Standards and Thresholds play an important role in many stages of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They can be legally binding or guidance values and are linked to environmental data. This book provides a comprehensive collection of standards and thresholds, with their derivation and application in case studies of EIA projects. The text introduces key drivers of standards, their effect on environment and health, emerging issues and more.

Regional Planning provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and theory of regional planning in the UK. Drawing on examples from throughout the UK, it provides students and practitioners with a descriptive and analytical foundation for understanding this rapidly changing area of planning. The book includes four main sections covering the: context and history of regional planning, theoretical approaches, evolving practice, and future prospects. New questions and methods of theorizing are explored, and new connections made with contemporary debates in geography, political science and planning theory. The elements of critical analysis allow both practitioners and more advanced students to reflect upon their activities in a contemporary context. Regional Planning is the essential, up-to-date text for students interested in all aspects of this increasingly influential subject.

Contemporary Issues in Australian Urban and Regional Planning looks at a wide range of planning issues in Australia from the city to the regional scale, covering key topics in sustainable development and planning including economic, social, environmental and governance perspectives. It also covers issues of climate change, population and urbanization trends, economic competitiveness and the Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL) Sustainability agenda. The book is organized around three key elements: Pressures and Principles of development and planning for sustainability Planning Practice and Processes focused on essential topics including cities, regions, rural areas, and social and environmental issues and Future Processes and Prospects for planning practice and education covering the fundamental issues of assessing sustainability, managing risk, effective participation and evolving approaches to planning education. Contemporary Issues in Australian Urban and Regional Planning is an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of planning and related fields and provides a critical perspective on current issues in evolving natural and socio-economic contexts in Australian planning.

Contents:
PART ONE
Chapter 1
1. Introduction
2. Expert Systems: what about space?
3. Geographical Information Systems: more than display tools?
4. GIS problems and potential
5. Impact Assessment: ripe for automation?
6. The IA process
7. Environmental Statements
8. Integration: the way ahead?
REFERENCES

Chapter 2
1. Introduction
2. Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence
2.1.The classical period
2.2.The romantic period
2.3.The modern period
2. Expert systems: structure and design
3. The promise of Expert Systems?
4. From Expert Systems to Decision Support Systems
5. Conclusions: expert systems are dead, long live expert systems?
REFERENCES

Chapter 3
1. Introduction
2. Impact Assessment and Environmental Management
3. The role of GIS
4. GIS for Impact Assessment
4.1. GIS mapping for Impact Assessment
4.2. GIS linked to external models for IA
4.3. Using GIS' own functionality for IA
4.4. Multi-purpose GIS systems
5. Conclusions
REFERENCES

Chapter 4
1. Introduction
2. GIS for environmental mapping and management
3. GIS linked to external models for environmental management
3.1.Water modelling
3.2.GIS and other environmental modelling
3.3.GIS for model design and development
3.4.GIS and other modelling approaches
4. Using GIS' own functionality for environmental management
4.1.Pre-programmed GIS applications
5. General-purpose environmental management systems
6. Conclusions
REFERENCES

Chapter 5
1. Introduction
2. Expert Systems without GIS for Environmental Assessment
2.1.Expert Systems without GIS for Impact Assessment
2.2.Expert Systems without GIS for environmental management
3. Expert Systems with GIS
3.1.GIS and Expert Systems: methodological issues
3.1.1.Methodological issues: visualisation
3.1.2.Methodological issues: classification
3.2.GIS and Expert Systems in the Regional Research Laboratories
3.2.1.The RRLs Research Agenda
3.2.2.RRL-related work and publications
3.3.3.GIS and AI in the RRLs: conclusions
3.3.ES and GIS for Impact Assessment
3.4.ES and GIS for Environmental Management
4. Decision Support Systems (and ES) with GIS
4.1.GIS and DSS for Impact Assessment
4.2.GIS and DSS for Environmental Management
5. Conclusions
REFERENCES

