The emergence of spatial data, GIS-supported tools, web mapping technologies has opened up many applications for more inclusive spatial planning and spatial decision support approaches. Site analysis is strongly supported by spatial data analysis in both 2D and 3D, which offers a more comprehensive understanding of urban settings. Furthermore, 3D city modeling and 3D web technologies not only help visualize design scenarios but also promote communication among the stakeholders for better decision-making. The first version of a GIS-supported design tool for new urban development areas was developed in a previous study (which we refer to in this thesis as the “Buurt Generator”). The tool works with the Netherlands’ data context to assist the realization of the 3D models of urban development projects in an interactive computer environment. The pre-design stage of the tool was based on the semantic 3D city model with different urban KPIs stored in the 3D City Database. Template neighborhoods that match the development goals of the project were then selected to extract design KPIs. The design KPIs, together with the development goals of the sites, form the basis and guidelines for generating different scenarios in the design stage. The scenarios are then integrated back into the 3D city model and visualized in 3D and are disseminated via web platforms. This thesis aims to test, critically review, and propose extensions and improvements for the “Buurt Generator”. It starts with a general review of the tool and literature reviews on related concepts and technologies. Then, the thesis investigates the accuracy of the generated 3D City model in estimating buildings’ volumes. Since volumetric measurements play a critical role in deriving urban KPIs and design KPIs, their accuracy is highly concerned. Hence, a volumetric comparison approach with other existing 3D city models is employed. The second focus is on the expansion of urban KPIs and design KPIs. The work bases on a data-driven approach that considers spatial and non-spatial, volumetric, and non-volumetric urban parameters. Moreover, the thesis proposes a comprehensive understanding of the city context and the project site based on available data. Then, it would be the task of the urban practitioners to reason the design KPIs for the new urban development project. The third focus is to develop a framework to study the impacts of the design solutions on the urban tissue. The framework is developed chiefly based on integrating the design into the 3D city model to perform (spatial) analysis. One of the energy-related criteria – the solar radiation factor - is chosen for further elaboration. The thesis contributes to the further integration of 3D city models into the urban planning process and explores its possibilities in assisting urban practices. It confirms the usability of the generated 3D model in estimating buildings’ volumes. It expands the list of urban KPIs and assists the information query to understand the city context and extract specific information. It bridges 3D City Database and Grasshopper for post-assessment of designs regarding solar radiation and opens the way for other urban simulations.

Open dumping, open burning and burying of municipal solid waste (MSW) can be the cause environmental and public health issues. These practices are more prevalent in developing countries such as Mexico,where proper waste management systems are not present. Considering the environmental and health issues, it is therefore important to minimise the number of open dumps in Mexico. The construction ofsanitary landfills is regarded as the best alternative to open dumping since it is the a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution.

An important part of constructing sanitary landfills is the selection of potential locations for these wastefacilities where investment will be made to build them. In order to select these locations first the weakspots need to be located. Weak spots are areas that do not have enough (proper) waste managementservices. Since Mexico does not have a national solid waste information system, a method to locate theseweak spots needs to be developed. With the use of the weak spots a method can be developed to select the potential locations for sanitary landfills that also takes the social, economical and legal constraintsinto account. The following research question is formulated: What are the weak spots in the current waste infrastructure network in Mexico and, based on this, where should strategic investment be madeto improve waste disposal? By answering this question, information will be provided on the issues withthe management of waste in Mexico with a focus on the areas of the weak spots and the locations where investment can be made to develop new sanitary landfills.

To detect the weak spots, a set of factors of different scenarios were developed, scored, overlaid, and visualised in maps. Regions that have the lowest score were detected as weak spots. To select the potential locations for investment in new sanitary landfills a spatial decision support system (SDSS) was developed and implemented as a QGIS plugin. The weak spots that corresponded to urban areas were used for analysis in the SDSS. This is due to the fact that it is more economically beneficial to construct sanitary landfills in urban areas.

The weak spot analysis showed that the southern region of Mexico, especially the state of Oaxaca, hadthe highest deficiencies in waste infrastructure. With the output from the QGIS SDSS plugin we are able to determine potential areas for new sanitary landfills in an automated manner.

This research has resulted in the visualisation of the weak spots in the Mexican waste infrastructure and the selection of potential locations where investment can be made for the construction of new sanitary landfills. The approach for locating the weak spots of the waste infrastructure can be used to find the weak spots in other types of infrastructure on a state and country scale in Mexico. The QGIS SDSS plugin could also be used to locate sanitary landfills in Mexico that violate the standards and regulations. The approach used to develop methods to detect the weak spots in the waste infrastructure and select potential locations for investment into new sanitary landfills could be used as a model for other countries to develop their specific approaches.