The Application of Fuzzy Multi-attribute Group Decision Making to Prioritize the Landscapes with high Ecological value: Khoshk River in Shiraz

The expansion of major cities regardless of the scientific planning principles has led to the emergence of negative urban development impacts in Iran such as the degradation of natural resources and various forms of pollution. Undoubtedly, urban rivers can enhance the ecological value of the earth to an optimal extent. However, to benefit from these potentials, appropriate planning looks inevitable. Due to the lack of data and information, analyzing the quality of these resources requires the application of new methods which consider the uncertainties and complexities of the issue in the decision making. This research presents an application of fuzzy TOPSIS multi attribute group decision making to identify factors causing land degradation, distinguish the most optimal areas based on their ecological values and provide suggestions on landscape improvement. To this end, the development of Shiraz city along the Khoshk River corridor was investigated using the 1:25000 maps and satellite images (ICONOS). With respect to the river attributes and adjacent lands, the riverside was divided into four heterogeneous zones. Then, to distinguish the most optimal zone based on the ecological values, the fuzzy decision making method was applied. To this end, the expansion of human activities and biophysical criteria were defined, separately. A number of experts determined the importance of each indicator qualitatively. Finally, using the group decision making theory and fuzzy TOPSIS technique, the researchers identified the most suitable zone based on the “biophysical criteria” and “human activity criteria” separately as well as the whole criteria, and provided suggestions on the landscape improvement.