THE EPP METHOD (ENVIRONMENTAL PRECONDITIONS PLAN) FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL LAND USE PLANNING

G. Senes - A. Toccolini (Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Milan - Italy)

ABSTRACT
Sustainable land use planning, a concept which falls under the broader heading of sustainable development, calls for the various human activities to be developed not only where the environmental resources necessary for their establishment already exist, but also where the environment is capable of absorbing the impact of such developments. To this end a working method named EPP (Environmental Preconditions Plan) has been created and is designed to be applied through GIS (Geographical Information System) technology. This method, which defines a series of environmental preconditions in which the zoning decisions of least impact and the resources involved in various alternative choices are highlighted, is an instrument that can help those deciding on land uses to make informed decisions and to explain these decisions to the people concerned. The proposed method is described here using a number of figures deriving from a practical application of the method in the municipality of Lodi, Italy. Keywords: Sustainable, Planning, GIS

INTRODUCTION Today there is an increasingly pressing need for understanding of the implications of human activities on the equilibrium of the land, the resources man is consuming and just how critical the situation is for present and future generations. To this end ever greater efforts are being made to create a process of sustainable land use planning that is capable on the one hand of responding to the demands of the community, and on the other of evaluating the effective capacity of the environment to support these demands, both in terms of the availability of resources and the collateral effects that human activities may have on them (Fig. 1).
REQUIRED RESOURCES (RR) RR RR RR RR ACTIVITIES

IMPACTS (I) (disturbing the resources)

I I I I

CONSTRAINTS

POSSIBILITIES

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

POSSIBILITIES

CONSTRAINTS

RE

RE

RE

RE ENVIRONMENT

EXISTING RESOURCES

(RE)

SENSITIVITY (S) OF EXISTING RESOURCES

Figure 1. Relationship between resources and activities (adapted from Kozlowski and Hill, 1993)

What is required is a methodological approach aiming at the definition of a procedure that will lead to an appropriate plan. This procedure should also take into consideration the recent legislative proposals by the Regional Authority (1995), the National Centre for Urbanistic Studies (CeNSU, 1997) and the National Institute of Urbanism (INU, 1995) that are characterised by a reassessment of the planning process at a district level, broken down into a strategic phase and an operational phase with specific actions programmed for a given time-span. On this basis it is considered important to develop a potential strategic local planning procedure defined as an Environmental Preconditions Plan (the EPP method). The proposed method has been developed with the objective of supplying the relative decision making bodies with a working tool applicable with relative ease and at reasonable costs, that will allow them to define territorial zoning within the district on the basis of sustainability. Given the rapid development of information technology and the fact that today it plays an increasingly important role in land use planning processes, the method has been developed to take advantage of the potential of GIS (Geographical Information System) technology. This technology is, in fact, capable of providing fundamental support in terms of data processing and analysis and creation of thematic maps, but above all it opens up new horizons for the planner in terms of the identification and verification of different zoning solutions. THE EPP METHOD The EPP method derives from the research carried out at the GIS/CAD Laboratory for Environmental Planning and Design of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Milan (Italy) into the validation of diverse methodological approaches (on the various territorial scales) to the definition of the directions to be taken in rural land use planning processes and represents a synthesis of this research. The method was born out of the recognition that the so-called parametric methods introduced over the last two decades offer planners the opportunity to carry out in-depth analyses of the environmental resources present and consequently to define a more rational use for them. Parallel to this trend, moreover, there has been a general consolidation of GIS technology that allows such methods to be applied with relative ease and at reasonable costs. More precisely, the origins of the conceptual framework of the EPP method lie in previous experience with the application of the METLAND (Metropolitan Landscape Planning Model) and UET (Ultimate Environmental Threshold) methods to various territorial situations. The first was developed from the 1970s onwards by a group of researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (College of Food and Natural Resources) co-ordinated by Professor J. G. Fabos. The group was working on the creation of an objective method of evaluating land and its resources and to have a cognitive basis that would supply sufficient information for the formulation of territorial policy. The UET method was developed in the early Eighties for the creation of the Regional Plan for the Tatry National Park in Poland (Kozlowski and Hill, 1993) and aims to define the limits within which there may be development without exceeding the capacity of the environmental system to regain its equilibrium, thus avoiding irreparable damage. The EPP method represents, therefore, an attempt to define an instrument capable of providing results through a transparent procedure that is relatively easy to comprehend, that can be computerised and that is flexible, that is to say it is capable of automatically providing new results with each variation in, or addition to, the input priorities. The flow diagram of the method is represented in Figure 2. The method involves an initial phase of analysis, and subsequent evaluation, of the elements that characterise the territory and that may condition its evolution. To this end, the method takes into consideration both the elements that are part of the natural component and those that belong to the anthropic component, in that man and the environment in which he lives and carries out his activities are closely linked and evolve in a dynamic fashion.

