I explain how object-oriented mapping may be carried out in spreadsheets, by use of simple user-created maps and macros. The method has uses for teaching, research, and policy. The advantage over current add-in mapping is that the macros can be written by users with basic spreadsheet skills, the...

Most facility-layout problems are at present solved by heuristic methods, which are not suitable for treating layout problems if some facilities need to be placed together. In this paper we add the constraints of clustering facilities and thus propose an optimization model for facility-layout...

It has been argued that urban sprawl leads to inefficient land-use patterns with leapfrogging and low-density development in the urban fringe. Communities can implement a number of growth-management programs to encourage more efficient and environmentally sound development patterns. However, a...

In this paper I critically engage with the concept of geographical equity in order to reexamine notions of sustainable development and environmental justice. Although asserting a need to examine geographical equity considerations in greater detail in respect of the current environmental debate,...

Rapid land-use change has taken place in China since economic reform. A significant amount of agricultural land has been encroached on by urban development in many coastal cities, especially in the Pearl River Delta. This has caused severe land-use problems because China is among the nations...

National spatial policies are usually indicative and strategic. As a result, this kind of policy does not have a direct bearing on the spatial organisation of society. Instead the performance of these policies depends on whether or not they are used in subsequent decisionmaking and planning...

Despite significant developments in technical aspects of construction measures in buildings to reduce earthquake risks, their widespread implementation in many communities has not occurred. One important factor is the additional cost of construction. The adoption of construction measures depends...

Understanding why planning succeeds should be one of the main occupations of planning theoretical and empirical inquiry. Yet developing a clearer understanding of planning success seems an implausible task because (1) there is no definition of what planning success is; (2) there is no empirical...

The generation of alternative spatial regional development plans is one of the two most important steps in a comprehensive rational planning process. The other step is the plan-evaluation process, which enables us to rank-order the alternative plans and, subsequently, to make a rational...