Cellular automata (CA) stand out among the most commonly used urban models for the simulation and analysis of urban growth because of their ability to reproduce complex dynamics, similar to those found in real cities, from simple rules. However, CA models still have to overcome some shortcomings related to their flexibility and difficult calibration. This study combines various techniques to calibrate an urban CA that is based on one of the most widely used urban CA models. First, the number of calibration parameters is reduced by using various statistical techniques, and, second, the calibration procedure is automated through a genetic algorithm. The resulting model has been assessed by simulating the urban growth of Ribadeo, a small village of NW Spain, characterized by low, slow urban growth, which makes the identification of urban dynamics and consequently the calibration of the model more difficult. Simulation results have shown that, by automating the calibration procedure, the model can be more easily applied and adapted to urban areas with different characteristics and dynamics. In addition, the simulations obtained with the proposed model show better values of cell-to-cell correspondence between simulated and real maps, and the values for most spatial metrics are closer to real ones.

Green infrastructure has acquired greater importance in recent years in relation to climate change adaptation. Green infrastructure planning has been identified as a new and innovative means of land planning that can contribute to preventing the impacts of climate change. However, this has been explored more thoroughly in urban areas than at the regional scale. The present study proposes a methodology including multi-criteria evaluation techniques for assessing the ESS involved in the fight against climate change and for the spatial planning of multifunctional green infrastructure areas based on the results of this assessment. Application of the methodology for green infrastructure planning aimed at confronting climate change at landscape level in the region of Galicia (NW Spain) successfully delimited multifunctional green infrastructure zones. Results show that delimited zones have a higher provision potential for more ESS than protected natural areas and areas that are not part of the green infrastructure.

Planning Support Systems (PSS) comprise a wide variety of geo-technological tools related to GIS and spatial modeling aimed at addressing land planning processes. This article describes the OpenRules system, a PSS based on a previous system called RULES. Among OpenRules new features are its architecture, based exclusively on free and open source software, and its applicability to all land use types, including rural and urban uses. In addition, OpenRules incorporates an unlimited number of land evaluation factors and a new objective in land use spatial allocation. OpenRules has been programmed in Java and implemented as a module of the free GIS software gvSIG, with full integration between the GIS and the decision support tools. Decision support tools include multicriteria evaluation, multiobjective linear programming and heuristic techniques, which support three basic stages of land use planning processes, namely land suitability evaluation, land use area optimization and land use spatial allocation. The application of OpenRules to the region of La Troncal, Ecuador, demonstrates its capability to generate alternative and coherent solutions through a scientific and justified procedure at low cost in terms of time and resources.