An Integrated Framework for Spatial Planning Based on Regional Environmental Quality Assessment
摘要
The need to address the environmental and associated socioeconomic effects has been driven by growing urbanization and the strong relationship between society and its environment. Therefore, the present work aims to evaluate a region’s environmental quality by integrating environmental and social domains. The challenging part of integrating these heterogeneous components was made possible with the help of a composite index construction, i.e., Environmental Quality Index (EQI), using two different multivariate techniques, namely, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Entropy method. A humble attempt was made to incorporate environmental assessment components into India’s conventional spatial planning process. Accordingly, the study is structured into three sections. Initially, the variables relevant to the regional environmental assessment (REA) were identified and systematically finalized through a set of screening processes, including the expert opinion survey. Then, the PCA and entropy methods were used to construct the EQI. Finally, the REA process was integrated into the conventional spatial plans of India, namely, the regional plan and the development plan. The study’s methodology can be applied to other regions at the proper macro, meso, and micro levels that possess the same characteristics as the case study region.