Proposing a participatory value-driven approach for the appraisal of multifunctional land use

Combining multiple functions allows public and private stakeholders to achieve the synergy of integrating various resources in the project. To achieve the intended synergy of multi-functionality, it is important to identify combinations of functions that help to balance conflicting objectives, and bridge different interests in the project. In this paper, we focus on understanding the role of project interdependences, tradeoffs and divergent objectives in the definition and selection of functions of two multifunctional projects located in the Netherlands. Our findings reflect how functional and organizational interdependences, as well as the realization of mutual objectives, strongly influence the tradeoffs that stakeholders make when defining and selecting functions. We consider that the appraisal of multifunctional projects could benefit from methods that allow to (1) incorporate the stakeholder values and objectives early in the process to guide the definition of combinations of functions and to identify mutual project objectives, (2) provide an understanding of trade-offs among project choices, and (3) create awareness about stakeholder preferences.