This thesis examines the use of mathematical models in astracting real world land use systems. The purpose of the study was to determine what types of decision models are available, whether they can be adapted to land use allocation problems, and which is most suitable for use in land use planning. Since planning was felt to be a means to satisfying or maximizing public welfare, the criterion used for model selection was the degree to which the model could aid in seeking land use policies which would be optimal in the sense of maximizing some measure of social welfare. Using this criterion, a form of linear programming which allows for several concurrent goals in the objective function was felt to be the best model structure available to land use planners today. This model structure was then used to construct a land use model for the City and District of Langley in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. The purpose of constructing the model was to illustrate the potential usefulness of this type of model for decision making in the land use field. This was done by showing how the various aspects of the real world land use system could be incorporated into the model and how the model could then be used to find land use patterns which would maximize a measure of social welfare. After a discussion of model results, possible further refinements and study were suggested and discussed. It was felt that the model structure chosen was well suited to the land use planning field and offered much promise as a potential planning tool. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate