Multi-criteria decision analysis for land suitability mapping in a rural area of Southern Italy

Selection of suitable areas for territorial planning is a complex process and needs many diverse indications on the basis of which a decision may be assumed. This paper focuses on the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to evaluate the potential of a rural coastal area, located in northern Puglia (Southern Italy), to improve its sustainable development through the restoration of manor farms. Comparing the results obtained using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) and the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) procedures, suitable sites where the restoration could be implemented were identified. In order to consider the stakeholders' judgments and to reach a shared decision in selecting the preferred alternatives, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach was used for prioritization, due to its relative ease in handling multiple criteria and compensating both qualitative and quantitative data. The results highlight how the spatial distribution of suitable areas is closely linked to the risk assumed and, consequently, to the capability of the methods in varying both risk and tradeoff parameters. Particularly, the OWA procedure shows higher potentialities in performing, with greater detail, the territorial evaluation and generating a wide range of decision strategies. The methodologies described and their application procedures can be extended to similar territorial contexts, in issues in which a notable number of territorial factors should be taken into account.