Regional planning is currently one of the pillars of the state and a measure of its
development, because planning works to show the current or the future problems, and puts
the appropriate solutions. So there is no doubt that the population is the
main goal of any
planning process by ensuring the various requirements of life for the increasing number of
them year after year. Finding adequate housing is therefore one of the first steps in the
planning process.
The problem of population growth is one of the most prominent problems facing countries
at present time. This is evident in city centers, which results in many problems such as
informal housing. In this study, we had a spatial study to determine the best location for
establishing a new city in order to accommodate the increasing number of population
within the Lattakia Governorate (Syrian Arab Republic), and we also achieved a
population study in order to determine the future population growth.
Geographic information systems (GIS) have proven its efficiency in spatial and
descriptive data management and analysis, so they have been relied upon to determine the
appropriate places for urban expansion based on a set of criteria collected from a range of
research that affect the selection process of these areas, through spatial analysis tools
within the GIS software to reach the appropriate areas of expansion to accommodate the
expected population growth.
Cities form the major urban environment that human beings live and do their various activities, but the
population pressure and the increasing population density in cities led to the expansion of cities either
spontaneously or according to plans re
leased by governments aiming to improve expansion regions to be
new growth centers that positively contribute in supporting cities that suffer from overcrowding,
deterioration of facilities and the lack of spaces suitable for urban expansion. The process of developing
specific classification standards that take into account the privacy of those growth centers, will contribute
to put the proper methods to achieve desired objectives of its establishment in terms of quality and
quantity at all levels and sectors, in particular the residential suburbs due to its important role, adjacency
to cities, urban and social role, and the mutual influence between suburbs and cities.
