Land Use Suitability Assessment Research Articles

Land-Use Suitability Assessment Using Delphi and Analytical Hierarchy Process (D-AHP) Hybrid Model for Coastal City Management: Kuala Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

Since at least half of the world’s population resides and works within coastal land, the coastal zone processes and resource management is of great economic and social importance. One of the fundamental issues for coastal city planners, researchers, managers, and engineers is the coastal city land-use suitability. Land-use suitability is the ability of a given type of land to support a defined use. Rapid urbanization and consequent haphazard growth of cities result in deterioration of infrastructure facilities, loss of agricultural land, water bodies, open spaces, and many micro-climatic changes. Hence, accurate data on coastal city hazards are essential and valuable tools for coastal planning and management, sustainable coastal development, coastal environment conservation, selection of a site for coastal city structures, and coastal resources. In this investigation, the Delphi and Analytical Hierarchy Process (D-AHP) Hybrid model and Geographic Information System (GIS) technique for Coastal Land-Use Assessment (CLUA) are mapped to detect the most suitable and unsuitable areas in the Kuala Terengganu coastal zone. Furthermore, this research offered information not only on the present urban land-use trend and established amenity status in Kuala Terengganu, but also on the suitability of land for the potential establishment of urban facilities for improved urban planning and appropriate decision-making. Using the D-AHP Hybrid model and GIS tool for coastal city management is broadly practical for government, policymakers, and planners to appropriately strategize and plan for the future of coastal cities in Malaysia and other analog coastal cities around the world.

Land-use suitability assessment for urban development using a GIS-based soft computing approach: A case study of Ili Valley, China

Land-use suitability assessment is an important step in land use planning for urban development. We propose a GIS-based soft computing approach (GSC), which is a combination of two multi-criteria analysis methods, i.e., the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method and the logic scoring of preference (LSP) method, to evaluate and map land-use suitability for urban development in Ili Valley, China. The evaluation uses 13 factors as suitability criteria for urban development. These factors are related to the topography and geology, socio-economic feasibility, ecological restrictions, and prohibitive constraints. Based on the final suitability results, Ili Valley was classified using five suitability levels: highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and not suitable. By comparing seven preference decision coefficient (α) scenarios, we determined that the area of the land that is highly suitable for urban development decreases, and the area of the marginally suitable land increases with increasing α. All of the scenarios show that approximately 32.6% of the land area is not suitable. Among the seven scenarios, the policy orientation of three of the scenarios was an urban expansion policy orientation (α = 0.5), a balanced policy orientation (α = 1), and an ecological protection policy orientation (α = 2). The result of the policy orientation analysis of urban development can be used as an urban development boundary for different development preferences and stages. The local land-use planning was evaluated by overlaying its planned urban development zones with the areas of the resultant suitability map. Specific recommendations are presented for the scale and timing of urban development in Ili Valley.

Development of a spatial decision support system for land-use suitability assessment: The case of complex tourism accommodation in Greece

Land-use suitability assessment necessitates the analysis of multiple parameters as well as the compliance with the legal framework, the priorities, and the beliefs of all stakeholders involved in forming and implementing spatial policies. The approach followed in this paper is based on combining Ontologies, GIS and Object-oriented programming, to develop a SDSS capable of supporting decision-making in land-use planning. The applicability of the system is demonstrated using the case-study of a Greek island. The proposed approach promotes the integration of modern technologies into the processes of spatial planning and enhances the strong trend towards using the benefits of knowledge-management in decision-making.

Modeling and implementation of classification rule discovery by ant colony optimisation for spatial land-use suitability assessment

This paper presents an integrated modeling method for multi-criteria land-use suitability assessment (LSA) using classification rule discovery (CRD) by ant colony optimisation (ACO) in ArcGIS. This new attempt applies artificial intelligent algorithms to intelligentise LSA by discovering suitability classification rules. The methodology is implemented as a tool called ACO–LSA. The tool can generate rules which are straightforward and comprehensible for users with high classification accuracy and simple rule list in solving CRD problems. A case study in the Macintyre Brook Catchment of southern Queensland in Australia is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of this new modeling technique. The results have addressed the major advantages of this novel approach.

