PART I: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN SUPPORT OF PHYSICAL PLANNING

Spatial analysis is key to the formulation and evaluation of physical planning initiatives. The current thesis combines various forms of spatial analysis and many newly available and highly detailed spatial data sets in a series of studies related to different spatial-planning issues. Open-space preservation is the most common objective of the studied policy interventions, but concern for other spatial developments, such as changes in countryside vitality, water availability and flood risk, also receive attention. This chapter introduces the research topic; the most commonly applied spatial analysis methods and the outline of the thesis.