidence from the Pearl River Delta, China

Although mixed land use is an important way to improve land-use efficiency and stimulate socioeconomic vitality, there are few systematic analyses of mixed land use in rural settlements. This paper proposes the connotation and measurements of mixed land use in rural settlements, considering both land-use diversity and compatibility. Case studies of Tangwei village (a tourist village), Guxia village (a commercial village), and Fulong village (an industrial village) in Dongguan City, Pearl River Delta, China, are chosen to analyze the characteristics of mixed land use in different types of rural settlements using field research, POI data capture, GIS, and remote sensing techniques. The results indicate that: (1) In 1978, 2005, and 2020, the degree of mixed land use in the rural settlement of Tangwei village was 0.68, 0.84, and 0.96, respectively, reflecting an increase of 41.17%; in Guxia village, it was 0.69, 0.86, and 0.84, respectively, growing and then declining, yielding a total increase of 21.73%; in Fulong village, it was 0.74, 0.82, and 0.89, respectively, reflecting an increase of 20.27%. (2) In 1978, 2005, and 2020, the land-use diversity of Tangwei village was 0.44, 0.94, and 0.92, respectively, representing a 109% improvement; land-use compatibility was 0.68, 0.72, and 0.96, respectively, with an increase of 41.17%. The land-use diversity of Guxia village was 0.46, 0.76, and 0.78, respectively, with an increase of 69.57%; land-use compatibility climbed by 24.64% from 0.69 to 1 to 0.84. The land-use diversity of Fulong village was 0.53, 0.83, and 0.88, respectively, which increased by 66.03%; land-use compatibility was 0.74, 0.81, and 0.89, respectively, which increased by 20.27%. (3) The mixed land use of Tangwei village is primarily influenced by policy support, resource endowment, and industrial foundation. The primary drivers of Guxia village are policy support, geographic location, and industrial foundation. Policy support, resource endowment, and industrial foundation are the most critical factors in Fulong village. Ultimately, land-use diversity and compatibility determine the mixed land use of rural settlements. This study offers suggestions for village planning, rural industrial development, and enhancing the living environment in China.

Behind the Land Use Mix: Measuring the Functional Compatibility in Urban and Sub-Urban Areas of China

Land use mix (LUM) has long been employed as one of the key methods to improve urban vibrancy and optimize built-up areas. Within the urban studies discipline, LUM is usually defined as a functional compatible but diverse land use pattern. However, its quantitative methodological approaches thereby heavily rely on the diversity of land use and fail to consider functional compatibility as another critical defining characteristic, providing only a partial picture of land use pattern. Thus, reviewing LUM’s concepts and definitions, this paper develops a new index to describe functional compatibility according to the spatial segregation measurements. To evaluate and provide empirical evidence of the proposed index, this paper selects the medium-sized city of Xiangtan as a case study. The findings demonstrate that Xiangtan exhibits a quite compatible land use pattern to a certain extent. In addition, particular clusters with relatively incompatible land use patterns are observed, which are closely linked to a special historical working unit, the ‘Danwei’ compounds, and a special rural planning authority, ‘Township-Village-Enterprise’, in China. Finally, an integrated evaluation is conducted based on the proposed index and Shannon entropy index, which can be regarded as a useful tool in future land use planning while contributing to shaping a sustainable form of urban development.

Compatibility of land use based on land capability in Tabo-Tabo Village, Bungoro District, Pangkajene

The purpose of this study was to determine the classification of land capability, evaluate land capability, and determine the direction of land use in the Tabo-tabo Village according to its ability classification. This research was conducted from December 2017 to July 2018, located in Tab-Tabo Village, Bungoro District, Pangkep. This research used a purposive sampling method and a matching classification method. Tabo-Tabo Village has 3.262,54 hectares of total area, and 623,43 ha used as representative of this research. The results showed that some land use incompatible with the land capability was 100,48 ha (16,12%) while the land use, which compatible with land capability was 522,95 ha (83.8%). Tabo-Tabo Village has three Class of lands classification, which are Class IV, V, and VIII, with severe inhibitor factors such as the slopes, drainage, and permeability. Three land units that were incompatible were land in Class V in the form of rice field and two lands in Class VIII in the form of dryland agriculture mixed with shrubs. Land in Class V was directed to the production forest, while land in Class VIII was directed to the protection forest.

Compatibility of land use with spatial patterns of the Pangkajene Watershed

This research purposed was to investigate land use and identify the suitability of land use with spatial patterns as well as determine the suitability between land use with regional spatial plans in the Pangkajene watershed. Two types of data were collected in the study; primary data in the form of land use data, and secondary data as the spatial plan map. The data obtained were analyzed by interpretation, accuracy test, and overlay to determine the suitability of land use with spatial patterns. The results showed ten classifications of land use. The land use, which compatible with the spatial pattern, was 68.08%, and 31.92% was not. The directions for use are in the form of reforestation on secondary forest land use, grasslands, mixed-land dryland agriculture, and shrubs. Land use management can be applied with reforestation, animal farming, and construction of terraces, both accompanied by ground cover plants and terrace reinforcement in the use of paddy fields.

Compatibility of land use with spatial patterns of the Saddang Hulu Subwatershed

This study aimed to identify the land use and analyze the compatibility between land use with the spatial pattern of the Saddang Hulu Subwatershed. This study was conducted from March to May 2018, located in the Saddang Hulu Subwatershed. The data consisted of primary and secondary data, which primary data were collected from the field, and the secondary data were spatial plan and other supporting data. The data were analyzed by interpretation, accuracy test, and determination of compatibility. The results showed that 82.27% of the land use was compatible with the spatial pattern, while 17.73% was not. Incompatible land use directed towards community forestry with agroforestry and intensification patterns.

