The connections between economics, planning, and the environment are receiv ing increased attention among scholars and policy makers in many countries. The common denominator among these three variables is the earth's life support sys tems, the ecosystems on which the world depends. When we describe our physi cal surroundings as a collection of possible uses, we are establishing linkages between economics, planning, and the environment. Because possible alternative uses compete with each other, and conflicts arise over scarce land resources, the varying environmental impacts of alternative uses are major concerns for the cur rent as well as the next generation. How to achieve sustainable development is the pressing question for today's environmental professionals. Environmental planners and engineers help us study the implications of our choices, and new technologies and techniques that improve the practice of environmental planning should enhance our ability to protect our future. The depletion of the earth's natural resources and loss of biodiversity, the deg radation of air, land, and water quality, the accumulation of greenhouse gases leading to changes in our climate, and the depletion of the ozone layer comprise only a partial list of environmental issues that concern our policy makers. To sup port their decisions, environmental planning must be a multidimensional and multidisciplinary activity that incorporates social, economic, political, geograph ical, and technical factors. Solutions for problems in these areas frequently re quire not only numerical analyses but also heuristic analyses, which in turn depend on the intuitive judgements of planners and engineers.

***e FACHGEBIET*** Mathematical Geology, Computer Applications, Artificial Intelligence, Urban Economics and Regional Economics ***INTERESSENTENGRUPPE*** Of interest to Urban and Regional planners, civil engineers, geographers; computer scientists; operations researchers; landscape architects; and advanced students in the above disciplines.- Level: Technical Book, Monograph ***URHEBER*** T.J. Kim, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL; L.L. Wiggins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA; J.R. Wright, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN (Eds.) ***TITEL*** Expert Systems: Applications to Urban Planning ***BIBLIOGRAPHISCHE-ANGABEN*** 1990. XIV, 268 pp. 48 figs. Hardcover DM 78,- ISBN 3-540-97171-8 ***LANGTEXT*** While expert systems have become a popular topic in the computing, medical and engineering fields, the expert system is still a new technology in urban planning. This book introduces expert systems for problem solving in urban planning and describes the way in which heuristic knowledge and rules of thumb of expert planners can be represented through computer programs. The book presents practical applications of expert systems for solving many important urban planning problems, particularly those issues that many practicing planners face in their daily operations. Problems and issues discussed are grouped in the following categories: - Land Use Planning - Transportation Planning - Site Selection and Analysis - Environmental Planning - Conflict Mediation and Legal Disputes - Future Developments and Directions Expert Systems: Applications to Urban Planning will benefit both urban planners who wish to learn how this new technology might be applied to their daily work as well as researchers in expert systems seeking new ideas for systems design.

Impact Assessment is becoming part and parcel of an increasing number of development proposals in the UK and Europe. As the practice of Impact Assessment develops it becomes more standardized and good practice starts to be defined. However, the quality of Impact Assessment is still far from satisfactory. Expert Systems and GIS for Impact Assessment

Individuals faced with making decisions about the environment have an ever-increasing amount of data at their disposal. Developments in information technology (IT) are also providing environmental managers with a vast array of IT-based decision support systems. This book examines the principles of decision support, expert systems and neural networks, and explores their application in environmental planning, analysis and resource management. Practitioners in the environmental sector and students of environmental management will find it an invaluable resource.

This book presents a set of selected and edited papers presented at the 2nd and 3rd Design and Decision Support Conference. The purpose is to provide examples of innovative research in decision support systems in urban planning from throughout the world.

Environmental management is a wide, expanding, and rapidly evolving field, affecting everyone from individual citizens to businesses; governments to international agencies. Indisputably, it plays a crucial role in the quest for sustainable development. This comprehensively updated second edition explores the nature and role of environmental management, covering key principles, practices, tools, strategies and policies, offers a thorough yet understandable introduction, and points to further in-depth coverage. Among the key themes covered are: sustainable development proactive approaches the precautionary principle the ‘polluter pays’ principle the need for humans to be less vulnerable and more adaptable. Reflecting the expansion and evolution of the field, this revised edition focuses strongly on sustainable development. There has been extensive restructuring to ensure the book is accessible to those unfamiliar with environmental management and it now includes greater coverage of topics including key resources under stress, environmental management tools, climate change and urban environmental management. With rapid expansion and development of the subject it is easy for those embarking on a course of study to become disorientated, but with its well-structured coverage, effective illustrations, and foundation for further, more-focused interest, this book is easily accessible to all.

Environmental Managementcovers all principles, practice and policy issues concerned with environmental management, providing a comprehensive resource and reference point for students and practitioners in the field.