Phase 1: Analysis and evaluation of resources, hazards an condition useful

LANDSCAPE RESOURCES (water, agricultural productivity, ecological stability, visual elements etc.)
M

HAZARDS (flooding, air, water, air, ground, noise pollution) M

CONDITIONS USEFUL FOR DEVELOPMENTS (public services, existing zoning and plans, financial opportunities etc.)

RESOURCES AND RISK ASSESSMENT OM

Phase 2: Evaluation of the environmental suitability for different kinds of development

RELATIONSHIP SCHEMES RESOURCES/DEVELOPMENT

R

RELATIONSHIP SCHEMES RISKS/DEVELOPMENT

R

RELATIONSHIP SCHEMES CONDITIONS/DEVELOPMENT

R

LAND SUITABILITY FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

SS

Phase 3: Definition of the Environmental Preconditions Plan

RELATIONSHIP SCHEMES EFFECTS/DEVELOPMENT

R

EPP ENVIRONMENTAL PRECONDITIONS PLAN

SS

Fig. 2. Conceptual framework of the EPP method

These elements include: Territorial resources (e.g. water resources, agricultural productivity, ecological stability, the presence of elements of particular visual quality etc.), the presence or absence of which represents a stimulus or a restriction for development. Environmental risks (e.g. pollution, flooding, earthquakes etc.) that represent obstacles to the eventual anthropic development of the territory. Elements that condition development linked to both the anthropic and environmental components. These include the current land use, the presence of transport and technological infrastructures that influence the costs of development, the physical, topographical and climatic characteristics of the area and the presence of features with aesthetic-visual qualities that represent elements of attraction. Then there are factors such as the existence of land use plans and eventual financial or fiscal incentives. The result of this initial phase represents an overall evaluation of the territorial situation. The second phase involves relating all the factors previously considered to the different kinds of development possible in the area. In other words, this means evaluating the suitability of the environment for the proposed development through the drafting of appropriate relational diagrams (Fig. 3).
DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE RESOURCES Ecological Stability HAZARDS CONDITION USEFUL FOR DEVELOPMENTS Infrastructures Soil available for Agriculture E E E I I I I I Water Supply

arable meadow poplar plantations Industrial Residential urban and suburban green areas trekking e biking Sport utilities

E E E I I I I I

I I I I I I U I

I I I I I I I I

I I I I I I U I

I I I I I I U I

U U U E E E U E

I I I E E I I E I = Indifferent

I I I E E E I E

E = Essential

U = Useful

Fig. 3. Relational diagram for evaluating the environmental suitability for different developments (scheme used for the application to the municipality of Lodi in Italy). In these diagrams the different types of activity are placed in relation to the resources, the risks and the elements that condition development. The following elements may emerge: Essential elements, the absence of which negates any possibility of development. Useful elements, the presence of which favours a possible development that is not, on the other hand, necessarily compromised by their absence. Indifferent elements, the presence of which have no influence on development. By processing and aggregating the results obtained from each diagram proposed, areas of differing suitability for development can be highlighted and therefore the most suitable in terms of the availability of resources, the presence of elements that condition the orientation of development and

Soil available for new Edification I I I E E E I E

Historic Value

Visual Quality

Natural Value

Agricultural Productivity

Absence of Flooding

Roads

the absence of risks can be identified. The end result is a land suitability map for each type of development under consideration. A practical example of a map of zones potentially suitable for the development of urban and suburban green areas can be seen in Figure 4. In this case the method was applied to the municipality of Lodi in Italy.

