Koomen E., Stillwell J., Bakema A., Scholten H.J. (eds.) Modelling Land-Use Change: Progress and Applications

Dordrecht: Springer, 2007. — 411 p. — (The GeoJournal Library. Volume 90).The transformation of land use and land cover is driven by a range of different factors and mechanisms. Climate, technology and economics are key determinants of land-use change at different spatial and temporal scales. Whilst the implications of climatic warming at a global level are hugely worrying for low lying parts of the world, the processes of urbanization continue in a seemingly uninterrupted manner. Given this complexity and in order to understand the mechanisms of change and the impact of policies, researchers and practitioners have turned their attention to formulating, calibrating and testing models that simulate land-use dynamics. These land-use change models help us to understand the characteristics and interdependencies of the components that constitute spatial systems. This book offers a cross-sectional overview of current research progress in the field of land-use modelling. The contributions that are included in the chapters of the book range from methodology and model calibration to the actual application of systems and studies of recent policy implementation and evaluation. The contributors originate from academic and applied research institutes around the world and thus offer an international mix of theoretical and practical perspectives in different case study contexts. The book is an indispensable guide for researchers and practitioners interested in state-of-the-art land-use modelling, its background and its application. Special website (www.lumos.info/ModellingLand-UseChange/Exercises.htm) provides demonstration versions of well-known land-use models that give detailed insights into the way these models work. Additional exercises and assignments help students to critically assess the potential of these instruments.Contributing authorsAcknowledgements
Modelling land-use change
Analysis of land-use trends and their driving forces
Explanatory models of land-use change
Optimisation modelling
Incorporation of new modelling approaches employment deconcentration
Operational land-use simulation models
Land-use simulation for policy analysis n fabric in Eastern Germany