Land Use Priorities Research Articles

New Dutch spatial planning policy creates space for development

The new Dutch policy memorandum is known as the National Spatial Strategy and is an integrated document produced by four different ministries. The planning horizon is 2020. The main aim of the new policy is to set in motion a dynamism in spatial processes, and to avoid imposing specific requirements on spatial development unless national or international interests are at stake. Emphasis is on a different approach to government control, the motto being “Decentralize if possible, centralize if necessary.” The new policy not only enlarges the role and responsibilities of the regional and local governments (provinces and communes), it also paves the way for more involvement of citizens, private companies and stakeholders in spatial developments. The government seeks to tie in with social trends, rather than combating them. Two important consequences have been the abolition of the restrictive central government involvement, and the provision of more space for the construction of housing in rural areas. Legislation is being simplified to make it easier for authorities at other levels to take decisions and to speed up government decision-making processes in general. An entirely new spatial planning bill has been submitted to Parliament. In addition, land policy is being modernized. Legislation is in preparation to enable the cost of public works to be recouped from project developers. The National Spatial Structure, which sets out nearly all central government land-use priorities, provides the necessary elaboration of more general policies. The Structure breaks down into two components: Part A, based on the existing water system and associated with “nature” and “landscape” projects, focuses mainly on guarantees for specific spatial values of (inter)national importance and Part B, based on the existing transport infrastructure and associated with “economic” and “urban” projects, focuses on stimulating spatial dynamics, crucial for the Dutch society and economy.

Priority setting in agricultural land-use types for sustainable development

AbstractEven in developing countries that are faced with ecological and socio-economic problems, agricultural areas are constrained by land-use laws to be developed in particular ways. This being the case, the major issues in these areas are a better quality of life and sustainable use of the limited resources. This necessitates planning for sustainable development and evaluating various qualitative and quantitative data in a single framework. Multicriteria or multipurpose decision analysis methods are appropriate for this purpose. Using these methods, physical, economical and social data, as well as planning goals, can be combined and evaluated in the context of sustainable development. These multicriteria methods have been documented widely in a variety of problem areas, but two multicriteria methods, namely AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and ELECTRE II (elimination and choice translating reality), have not been used extensively in agricultural land-use decisions in developing countries. However, in situations where decision-making criteria are non-commensurable, non-comparable or non-countable, and when it is necessary to evaluate the criteria together, as in agricultural land-use decisions, AHP and ELECTRE II methods are warranted. This study reviews these methods briefly and suggests their potential application in the agricultural land-use decision process in a developing country. For this purpose, these methods were sampled in Ziyaret Stream Basin in Adiyaman, which is part of the Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) (South-eastern Anatolian Project) in the Republic of Turkey. The area could be characterized by its rural and agricultural features, although it is under the pressure of Adiyaman urban development. This study shows that both AHP and ELECTRE II methods can be applied successfully for the determination of agricultural land-use priorities, which are an essential part of the quality of life and of sustainable land-use studies.

Biofuels and other approaches for decreasing fossil fuel emissions from agriculture

Summary Biofuels offer one method for decreasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels, thus helping to meet UK and EU targets for mitigating climate change. They also provide a rational option for land use within the EU that could be economically viable, provided that an appropriate financial and policy environment is developed. If 80% of current set-aside land in the UK were used for production of biomass crops for electricity generation, about 3% of current UK electricity demand could be met from this source. Considering possibilities for increasing yields and land area devoted to such crops over the coming decades, this could possibly rise to 12%. These estimates exclude consideration of developments in electricity generation which should increase the efficiency of conversion. Also, the use of combined heat and power units at local level (e.g. on farms or in rural communities) gives additional energy saving. Dedicated biomass crops such as willow, poplar, miscanthus, switchgrass or reed canary grass are perennials: in comparison with annual arable crops they would be expected to deliver additional environmental benefits. The elimination of annual cultivation should give a more stable environment, beneficial for farmland biodiversity. Some increase in soil organic matter content is likely, leading to some sequestration of carbon in soil and long-term improvements in soil quality. The impact on water quality may be positive as nitrate losses are small and a similar trend is expected for phosphate and pesticides. However, these crops may well use more water than arable crops so their impact on water resources could be negative – an issue for further research. Agricultural land can also be used to produce liquid fuels for use in transport. At present biodiesel can be produced from oilseed rape and ethanol from either sucrose in sugar beet or cellulose from virtually any plant material. In the short-term, liquid biofuels are an easy option as they require little change to either agriculture or transport infrastructure. However, their benefits for CO2 emissions are much less than for biomass used for generating electricity. It is therefore necessary to debate the priorities for land use in this context.

