MKP (Indicators)

General

The MKP stands for MileuKwaliteitsProfielen or in English: Environmental Quality Models. They are created by the Province of Utrecht (Provincie Utrecht), located in the Netherlands. Thy used these models to describe what is meant by a good environmental quality of the environment for different types of areas. This quality is determined by a large number of themes, including the amount of green in the neighborhood, noise pollution and air quality. The themes have been translated to formulas, with which a score is calculated. The score provides insight into the current quality of the environment. Ultimately, the MKP can be used to test area development against a high quality of the environment.

Theory

The province of Utrecht is committed to a healthy environment. That is why the province strives for optimum environmental quality and sustainability when developing spatial plans. To facilitate these spatial developments, the province uses an area-specific approach. Every area has its own characteristics, qualities and wishes. To the different areas belong likewise different environmental qualities. For example, the limit for "noise pollution" in an industrial area is higher than in a residential area.

The province has developed specific instruments that can help municipalities in Utrecht to support the municipalities with their spatial planning. The most important instrument of recent years was the ‘Leidraad Water en Milieu in Ruimtelijk plannen’ ("Water and Environment Guidelines in Spatial Planning"). The core of this guideline are the Environmental Quality Models, in which the area-specific environmental and sustainability ambitions of the province are laid down. These Environmental Quality Models consist of twenty environmental and sustainability aspects, such as energy consumption, renewable energy generation, water safety, noise nuisance, air quality, but also for example accessibility of public transport.

Score system

The MKP works with scores: each area and each spatial plan is assessed on the extent to which it meets the various environmental and sustainability aspects. This assessment results in a score between 1 and 10 per aspect and is calculated by specific formulas. In addition, three ambition levels are described for each aspect:

• Minimum quality (score 6); this is the lowest, often legally (in the Netherlands) required quality level that must always be met. This quality does not meet the standards of the World Health Organization.
• Basic quality (score 8); this is the quality level that is considered suitable for the area in question. This is a (substantially) higher quality level than the legal minimum.
• Optimal quality (score 10); this is the quality level that is considered to be attainable for the area concerned.

Overview of indicators and area types

The Environmental Quality Models consist of up to 20 indicators to assess the built environment.

• City center/centrum
• Outside center/Buiten-centrum
• Green urban/Groen stedelijk
• Village center/Centrum dorps
• Industry/Industrie
• Businesses area/Bedrijven
• Offices and public-intensive facilities/Kantoren en publieksintensieve voorzieningen
• Rural area: urban lead-out area/Landelijk gebied: stedelijk uitloopgebied
• Rural area: agricultural/Landelijk gebied: agrarisch
• Rural area: interweaving of functions/Landelijk gebied: verweving van functies
• Rural area: main function nature/Landelijk gebied: hoofdfunctie natuur

Additional configurations

For the indicators to function, the different areas, containing a custom attribute, must be defined and have to be added to the project. Alternatively, the already existing Neighborhoods in the project can be used, if the neighborhoods can be clearly distinguished on functions from one another. Only an extra attribute has to be added to the neighborhoods in that case. For example, if in a neighborhood is mostly industry and another neighborhood is mostly residential, the neighborhoods can be used as area types. If a neighborhood contains industry, houses and also agricultural areas, the neighborhood is not one area according to the area types of the province.

Option 1: Add the areas

The indicator looks only at the number of units in a certain Neighborhood. This neighborhood is marked with the attribute PLAN_AREA with a value > 0, for the indicator to know which neighborhood to look at. Therefore, an attribute has to be added to the neighborhood in where you want to build houses.

MKP (Indicators):

1. Select Geo data and then Neighborhoods in the ribbon header
2. Select the Neighborhood where you want to build in the left panel
3. In the right panel, go to the tab Attributes.
4. Scroll down to the bottom and enter the Attribute name PLAN_AREA with value "1".
5. Click on Save new attribute. The attribute is now added to the the other attributes.

Option 2: Add the attribute to the neighborhoods

If applicable, the Neighborhoods can be used. Only an extra attribute has to be added to the Neighborhoods, to define which area type they are. See above for the list of area types and the corresponding number.

MKP (Indicators):

1. Select Geo data and then Neighborhoods in the ribbon header
2. Select a Neighborhood in the left panel
3. In the right panel, go to the tab Attributes.
4. Scroll down to the bottom and enter the Attribute name GEBIED_N with the value corresponding with the type of attribute "1".
5. Click on Save new attribute. The attribute is now added to the the other attributes.