Development and application of a multi-criteria spatial decision support system for planning sustainable industrial areas in Northern Spain

The planning, design and construction of an industrial area is quite a complicated and long process due to the scope of the action itself. The drive for a new theory on sustainable industrial areas requires acting upon all of the phases of their life cycles. Industrial location poses a multivariate and semi-structured strategic decision. This article analyzes influential location factors and proposes a multicriteria evaluation model aimed at guaranteeing the viability of industrial areas with their surroundings. The spatial character intrinsic to the problem leads to the design and construction of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) based on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform and the integration of other compatible tools. The system is applied to a district of 646.2 km2 located in Cantabria (Northern Spain). The results are discussed with digital maps which differentiate the zones according to their suitability for industrial area location using sustainability criteria.