ABSTRACT
Part A of this study discusses the fact that environmental/spatial conflict can be seen not only from the perspective of quantitative units based on densities and standards, but also from the perspective of qualitative and intersubjective assessments (i.e. the 'liveability') of the environment in which we live. This leads us to the conclusion that the consequences of environmental pollution can only be partially understood on the basis of a direct relationship between cause and effect (see Chapter 2). The belief that environmental/spatial conflict can be seen only in terms of technical or legal issues is becoming increasingly untenable (§ 1.2). It is understandable that environmental-/spatial conflicts are the subject of social and political discussion; they are issues with which people feel directly involved, which affect them, and which must be assessed in terms of the interplay of social forces. This observation does not make it any easier to describe and deal with environmental/spatial conflict; on the contrary.
