2
T. Weith et al.
1.1 New Conceptual Approaches for New Challenges
Urban and rural landscapes are constantly undergoing processes of change.
Humankind has been influencing the natural environment on earth for centuries,
resulting in different types of land use. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
radical changes in land use (Lambin et al. 2001; Hersperger and Bürgi 2009;
Niewöhner et al. 2016; Jepsen et al. 2015; Plieninger et al. 2016) were brought about
by the “agricultural revolution” and the “industrial revolution”, which presented new
opportunities for mobility and urban development.
Today, international challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, soil
degradation and food security or megatrends such as globalisation processes fuel
discussions about the current land use system and land use policies, as well as future
options. Significant changes have occurred, e.g. natural land has been transformed.
In addition, qualitative aspects such as the loss of ecosystem services in combination
with land degradation is an inconvenient truth.
International bodies such as the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC 2019) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services (IPBES 2018) specified changes in land use as one of the key
aspects in debates about sustainability, culminating in the adoption of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) by the United Nations.
Several SDGs include relevant objectives in the policy field of land use. Not only
SDG 15 (Life on Land) covers a wide range of recommendations—SDG 3 (Good
Health and Well-Being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry,
Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and
SDG 13 (Climate Action) also address further important aspects by highlighting a
need for change across sectors. Implementation of these objectives is seen at the
regional and local level, requiring changes of governance processes (Weith et al.
2019).
Looking specifically at cities and urbanised areas, HABITAT III focuses on
resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements. Emphasis is placed on integrated urban and territorial development and new forms of urban governance to
prevent urban sprawl and a further depletion of natural resources. In addition, there
is a need for a balanced approach to the development of urban and rural areas, which
are interdependent. This will indirectly promote the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions and air pollution (Liu et al. 2013). In a nutshell, there is a scientific and
societal need to discuss options and solutions for land use change.
Land use is a complex human-nature interaction, generating diverse cultural landscapes influenced to a greater or lesser extent by humankind. In particular, land
used for urban areas and infrastructure puts pressure on ecosystem services due to
continued soil sealing and the fragmentation of landscapes following continuous
land conversion. Consequences occur not only at the local or regional scale—they
are globally interconnected. Consequently, human action accelerates global change,
which in turn has an impact on humankind. Although various partial models have
been developed for different types of land use (e.g. Siedentop et al. 2009; Siedentop
T. Weith et al.
1.1 New Conceptual Approaches for New Challenges
Urban and rural landscapes are constantly undergoing processes of change.
Humankind has been influencing the natural environment on earth for centuries,
resulting in different types of land use. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
radical changes in land use (Lambin et al. 2001; Hersperger and Bürgi 2009;
Niewöhner et al. 2016; Jepsen et al. 2015; Plieninger et al. 2016) were brought about
by the “agricultural revolution” and the “industrial revolution”, which presented new
opportunities for mobility and urban development.
Today, international challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, soil
degradation and food security or megatrends such as globalisation processes fuel
discussions about the current land use system and land use policies, as well as future
options. Significant changes have occurred, e.g. natural land has been transformed.
In addition, qualitative aspects such as the loss of ecosystem services in combination
with land degradation is an inconvenient truth.
International bodies such as the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC 2019) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services (IPBES 2018) specified changes in land use as one of the key
aspects in debates about sustainability, culminating in the adoption of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) by the United Nations.
Several SDGs include relevant objectives in the policy field of land use. Not only
SDG 15 (Life on Land) covers a wide range of recommendations—SDG 3 (Good
Health and Well-Being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry,
Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and
SDG 13 (Climate Action) also address further important aspects by highlighting a
need for change across sectors. Implementation of these objectives is seen at the
regional and local level, requiring changes of governance processes (Weith et al.
2019).
Looking specifically at cities and urbanised areas, HABITAT III focuses on
resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements. Emphasis is placed on integrated urban and territorial development and new forms of urban governance to
prevent urban sprawl and a further depletion of natural resources. In addition, there
is a need for a balanced approach to the development of urban and rural areas, which
are interdependent. This will indirectly promote the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions and air pollution (Liu et al. 2013). In a nutshell, there is a scientific and
societal need to discuss options and solutions for land use change.
Land use is a complex human-nature interaction, generating diverse cultural landscapes influenced to a greater or lesser extent by humankind. In particular, land
used for urban areas and infrastructure puts pressure on ecosystem services due to
continued soil sealing and the fragmentation of landscapes following continuous
land conversion. Consequences occur not only at the local or regional scale—they
are globally interconnected. Consequently, human action accelerates global change,
which in turn has an impact on humankind. Although various partial models have
been developed for different types of land use (e.g. Siedentop et al. 2009; Siedentop