Sustainable land-use
Land is a finite resource and the way it is used is one of the principal drivers of environmental change. Increasing land take affects fertile agricultural land, puts biodiversity at risk, increases the risk of flooding and water scarcity and contributes to both the causes and effects of global warming. Moreover, the effects of land take differ depending on the value, quality and functionality of the land.The main objective of this service on sustainable land-use is to build on existing key relevant studies and projects and suggest measures on how sustainable land use can be promoted and how land-take, soil sealing and urban sprawl can be avoided, reduced and compensated in Europe, its cities and regions. The starting hypothesis is that a sustainable use of land would entail that compact and denser urban development would lead to less need for transport, less energy use and more open spaces enhancing the quality of life thus generating benefits and requiring less costs