An evaluation model to explore the impacts of spatial externalities of land uses at micro-scale.

What is it about?

This paper presents a new model for land use compatibility evaluation. The ‘‘Compatibility Evaluation Model’’ (CEM), designed to explore the impacts of spatial externalities among neighboring land uses at a micro-scale. The different activities and processes that were developed to implement CEM are presented. Although the impacts of land use externalities on other elements of urban planning activities such as economic and transportation activity are well explored, those among land uses at a micro-level are not well understood. The model simulates general land use compatibility at a micro-scale where potential conflicts among different land use types determine their compatibilities. Compatibility values have been evaluated in both horizontal and vertical directions and the use of each floor has been evaluated separately. The concept of ‘‘compatibility matrix’’ has been used as a basis to develop the model; GIS is used to prepare data, implement the models and present the results in a geographic context. Finally, CEM is tested in a case study in the seventh municipality region in central part of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.

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Why is it important?

This research is aimed at developing a model for assessing land use compatibility in densely built-up urban areas. In this process, a new model was developed through the combination of a suite of existing methods and tools: geographical information system, Delphi methods, and spatial decision support tools: namely multi-criteria evaluation analysis, analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted average method.