78 (1D# 2708) Recieved 10/05/2012 Revised 23/10/2012 Corresponding Author: Sabah Saleh Al-Jenaid, E-mail: sabah@agu.edu.bh Sustainable Planning for Environmental Sensitive Area using Multi Criteria\Multi Objective Spatial Analysis: Case Study El-Dabaa, Egypt ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Planning for a sustainable development of land use requires a set of factors that represent technical, bio-geophysical and socioeconomic aspects. Maintaining balance between society’s demands and environmental conservation requirements is the core issue of sustainable planning of land use. Many tools have been developed to aid in the implementation of such balance, including linear programming, computer simulation and other analysis support tools. Most of these tools are suitable for the economic analysis of sustainable planning in many ields, but in the ield of land use allocation, the spatial approach is considered as the key player in academic research and executive proceedings. In this paper, a methodology is developed to solve the problem of land use allocation considering both bio-geophysical and socioeconomic aspects in a pilot area – El Daba’a Region in the north western coast of Egypt. This methodology attempts to develop a set of criteria for each land use by the stakeholder participation. It was used to map the suitability of each land use activity using a multi-criteria approach. The priorities of land use activities were deined by the stakeholder participation and then used to create a multi-objective land use allocation map. The developed map is considered as a base map for sustainable land use processes. Introduction Planning is a future-oriented activity, strongly conditioned by the past and present. It links “scientiic and technical knowledge to actions in the public domain”(Friedmann, 1987). Ideally, it happens via public discourse between all groups and individuals interested in and/or affected by urban development and management activities pursued by the public or private sector. In practice, such comprehensive sharing of information and decision making is rarely found. At their best, urban and regional planning agencies are rich, dynamic arenas where many societal problems and solutions are explored and addressed in a direct and tangible way. Decision-making has been deined as a process by which a person, group, or organization identiies a choice or judgment to be made, gathers and evaluates information about alternatives, and selects from among those alternatives (Lein, 2003). Planning- related decisions are made daily through a complex, often socioeconomic charged process involving a plurality of interests. However, the planning processes and outcomes are the domain of powerful interest groups that include investors, governments, stock market and different other players. Land use planning should be a decision-making process that ”facilitates the allocation of land to the uses that provide the greatest sustainable beneits“ - Agenda 21, Paragraph 10.5 (UNCED, 1993). The role of widely disseminated accurate geographic information is imperative to the planning process. Moreover, the implementation of planning decisions leaves a long-term imprint on the structure, functionality, and quality of life in urban environments. While most urban and regional Wisam Mohammed 1 , and Sabah Saleh Al-Jenaid 2 1 Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University, Egypt. 1 College of Architecture and planning University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. 2 Desert and Arid Zones Program, College of Postgraduate, Arabian Gulf University. P O Box 26460, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. AGJSR 30 (2/3) 2012: 78-87 Wisam M et al GIS, multi criteria, multi objective, sustainable land use planning, public participation