Structure of a planning support system for urban development

The idea of a planning support system, if not the label, has been with us for at least twenty-five years. Many components have been developed but we lack an underlying structure with which to integrate these components. GIS provide useful tools but the map concepts on which they are built are insufficient for a planning support system. The structure proposed here builds on elements of geographic modeling and of planning. It works with actors, flows, investments, facilities, regulations, and rights, as well as elements familiar in GIS. It includes views and tools for sketch planning, model building, scenario building, evaluation, lineage tracking, and plan-based action.