ZONING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING: ADVANTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS OF THE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Several authors recognize that environmental planning must be accomplished within an integrated concept of the environment and that zoning is its main line. Nevertheless, it is commonly conceived starting from subjectively structured models. Usually, this zoning utilizes little quantitative approaches and rarely starts from a multivariate analysis. Authors have emphasized the need to develop methodological strategies that produce quantitative results and are better related to the environment, at the same time that simplifying the output. Therefore, this quantitative approach is still inaccurate and ambiguous, asking for a better reflection, and development of a clear conceptual and integrated foundation. This way, the present work aims to present the current perspectives of this matter, showing its advantages and restrictions concerning the applications of the main methods found in literature. Among the main methods employed in zoning, like Boolean methods and multivariate analysis, the latter appears to be most qualified for data integration. With such a method, zones can be better qualified and quantified using clustering techniques and correspondence analysis.