PART TWO
Chapter 6
1. Introduction
2. The logic of Project Screening
3. The SCREEN Expert System at Oxford Brookes University
4. Scoping
5. The SCOPE Expert System at Oxford Brookes University
6. Adding GIS to the SCREEN-SCOPE suite at Oxford Brookes
6.1.Procedures linking ES and GIS
6.2.Evaluating the GIS links
7. Conclusions
REFERENCES

Chapter 7
1. Intrduction
2. Air Pollution
2.1.Project design and location
2.2.Baseline assessment
2.3.Impact prediction and assessment
2.3.1.Variations in the modelling approach
2.3.2.Model output and accuracy
2.4.Mitigation measures
3. Noise
3.1.Project design
3.2.Noise baseline assessment
3.3.Noise-impact prediction
3.3.1.Construction noise
3.3.2.Traffic noise
3.3.3.Vibration
3.3.4.Re-radiated noise
3.4.Mitigation
4. Conclusions: expert systems for air-pollution and noise impact assessment
REFERENCES

Chapter 8
1. Introduction
2. Terrestrial Ecology
2.1.Project characteristics and potential impacts
2.2.Area characterisation and ecological baseline
2.3.Quality assessment
2.4.Impact assessment
2.5.Mitigation
3. Landscape impact assessment
3.1.Project characteristics
3.2.Area of study
3.3.Preliminary landscape quality assessment
3.4.Field study and baseline assessment
3.5.Impact assessment
3.6.Mitigation
4. Conclusions: the limits of expert systems
REFERENCES

Chapter 9
1. Introduction
2. Socio-economic impacts
2.1.Understanding the project
2.2.Understanding the baseline
2.3.Economic impact prediction
2.3.1.The multiplicand
2.3.2.The multiplier
2.3.2.1.Location Quotients
2.4.Social impact prediction
2.5.Impact significance
2.6.Mitigation
3. Traffic impacts
3.1.The development project
3.2.Baseline study
3.3.Traffic generation
3.4.Impact assessment
3.4.1.Loop-back
3.5.Mitigation
4. Conclusions: expert systems and models, problems and choices
REFERENCES

Chapter 10
1. Introduction
2. The project
3. Hydrogeology: the baseline
3.1.Hydrogeological impacts
3.2.Hydrogeological mitigation and monitoring
4. Water quantity and quality: the baseline
4.1.Water quantity impacts
4.2.Water quality impacts
4.3.Water use impacts
4.4.Water impact mitigation
5. Freshwater ecology impact assessment: the baseline
5.1.Freshwater ecology impacts and mitigation
6. Coastal water ecology impact assessment: the baseline
6.1.Coastal water ecology impacts and mitigation
7. Conclusions: impact sequences
REFERENCES

Chapter 11
1. Meta-assessment: reviewing Environmental Statements
2. The building blocks of the assessment
3. Evaluation
3.1.Scoring individual aspects
3.2.Overall evaluation
4. Conclusions: expert systems for highly structured quantity-quality conversions
REFERENCES

Chapter 12
1. Expert Systems for Impact Assessment
2. Conclusions: the limits of Expert Systems and GIS
2.1.GIS and IA in retrospect
2.2.Expert Systems and IA in retrospect
3. Conclusions
REFERENCES

A comprehensive, clearly structured and readable overview of the subject, Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment has established itself as the leading introduction to EIA worldwide. This fifth edition is a major update reflecting many significant changes in EIA procedures, process, practice and prospects over the last decade. In particular, it includes: a much more international dimension, drawing on EIA activities worldwide; an up-to-date coverage of the revised EU EIA Directive and its implementation; the associated update of contemporary UK procedures and practice; best practice on evolving methods in the EIA process; a rich array of UK and many international case studies; a new coverage of emerging EIA impact topics, including equality/deprivation; culture; resettlement; climate change; ecosystem services; and risk, resilience and cumulative impacts; an appraisal of some next steps in the EIA process, including a more effective and proportionate EIA; the impact of technological change; the changing interpretation of the project; project implementation, monitoring and adaptive management; and moves towards a more integrated impact assessment. Together, these topics act as a kind of action list for future EIA; the development of SEA legislation and practice in the UK, EU and worldwide; and a set of appendices containing key legislation and an EIS review framework. It is also makes full use of colour illustrations and chapter questions for discussion. Written by two authors with extensive research, training and consultancy experience of EIA, this book brings together the most up-to-date information from many sources. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment 5th Edition provides a complete, and critical, introductory text that also supports further studies. Students in undergraduate and postgraduate planning programmes will find it essential as a course text, as will students of environmental management/policy, environmental sciences/studies, geography and built environment. Key stakeholders involved in assessment activities - planners, developers, community groups, pressure groups and decision-makers in government and business - will also welcome this latest edition as a very effective means of getting to grips with the many facets of this important and evolving subject that affects a widening range of development projects.

