New analysis and diagnostic tools for improving Governance in Urban planning and land management

© 2015 WIT Press. The Spanish Region of Murcia was one of the several European regions, departments and provinces located in the Mediterranean area to participate in a number of ERDF-funded European research projects, which took place from 2008 to 2013. The aim of those projects was to create both methodologies and tools for improving governance in urban and regional planning. Issues such as land consumption, changes in land use or regional specialization policies as designed by government authorities are essential for achieving a balanced development in regions and cities. The said research projects have resulted in the creation of new analysis and diagnostic methodologies for improving political governance in the fields of land management and land use planning, as well as for achieving a more sustainable development in the cities involved. This paper presents the results of one of the research projects above - namely OSDDT - by means of land use indicators and urban operational tools. It is held that integrating research findings into the current relevant legislation will allow for generating new methods for studying urban and regional planning.