In the mid 1980's - while a student at the department of econometrics at the Free University - I became an assistant at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IvM) of this university. My main task was assisting with the com- putational aspects of the project 'an integrated environmental model: a case study in the Markiezaat area'. A number of methodological problems were for- mulated during the operationalization phase of that project, such as the need to develop systematically an integrated model design and to look for means of handling different sources of information. Prof. Dr. P. Nijkamp of the Department of Regional Economics and Drs. L. Hordijk - at that time leader of the economic-technological research group at the IvM - therefore initiated a project proposal to be supported by the Netherlands Organisation for the Advancement of Pure Research (ZWO). Meanwhile I became an assistant to Prof. Dr. P. Nijkamp, surveying qualita- ti ve statistical developments in the field of regional inequa li ty analysis. This inventory has been shown to be a relevant basis for the preparation of this book.
In spring 1982 I began working at IvM on the above project on integrated environmental modelling.