Integration of Systems Network (SysNet) tools for regional land use scenario analysis in Asia

This paper introduces the approach of the Systems research Network (SysNet) for land use planning in tropical Asia with a focus on its main scientific–technical output: the development of the land use planning and analysis system (LUPAS) and its component models. These include crop simulation models, expert systems, GIS, and multiple goal linear programming (MGLP) models for land evaluation and optimization. LUPAS was designed as a decision support system (DSS) for strategic land use planning. Integration of LUPAS components in four case studies was performed in a network with national research teams and local stakeholders. This network allowed iterative evaluation and refinement of LUPAS for scenario analysis on technical and policy changes. Several interactive sessions with stakeholders led to more detail in scenarios (goals and constraints), model features and databases. To facilitate negotiation among stakeholders, the MGLP user interface (UI) was developed. In interactive sessions, goal restrictions are tightened to quantify trade-offs between conflicting goals. Choice and degree of tightening reflect the specific priorities for sustainable land use. The development of LUPAS is exemplified for one case study, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Weak points of the system include inadequate spatial differentiation of socio-economic characteristics, scarce database for quantifying perennials and mixed cropping systems, and insufficient consideration of long-term effects of production technologies on resource quality. However, a promising perspective for effective policy support lies in the possible link of the regional LUPAS approach with farm household models.

筆地利用適性判別論理の構築 集落土地利用計画の合理的策定のための４地目型筆地分級手法の開発（２）

This paper describes the methodology for determination of the low-level land use suitability to integrate the classified value each 4 land utilization types. This paper clarify the logic to determine the low-level land use suitability.The proposed logic has the procedure to judge the external conditions, namely the land use continuation and the sprawl. We conclude that the judgement of the external conditions should be carried out by person based on suitable criteria. We have come to have this conclusion after examining the several means to judge the external conditions.The selection of the criteria, to judge the external conditions, is supposed to be based on the various factors that have regional peculiarities and priorities for land use planning.Therefore, the case study needs to be carried out in the various areas. The rational criteria to judge the external conditions should be established taking into consideration of the regional characteristics particular to every regions.

Planned bedouin settlement in Israel: the reply

There has been a recent proliferation of national land-use policies that emphasize protecting open space and ecosystem integrity. However, countries grappling with internal political conflict, or that are engaged in military conflicts with neighboring countries, have priorities that focus on control of land in areas where state sovereignty is perceived to be threatened. These two concerns, political-demographic control and environmental protection, create very different paradigms for how to think about open space policy. The objective of this paper is to consider the impact of competing paradigms in land-use policy formulation and implementation—one that encourages sprawl and the other that encourages compact development and the preservation of open space. We use Israel as a case study where both political demography and environmental land-use paradigms are currently influencing policy and planning. We explore the historical evolution of both land-use paradigms and consider how they are currently competing in the formulation and execution of land-use policy decisions. We consider how these distinct priorities are playing out in current discourse and policy implementation, and characterize the past, current and prospective future physical outcomes of policies on the landscape. Our goal is to alert policy makers and land-use scholars of the subtle and contradictory influence of political-demographic land-use priorities with regard to their potential impact on the successful implementation of environmental policies. The Israeli case study is indicative of a diversity of countries that have a history of political-demographic land-use policies, but have also begun to adopt environmentally motivated policies.

A future forest policy for Britain

Forests are a national resource - for timber, for employment, for wildlife conservation and ecological protection, for recreation and leisure activities, for multiple land use and the enhancement of landscape. The complementary contributions of state and private forestry are described, as are the continuity of the existing forest, and the problems of new planting. The underlying conflict between silviculture and economics are stressed. A description of contemporary policy in these fields in state and private forestry is given, covering such topics as targets and goals for production, technology and social benefits, priorities for land use and the wealth of the nation. Trends of world timber supply are reviewed, and the adaptability of timber as a renewable natural resource are contrasted with the extravagant energy consumption of alternatives. Social aspects of forestry are discussed, including the preference of the public for hardwoods, and the growth of emphasis on social benefits and access to woodlands. The value and silvicultural difficulties of continuous forest and the extension of the principles of dedication to conservation are mentioned, as are the vulnerability of forestry to urban ignorance. Ministerial responsibility for and local government involvement in forest policy is stressed.