Linking socio-economic and physical dynamics in spatial planning

Many of the grand challenges in spatial planning require a thorough understanding of both the socio-economic and physical dynamics that shape the land-use system. This is particularly true when addressing the many aspects related to climate change. Integrated models of land-use change can be helpful to understand the potential implications of the interplay between expected future changes in the connected socio-economic and physical systems and to evaluate the impacts of potential adaptation measures on these dynamics. This chapter presents recent examples of integrated modelling efforts that were undertaken to support spatial planning. The chosen applications have in common that they address socio-economic processes with the Land Use Scanner modelling framework and incorporate dedicated models of specific physical processes to simulate the changing context in which future land-use developments will evolve.