Land consolidation in Cyprus: Why is an Integrated Planning and Decision Support System required?

This paper explores issues of land fragmentation, consolidation and reallocation and argues that a new planning support system for land consolidation is needed in Cyprus because of the long duration of projects, the high operational costs and the conflicts between the stakeholders involved. An Integrated Planning and Decision Support System is proposed that integrates artificial intelligence technologies and multi-criteria decision methods with a geographical information system for use in routine land consolidation planning as well as for undertaking ex ante evaluations of land consolidation projects, as required by the European Union. A framework is provided which shows how the system will contribute to reducing the problems associated with the land consolidation process.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Land consolidation confronts major problems associated with land reallocation. ► Existing information systems do not adequately support land reallocation. ► A planning support system is proposed for contributing to reducing these problems. ► Expected benefits focused on the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.