REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUITABILITY MODEL

Factors

In this model, factors account for the influence a particular feature (societal or environmental) has on development suitability. Factors are continuous, the higher the factor score the more suitable a piece of land for development. Each factor is assigned a weight as a measure of its relative importance to the particular type of development that is being modeled.

The factors used in this model are:

• Proximity to municipal water system
• Municipal water system capacity
• Proximity to municipal sewer system
• Municipal sewer system capacity
• Proximity to major roadways
• Proximity to intersections & Interchanges
• Proximity to cities outside of the region
• Travel Time to Worcester
• Municipal population
• School quality
• Income
• Degree of slope