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Abstract
In this paper, we develop a method for
spatial decision support that combines economic
efficiency – measured by the concept of willingness
to pay – with a participatory planning tool, that
allows for an active collaboration among the actors
involved, in such a way that decision makers can
draw on the outcomes in their spatial planning and
design process. The method is called RITAM, a
Dutch acronym for spatially explicit, participatory
and interdisciplinary trade-off method, and
combines features of three different approaches to
achieve an ‘optimal’ landscape. These three
approaches are (i) choice experiment approach; (ii)
consumer versus citizen approach; and (iii)
participatory approach. As such, RITAM can be
seen as a valuation technique that makes explicit
use of a participatory approach, in which people
managing the landscape – in particular the
representatives of the different stakeholder groups
that use the landscape for different purposes – are
engaged. We applied this new method to a case
study in the Frisian Lake District (the
Netherlands). The result give an indication of the
spatial preferences of the population living in and
around the area. Although future works is
required, RITAM appears to be a suitable method
for landscape planning and design processes, taken
into account the preferences of the different
organised interest groups in an area.