The “environment” is a universal concept. While urban aspects and urban planning often reveal a limited and fixed idea of the concept of the “environment” in our minds, the “environment”, is in fact a much wider concept than that (Shumacher,1967).  This article is to emphasize the complexity of the environment and to show how an urban development model for identification, analysis, assessment and planning can be created by applying environmental models in this wider “environmental” context, with the help of GIS and remote sensing for a part of Tehran, the Iranian capital city. The area observed is district 22 in north-western Tehran, a region of about 10 000 hectares which is restricted by the Alborz mountain chain in the north, the Kan River in the east, the Tehran-Karaj freeway in the south and the short mountains of Karevansarasangi in the west.   Like many cities in other countries, the city of Tehran is experiencing the increasing pressure of improper land use and incorrect land management policies that have exacerbated the problems by disregarding the limitations and potential of land, and its vulnerability and fragility against possible changes. During the last decade the use of GIS and Remote Sensing techniques are increasing (Benaman, 1998) being applied now for identification of natural resources and for the management of urban and environmental projects in major cities of Iran, But the practice of analyzing the development models with the use of GIS in urban development planning is a new experience.