ICCLP: An Inexact Chance-Constrained Linear Programming Model for Land-Use Management of Lake Areas in Urban Fringes

Lake areas in urban fringes are under increasing urbanization pressure. Consequently, the conflict between rapid urban development and the maintenance of water bodies in such areas urgently needs to be addressed. An inexact chance-constrained linear programming (ICCLP) model for optimal land-use management of lake areas in urban fringes was developed. The ICCLP model was based on land-use suitability assessment and land evaluation. The maximum net economic benefit (NEB) was selected as the objective of land-use allocation. The total environmental capacity (TEC) of water systems and the public financial investment (PFI) at different probability levels were considered key constraints. Other constraints included in the model were land-use suitability, governmental requirements on the ratios of various land-use types, and technical constraints. A case study implementing the system was performed for the lake area of Hanyang at the urban fringe of Wuhan, central China, based on our previous study on land-use suitability assessment. The Hanyang lake area is under significant urbanization pressure. A 15-year optimal model for land-use allocation is proposed during 2006 to 2020 to better protect the water system and to gain the maximum benefits of development. Sixteen constraints were set for the optimal model. The model results indicated that NEB was between $1.48 x 10(9) and $8.76 x 10(9) or between $3.98 x 10(9) and $16.7 x 10(9), depending on the different urban-expansion patterns and land demands. The changes in total developed area and the land-use structure were analyzed under different probabilities (q ( i )) of TEC. Changes in q ( i ) resulted in different urban expansion patterns and demands on land, which were the direct result of the constraints imposed by TEC and PFI. The ICCLP model might help local authorities better understand and address complex land-use systems and develop optimal land-use management strategies that better balance urban expansion and grassland conservation.

An integrated GIS-based analysis system for land-use management of lake areas in urban fringe

Lake areas in Chinese urban fringes are under increasing pressure of urbanization. Consequently, the conflict between rapid urban sprawl and the maintenance of water bodies in such areas urgently needs to be addressed. An integrated GIS-based analysis system (IGAS) for supporting land-use management of lake areas in urban fringes was developed in this paper. The IGAS consists of modules of land-use suitability assessment and change/demand analysis, and land evaluation and allocation. Multicriteria analysis and system dynamics techniques are used to assess land-use suitability and forecast potential land-use variation, respectively. Cost approximation and hypothetical development methods are used to evaluate land resource and market values, respectively. A case study implementing the system was performed on the Hanyang Lake area in the urban fringe of Wuhan City, central China, which is under significant urbanization pressure. Five categories of suitability were investigated by analyzing 11 criteria and related GIS data. Two scenarios for potential land-use changes from 2006 to 2020 were predicted, based on a systematic analysis and system dynamics modeling, and a hierarchical land-use structure was designed for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The IGAS may help local authorities better understand and address the complex land-use system, and develop improved land-use management strategies that better balance urban expansion and ecological conservation.

Using GIS and outranking multicriteria analysis for land-use suitability assessment

Land-use planners often make complex decisions within a short period of time when they must take into account sustainable development and economic competitiveness. A set of land-use suitability maps would be very useful in this respect. Ideally, these maps should incorporate complex criteria integrating several stakeholders' points of view. To illustrate the feasibility of this approach, a land suitability map for housing was realised for a small region of Switzerland. Geographical Information System technology was used to assess the criteria requested to define the suitability of land for housing. An example dealing with the evaluation of noise levels illustrates the initial steps of this procedure. Because the required criteria are heterogeneous and measured on various scales, an outranking multicriteria analysis method called ELECTRE-TRI was used. However, using it to assess the suitability of any point in a territory was impractical due to computational limitations. Therefore, a mathematical function to evaluate closeness relationships and classify the study area into homogeneous zones was used. This function is compatible with the outranking function of ELECTRE-TRI used to assess the suitability index. The resulting maps lend efficient support to negotiation and are very useful in dealing with inherent conflicts in land-use planning.