Regional Planning provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and theory of regional planning in the UK. Drawing on examples from throughout the UK, it provides students and practitioners with a descriptive and analytical foundation for understanding this rapidly changing area of planning.

The book includes four main sections covering:

• 
  
• the context and history of regional planning
• 
  
• theoretical approaches
• 
  
• evolving practice
• 
  
• future prospects.

New questions and methods of theorizing are explored and new connections made with contemporary debates in geography, political science and planning theory. The elements of critical analysis allow both practitioners and more advanced students to reflect upon their activities in a contemporary context.

Regional Planning is the essential, up-to-date text for students interested in all aspects of this increasingly influential subject.

Standards and Thresholds play an important role in many stages of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They can be legally binding or guidance values and are linked to environmental data. This book provides a comprehensive collection of standards and thresholds, with their derivation and application in case studies of EIA projects. The text introduces key drivers of standards, their effect on environment and health, emerging issues and more.

A comprehensive, clearly structured and readable overview of the subject, Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment has established itself as the leading introduction to EIA worldwide. This fifth edition is a major update reflecting many significant changes in EIA procedures, process, practice and prospects over the last decade. In particular, it includes: a much more international dimension, drawing on EIA activities worldwide; an up-to-date coverage of the revised EU EIA Directive and its implementation; the associated update of contemporary UK procedures and practice; best practice on evolving methods in the EIA process; a rich array of UK and many international case studies; a new coverage of emerging EIA impact topics, including equality/deprivation; culture; resettlement; climate change; ecosystem services; and risk, resilience and cumulative impacts; an appraisal of some next steps in the EIA process, including a more effective and proportionate EIA; the impact of technological change; the changing interpretation of the project; project implementation, monitoring and adaptive management; and moves towards a more integrated impact assessment. Together, these topics act as a kind of action list for future EIA; the development of SEA legislation and practice in the UK, EU and worldwide; and a set of appendices containing key legislation and an EIS review framework. It is also makes full use of colour illustrations and chapter questions for discussion. Written by two authors with extensive research, training and consultancy experience of EIA, this book brings together the most up-to-date information from many sources. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment 5th Edition provides a complete, and critical, introductory text that also supports further studies. Students in undergraduate and postgraduate planning programmes will find it essential as a course text, as will students of environmental management/policy, environmental sciences/studies, geography and built environment. Key stakeholders involved in assessment activities - planners, developers, community groups, pressure groups and decision-makers in government and business - will also welcome this latest edition as a very effective means of getting to grips with the many facets of this important and evolving subject that affects a widening range of development projects.

Contemporary Issues in Australian Urban and Regional Planning looks at a wide range of planning issues in Australia from the city to the regional scale, covering key topics in sustainable development and planning including economic, social, environmental and governance perspectives. It also covers issues of climate change, population and urbanization trends, economic competitiveness and the Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL) Sustainability agenda. The book is organized around three key elements: Pressures and Principles of development and planning for sustainability Planning Practice and Processes focused on essential topics including cities, regions, rural areas, and social and environmental issues and Future Processes and Prospects for planning practice and education covering the fundamental issues of assessing sustainability, managing risk, effective participation and evolving approaches to planning education. Contemporary Issues in Australian Urban and Regional Planning is an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of planning and related fields and provides a critical perspective on current issues in evolving natural and socio-economic contexts in Australian planning.