Analysing outdoor airflow and pollution as a parameter to assess the compatibility of mass-scale low-cost residential development

Land use compatibility has always remained an integrally crucial factor for city development. Traditional contentious theories integrating land use planning principles, demand-oriented market development and industry-induced air pollution regulations have debated the adjacency of residential and industrial land uses. However, in the event of inevitable and unprecedented urbanization, where land shortage has compelled cities to expand towards the industrial peripheries, low-income resettlement planning turns evident. However, this process turns detrimental when land use incompatibility affects newly settled population. Adjacent industrial pollution degrades health and liveability, ultimately forcing the population to vacate the housing and recur poverty recycling phenomenon. This study aims to assess micro-level land-use compatibility from health and liveability viewpoint using environment-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis as a surrogate measurement technique. It is assumed that if site-based ventilation potential and airflow assessment can be performed at early design for site-selection and post-construction stages for rational retrofitting, it would deliver a liveable environment to the low-income inhabitants. While industrial development is irresistible, this study focused on environment-sensitive built-environment planning, utilising aerodynamically potential morpho-metrics of urban form density, inter-building gaps and integrated open spaces. Simulated results demonstrated that while existing built-environment planning failed to deliver improved ventilation, the simulation-based approach of iterated built-environment designs created air channelling and pollutant transport paths, thus reducing the air pollution stagnancy quotient. This study, by applying a system-driven methodological approach aided in bridging the knowledge gaps of micro-level land use compatibility assessment from environmental perspective and health viewpoint.

A spatial land-use planning support system based on game theory

Spatial urban land-use planning is a complex process, through which we aim to allocate suitable land-uses while taking into consideration multiple and conflicting objectives and constraints under certain spatial contexts. Landowners should be modeled as players that are able to interact with each other so as to seek their best land-uses while considering multiple objectives and constraints simultaneously. Game theory provides a tool for land-use planners to model and analyze such interactions.In this paper, spatial urban land-use planning is considered as a game to model local competitions between landowners, whose players (i.e. landowners) of which play to pick the most suitable land-use for themselves. The game is defined based on the objectives of consistency, dependency, suitability, compactness of land-uses, and land-use per capita demand. In this paper, three different scenarios are designed for the players. In the first scenario, the players are greedy and only accept the most compatible land-use. In the second scenario, conversely, the players are fully collaborative and care about other players’ payoff. In the third scenario, the players are first greedy, but when they cannot achieve an agreement with other players, they change their attitude to become gradually collaborative for reaching the Nash equilibrium (NE). Furthermore, the dissatisfaction index (DI), which represents the number of unsatisfied landowners with their current land-use, is defined to compare the different scenarios. The proposed model is tested in a district located in District 7 in Tehran (the capital city of Iran) with 2710 parcels.Results of the first scenario showed that, at the beginning of the game, 50 % of the landowners were not satisfied with their current land-uses, but after 50 iterations, about 100 landowners were dissatisfied with their land-use and this scenario was not able to reach the NE. Results of the second scenario indicated that, in order to reach an optimized layout, 325 parcels needed to be changed. Also, after reaching the NE in this scenario, values of the objective functions did not significantly improve. So, lowering the expectations of the players would not lead to appropriate results. The outcomes of the third scenario provided appropriate results, which could be achieved when the expectation levels of the players could be changed during the game. Furthermore, the NE was obtained among the players and the objective functions improved by 20 % on average in comparison with the other scenarios.Moreover, results of the scenarios were compared with the optimized layout obtained by a genetic algorithm (GA) using different parameter values. Results of the comparison also revealed that the urban layouts produced by game theory improved the objective function values obtained by the GA in about 10 % and improved the GA’s running time in more than 85 %, on average in this research.

Land-use Compatibility is a Matter of Design, Not Distance

Land-use Compatibility is a Matter of Design, Not Distance

Towards compatible land use planning around public airports (Applied case study: Marsa Alam International Airport)

Towards compatible land use planning around public airports (Applied case study: Marsa Alam International Airport)

Factors Influencing the Success of a Market Based Conservation Initiative to Promote Rural Land-use Compatibility

Encroachment of incompatible land uses increasingly threatens military training across the country. In many states, military training grounds are part of the rural landscape resulting in significant interest from military leadership in the maintenance and enhancement of land uses that are compatible with training operations. In the southeast, a vast majority of the rural landscape is under private ownership increasing the needs for policies that address the interests of landowners and provide meaningful incentives for maintaining land-use compatibility. Market-based conservation strategies have the potential to provide an effective means for conserving large landscapes used for military training. This issue is particularly salient in North Carolina that has an extensive military training footprint. We conducted a case study to evaluate a cross-sector partnership in the state that collaboratively developed a Market-Based Conservation Initiative Pilot to promote land use compatibility by engaging private landowners in performance-based contracts. This study determined the factors that influenced pilot project outcomes and lessons learned when developing market-based strategies that integrate military interests. Data analysis identifies five key factors that are 1) military funding authority to establish agreements, 2) development of landowner trust and program credibility, 3) military understanding the purpose and associated risks of a pilot program, 4) military perception of rural landownership patterns, and 5) institutional mandates of the Navy.