Siting Noxious Facilities: An Approach That Integrates Technical, Economic, and Political Considerations

Policymakers anticipate strong local opposition to undesirable land-uses, such as large-scale landfills, and therefore seek new methods for selecting sites. This paper develops an approach that integrates the technical, economic, and political concerns relevant to siting decisions, beginning with identification of alternative sites and extending through selection of the final site. The approach uses utility theory to structure crucial public input for use in a centralized process. However, the site selection stage remains compatible with decentralized approaches which emphasize local acceptance and compensation. The paper also identifies the role of public concerns regarding resources of regional importance.