The use of a GIS, coupled with the automated numerical analysis available within a desktop relational database, can be used for estimating the number of potential employees and housing units within a municipal setting. These types of analyses can be used to project into the future in order to inform decisions in the land use, growth management, economic development, and growth monitoring areas of municipal or regional policy making. In addition, the analyses can be performed under various different zoning scenarios. If a city is considering certain rezone actions, it will be possible to estimate the impact on current and future housing and employment levels . This way, it becomes possible to compare several different plans in a quantitative framework.
Although these kinds of analyses are fairly straightforward,
they are absolutely dependent on the availability of geospatial data of
a sufficient quality, quantity, and accuracy. Also, the role of the analysts
cannot be understated; performing this type of analysis involves asking
the right kinds of questions and knowing how to tease the answers out of
the system.
The authors would like to thank the Citizens of the City of SeaTac, as well as the SeaTac City Council, for funding the activities of the GIS and Planning Staff during this project.