The application of geographical information systems in the planning and design of sustainable neighbourhood development

Abstract

The term 'sustainable landscape' is a derivative of the phrase 'sustainable development' which was coined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) in 1987. Both terms are however rather ambiguous as 'sustainability' has come to mean different things to different interest groups. A general world trend in policy making indicates a move towards sustainability to sustain the protection of the planet and the survival of the human race. Within New Zealand local authorities have the responsibility to manage natural and physical resources under the guise of the Resource Management Act. Despite various initiatives by government bodies there remains an uncertainty as to the spatial implications of such policy objectives. Literature on sustainable landscapes and the applications oflandscape ecology theory to landscape planning provides a useful framework for the general principles of more sustainable landscape development, however the lack of critique on the spatial implications of such principles makes it difficult to apply this rather broad reaching theory in practical terms. A multiple case study provides a useful methodology to extract a common set of key spatial attributes of exemplary sustainable neighbourhood developments. The spatial attributes are incorporated into a GIS analysis using the theoretical framework as an overriding regulatory principle for sustainable development. GIS is shown to be effective as a tool in the planning of sustainable neighbourhood developments and also to a lesser degree shows applications at the site design level.