2 kmometers Kil
W E S

Fig. 4. Zones potentially suitable for the development of urban and suburban green areas Prior to the definition of the zoning expressed by the preconditions, the third phase involves an evaluation of the direct and indirect transformations to which the territory may be subjected as a consequence of development, that is to say the potential side effects that an anthropic intervention may have on the components of the overall environmental system. The gravity of such environmental risks depends on the severity of the intervention and the characteristics of the territory affected (in particular its vulnerability, its importance to the man-environment system and its size). In order to carry out an evaluation of the negative effects of the various types of development on the environment it is necessary to make a selection from amongst the multiple effects possible and identify those which translate into a significant changes in terms of appreciable increases in risks to the health and well-being of the community and the alteration of the resources involved that may compromise their future exploitation. The EPP method evaluates the various effects caused by the development of human activities in relation to the variable of duration, intensity and amplitude. It should be pointed out that this analysis depends on the supposition that each activity is carried out with the best production and managerial technology available while respecting the equilibrium between man and the environment in which he lives.

The duration factor underlines the temporal aspect of the alteration that may be permanent when it has lasting effects that lead to definitive modifications such that the original state of the system cannot be restored, or temporary when it causes short-term effects that can be reversed to restore the environment to close to its original state. Intensity refers to the extent of the alteration caused. If, for example, the fertility of the soil is taken into consideration, the gravity of the effect of installing an industrial development will be significant, while it would be legitimate to consider as insignificant the alteration to the visual quality of an area caused by recreational developments such as trekking which do not require the presence of particular infrastructures. The amplitude of the alteration allows the extension of the effect that an alteration of territorial resources may have on the territory itself. A distinction is therefore made between localised and widespread alterations depending on whether the effects are restricted to the area in which a particular type of development evolves, or whether they are felt over a broader area. The overall effect of a certain activity on a certain territorial component is obtained by taking an overall view of its gravity in terms of duration, intensity and amplitude. As the extent of the negative effect increases, the possibility of an area being suitable for the localisation of the development in question diminishes. Developments that provoke permanent, significant and widespread alterations have a greater overall negative effect than an anthropic activity that causes temporary, insignificant and localised negative alterations. In order to identify the optimum location within a given area for various kinds of development, the methodology involves successive filtering procedures: the first relational diagrams identify the most suitable areas in terms of the availability of resources, the absence of risks and the presence of elements that condition the various types of development. Subsequent relational diagrams (negative side effects/human activity) further filter the areas identified previously and highlight those in which the various developments have minimal effects and therefore provoke minor alterations of the resources present (Fig. 5).
Agricultural Productivity Total impact Visual Quality Total impact Ecological Stability Total impact Historic Value Total impact Natural Value Total impact M M M H H H H H

Amplitude

Amplitude

Amplitude

Amplitude

arable meadow poplar pl. industrial residential green areas trek. bik. sport Duration Intensity Amplitude Total impact

T T T P P T P S S S I S L L L L L L H H M H P P T P

I I S I S I

L L L L L L

L L H M M M

T T T

S S S S S I S

L L L L L L L

M M M H H M H

P P

S S

L L

H H

T T T P P P P

S S S S S S S

T = Temporary S = Significant L = Localised L = Low

P = Permanent I = Insignificant W = Widespread M = Medium

H = High

Fig. 5. Relational diagram for evaluating negative side effects of the various types of development on the environmental resources (scheme used for the application to the municipality of Lodi).

