INTRODUCTION

Aims

The International Studygroup On Multiple Use of Land (ISOMUL) was founded in 1974. ISOMUL has been set up as a platform for scientific debate and publications on topics related to multiple uses of land. Initially, the debate was aimed at problems concerning the planning for multiple land uses in western society. Today, it is well understood that most of these problems are of a world wide nature.
Through the years the mission of ISOMUL has been extended, in response of an integration of new topics in planning for multiple land uses. The planning for a sustainable countryside, the restoration of nature and ecosystems, collaborative planning for metropolitan areas, archaeological and cultural-historical issues in environmental planning and new concepts for water management in lowlands are but a few of these topics.

Activities

ISOMUL stimulates the scientific debate by organizing international lectures and symposia on the above mentioned topics. Up till now, ISOMUL has organized ten international symposia, published several books and proceedings, and edited one special issue of an international scientific journal. Six international symposia were organized in The Netherlands in 1982, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2009, one in Japan in 1996 and two in the USA in 1998 and 2002. The most recent conference was held from May 12-14 2010 in Maastricht, the Netherlands.