A spatial decision support system approach to sustainable physical development planning

Abstract

To make MDGs a reality, especially as it affects the built environment, and to conform with the UN Agenda 21 and
Habitat Agenda summed up in the concept of urban physical sustainability, there is a need to rapidly improve the
quality of decisions on land use, conversion and urban renewal in developing countries, especially with regards to
physical developments. The potential of SDSS in determining optimum sites for physical developments within the
built environment was the focus of this study. The SDSS developed took into consideration existing and future
planning scenarios with the aim of creating a sustainable built environment. To do this, a framework for capturing
existing land use was generated and the SDSS was used to generate physical development expansion scenarios of
the Obafemi Awolowo University. The system facilitated integrated procedures for determining optimal sites for
incremental physical development in such a way as to minimize impact on other aspects of development. The
application of this system shows that planning especially as it relate to the urban environment can be made more
flexible, dynamic and responsive to timely decisions on geographic space. The results of the spatial analyses show
among other things the need to refocus development within the built environment for efficiency and sustainability of
the near balance between physical development and the natural environment.