Land Management with the SMURF Planning Support System

Abstract

Population growth, rapid urbanisation trends, climate change, ageing infrastructure, globalisation, emerging technologies, consumer involvement, energy use and costs, geo-political changes, changing patterns of land use, changes in the hydrological cycle, et cetera, are all important symptoms of global change. Core problems and negative impacts of global change have become increasingly visible and impact both on people and the environment, in developed and developing countries. In many respects, land management and planning need to be much more adaptive than they have been in the past. Cities and regions all over the world are confronted with an accelerated pace of changes that affects almost all aspects of land management. The need for instruments or systems to support planning at a strategic level is considerable. The approach presented in this chapter has potential applications that go far beyond its original context.