Spatial Diagram - Räumliches Leitbild

Advantages / Limitations:

Spatial diagram is a useful method for studying functional interrelations between “space” and proposed development policies. It provides a framework for guiding development in the district or region. It is a useful method in order to coordinate development activities being undertaken by different planning institutions, organisations or sectoral line departments. Spatial diagrams helps to guide regional and district level decision makers in making strategically relevant investment decisions.

The spatial diagram does not contain a time line. In other words, the time required to develop the area according to the spatial “Leitbild” is not indicated in the diagram. Furthermore, the costs involved and the mobilization of resources required to undertake the work is also not depicted in the spatial  diagram. While it is based on many other analytical steps which precede the development of a spatial diagram (e.g. demographic projections, delineation of the hinterland, locational evaluation) the information presented in the spatial diagram can be misleading unless the previous analytical steps have been fully understood and the results of the analysis is agreed upon by all relevant decision makers Spatial diagrams are often interpreted as being “master-plans”, they are used in a deterministic manner rather than being used to generally “guide” development decisions. The development of spatial diagrams requires a certain degree of imaginative and innovative ideas. Scanning the results of numerous other district or regional analysis methods is often the source of “inspiration” for the development of a spatial diagram. This is particularly true when relevant data of infrastructure and settlement patterns are not available.