Supporting environmental planning: Knowledge management through fuzzy cognitive mapping

Abstract

The inherently complex nature of the environmental domain requires that planning efforts become projects of participated, inclusive, multi-agent, multi-source knowledge building processes developed by the community. Knowledge is often hard to be processed, handled, formalized, modeled. Yet cognitive models are useful to avoid the typical unmanageability of domains with high complexity such as the environmental one, and enhance knowledge organization and management. We have investigated on the potentials of cognitive-mapping-based tools, particularly on cross impact evaluations, in the case study of Taranto (Italy). The process was aimed at building up future development scenarios in city neighborhoods, and fuzzy cognitive mapping were used to support decision-making by exploring cross impacts of possible policy perspectives. Although substantial results are rather general, the study proves to be interesting in enhancing the potentials of FCM-based approach to support decisionmaking, particularly when dealing with well-focused policy perspectives.