ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to provide a method for resolving potential incompatibilities between uses that provide societal ecosystem services and those that offer a physical base for urbanization. This chapter extends the Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) approach to resolve these conflicts in a manner that is similar to its use to ascertain agricultural land suitability (Wright et al. 1983; Pease and Coughlin 1996). The Landscape Tension Index (LTI) approach helps stakeholders visually distinguish areas for landscape preservation from places that are more suitable for urbanization. By then combining the two analyses, LTI can be created for use in land-planning discussion and decision making.