Amplitude L L L L L L L

Duration

Duration

Duration

Duration

Duration

Intensity

Intensity

Intensity

Intensity

Intensity

The result is represented by the Environmental Preconditions Plan in which it is possible to identify the most suitable location for each development under consideration. Figure 6 shows the areas suitable for the establishment of urban and suburban green areas in the municipality of Lodi.

2 km Kilometers
W S

Fig. 6. Areas suitable for the establishment of urban and suburban green areas in the municipality of Lodi.

Areas suitable potentially suitable

2 km Kilometers
W S

Fig. 7. Areas suitable and potentially suitable for the establishment of urban and suburban green areas in the municipality of Lodi.
7

As can be seen when comparing Figures 4 and 6, the suitable areas are less extensive than those considered as potentially suitable (Figure 7) as the areas in which the proposed development would have a significant impact on the resources present have been eliminated. Clearly, a characteristic of the method is that it is able to assign different priorities to the use of resources (depending on economic and social factors), and therefore to be flexible in relation to the selection of priorities imposed as the geographical and/or social context changes. What is important is that the method retains a procedural transparency. As a means of illustrating this concept, Figure 8 represents the zoning effects of different priority factors on the localisation of residential activities in the context of the application of the method in the Lodi district.

Areas suitable for residential development considering all the resources

Areas suitable for residential development not considering the agricultural productivity

Areas suitable for residential development not considering the visual quality

Areas suitable for residential development not considering the ecological stability

Areas suitable for residential development not considering the natural value
0 3

Areas suitable for residential development not considering the historical value
N

6 km Kilometers W
S

Fig. 8. Zoning effects of different priority factors on the localisation of residential development in the municipality of Lodi.

CONCLUSIONS An in-depth knowledge of the territory, of the status of its resources, of the natural risks, of those resulting from human activities and of the elements that may orientate and condition the development of such activities is essential if the problem of planning is to be tackled efficiently within the context of sustainability, considering the territory as a complex system of closely related natural and anthropic factors in continual evolution. In this context, the utility of a conceptual approach to the study of, and interventions in, the territory that poses as a primary condition of land use planning an analysis of the quality, quantity and presence of resources is of fundamental importance. The Environmental Preconditions Plan thus represents a valuable aid to the making of decisions relating to territorial development that respect the resources present and to the definition of guiding criteria for planning policy. Furthermore, the method developed is sufficiently transparent and comprehensible for lay persons and has characteristics of flexibility that are useful when new information and new scales of priority have to be introduced. In this sense, the use of GIS (Geographical Information System) technology to define and run the Environmental Preconditions Plan is indispensable.

REFERENCES 1. Beer A. (1990) - Environmental planning for site development E. & F.N. Spon, London - pp. 319 2. Fabos J. G. (1978) - The Metland landscape planning process Research Bulletin N. 635/78, Massachusets Agricultural Experiment Station - pp. 229 3. CeNSU - Colombo G. (1997) - Il nuovo ordinamento urbanistico - Il giornale dell'ingegnere, N. 13, p. 6 4. INU (1995) La nuova legge urbanistica. I principi e le regole Urbanistica QUADERNI, N. 6, p. 159 5. Kozlowski J., Hill G. (1993) - Towards planning for sustainable development - Avebury 6. Regione Lombardia (1995) Indirizzi per una nuova legislazione sulla difesa, la gestione e lo sviluppo della natura e del paesaggio pp. 373 7. Toccolini A., Angileri V. (1990) - Il modello Metland (Metropolitan Landscape Planning Model): applicazione ad una realt italiana - Genio Rurale, N. 12, p. 55 8. Toccolini A., Angileri V. (1992) I Sistemi Informativi per la pianificazione del territorio rurale Genio Rurale, N. 12, p. 55 9. Toccolini A., Senes G.. (1996) - Sustainable land use planning in protected rural areas in Italy Second Workshop on Sustainable Land Use Planning (Godollo, Ungheria) Landscape and Urban Planning (in printing)