COMPUTER-AIDED APPROACH TO ROUTE LOCATION

In the search for optimal solutions to route-location problems in regional planning, mathematical programming techniques are often used. In these, the objective function attempts to represent the utility of a set of objectives. This paper presents an approach in which no objective function is defined; by using suitable interfacing techniques, the planner can manipulate a model of the design problem in an attempt to gain a greater understanding of the problem, the possible range of feasible solutions and the associated environmental and social impact. Although this computer-aided approach will not lead to unique solutions, it does give the planner an opportunity to explore a greater range of solutions, thus improving his knowledge of the problem and the quality of his decision making. © 1979.