Applying a spatial decision support system to the integrated regional planning of China

Urban and regional planning is a complex decision-making process that often involves multiple objectives, especially concerning the purpose of balancing the protection of ecosystems and economic development. We aim to establish a quantitative approach to the recent integrated regional planning in China, known as major function zoning (MFZ), by developing a spatial decision support system (SDSS). The SDSS is developed on the basis of the geographical information system (GIS) which offers powerful functions in spatial analysis and visualization. SDSSs can not only evaluate a variety of geographical features, such as the suitability of land use, but also support the decision makers in choosing, with the participation of stakeholders, between multiple alternatives. This system was applied in a case study of the Beijing – Tianjin metropolitan area by establishing an integrated assessment model of regional development and an index system. Through spatial analysis of different indices developed in group workshops, two alternatives were proposed according to development-oriented and protection-oriented objectives. In the protection-oriented alternative, a higher proportion of area was sited in prohibited zones (28.6%) than in the development-oriented alternative (21.5%); after negotiations with the stakeholders, the former was adopted as the final scheme for MFZ of Beijing – Tianjin metropolitan area.