Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development and Urban-Rural Linkages

TY - JOUR

T1 - Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development and Urban-Rural Linkages

AU - Nilsson, Kjell Svenne Bernhard

AU - Nielsen, Thomas Alexander Sick

AU - Aalbers, Carmen

AU - Bell, Simon

AU - Boitier, Baptiste

AU - Chery, Jean Pierre

AU - Fertner, Christian

AU - Groschowski, Miroslaw

AU - Haase, Dagmar

AU - Loibl, Wolfgang

AU - Pauleit, Stephan

AU - Pintar, Marina

AU - Piorr, Annette

AU - Ravetz, Joe

AU - Ristimäki, Mika

AU - Rounsevell, Mark

AU - Tosics, Ivan

AU - Westerink, Judith

AU - Zasada, Ingo

PY - 2014/3/27

Y1 - 2014/3/27

N2 - An important driving force behind urban expansion is the growth of the urban population. But for Europe, this is not a sufficient explanation. The major trend is that European cities have become much less compact. Since the mid-1950s European cities have expanded on average by 78%, whereas the population has grown by only 33%. In the PLUREL project - an integrated project within the EU’s 6th Research Framework Programme - more than 100 researchers from 15 countries analysed the impacts of urban land consumption at a pan-European level and, through six European and one Chinese case studies, identified how land use conflicts and the pressure towards peri-urban areas can be strategically managed in different development and regulatory contexts. To summarise, the following strategies were identified as important steps towards more sustainable urban-rural futures: (i) better coordination of transport, land use and open space planning; (ii) urban containment and densification – development of a green compact city; (iii) preservation of blue and green infrastructure; and (iv) preservation of agricultural land and the promotion of local production. The need also remains to strengthen governance at the regional level while at the pan-European level there is clearly a need for more policy attention to be given to urban-rural linkages.

AB - An important driving force behind urban expansion is the growth of the urban population. But for Europe, this is not a sufficient explanation. The major trend is that European cities have become much less compact. Since the mid-1950s European cities have expanded on average by 78%, whereas the population has grown by only 33%. In the PLUREL project - an integrated project within the EU’s 6th Research Framework Programme - more than 100 researchers from 15 countries analysed the impacts of urban land consumption at a pan-European level and, through six European and one Chinese case studies, identified how land use conflicts and the pressure towards peri-urban areas can be strategically managed in different development and regulatory contexts. To summarise, the following strategies were identified as important steps towards more sustainable urban-rural futures: (i) better coordination of transport, land use and open space planning; (ii) urban containment and densification – development of a green compact city; (iii) preservation of blue and green infrastructure; and (iv) preservation of agricultural land and the promotion of local production. The need also remains to strengthen governance at the regional level while at the pan-European level there is clearly a need for more policy attention to be given to urban-rural linkages.

KW - Land use and management

KW - Urban planning

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1650-9544

SP - 1

EP - 26

JO - European Journal of Spatial Development

JF - European Journal of Spatial Development

ER -