Urban planning processes have become increasingly complex and sophisticated decision support systems can be useful aids to decision-makers in their assessment of the impact of their decisions.

The papers collected in this volume were originally presented at the conference on Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning that was held in Mierlo, the Netherlands in July 1992. This conference was organized as one of the events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at Eindhoven University of Technology. The organizing committee had a strong feeling that many interesting developments in this area were emerging within different institutional frameworks and informal networks that do not interact...

The application of advanced technologies to point of sale systems is a promising and relatively unexplored field of study, in particular when considering the introduction of digital content and technologies allowing consumers to interact with products in new ways. Many e-retailers already exploit the opportunities offered by interactive technologies, such as 3D virtual models, in order to enhance consumers shopping experience. Their use in stores, however, is still limited. The development and use of new shopping assistants for supporting and influencing consumers during their shopping...