Planning regional sustainability: An index-based framework to assess spatial plans. Application to the region of Cantabria (Spain)

Abstract Sustainable development and territorial cohesion are key objectives of spatial plans and policies. In order to assess the efficiency of planning measures to achieve sustainability, spatial plans are introducing evaluation and monitoring tools based on the use of indicators. This paper defines an assessment framework which permits quantifying the sustainability degree at both local and regional level in different planning scenarios. The framework consists in the aggregation of social, economic, environmental and spatial indicators into a single local index using a robust Principal Component Analysis and a Fuzzy-TOPSIS multi-criteria decision method which enables the ranking of municipalities and the estimation of a regional index depicting the degree of intraregional sustainability diversity. This methodology was applied to Cantabria, a northern Spanish region which is currently elaborating its first Regional Spatial Plan (PROT), for 3 scenarios: its current situation and two planning scenarios, a recessionary and a progressive one. The results show that both scenarios affect regional sustainability, the progressive one leading to a slightly more balanced region. However, this increase in sustainability achieved in the progressive scenario was quite moderate and, therefore, more ambitious measures should be taken to achieve a sustainable region. This methodology can be applied to diverse case studies, standing as a helpful decision-making tool in the field of spatial planning.