Controversy over land allocation in the urban fringe (rural land experiencing pressure from suburban development) often results from the direct conflict of two competing uses--agriculture and residential development. This thesis evaluates the use of multi-criteria/multi-objective decision making for land use allocation in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The goal of such an analysis is to develop a predictable, reliable, and effective method of inventorying land resources and identifying future development patterns which conserve a landscape's agricultural productivity and viability while satisfying demands for urban expansion. This study also integrates multi-criteria evaluation techniques and GIS to provide a methodological platform for decision analysis and an operational framework for decision-making. Results show that changes in preferences for planning objectives greatly influence the optimal spatial allocation of land uses. Specifically, as the importance of the agricultural objective is decreased, a sprawling development pattern results.
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