2016 GGSD Forum - Session 2: Presentation by Ms. Marie Cugny-Seguin, Natural System and Sustainability, European Environment Agency
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Presentation on the urban sprawl challenge in Europe
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2016 GGSD Forum - Session 2: Presentation by Ms. Marie Cugny-Seguin, Natural System and Sustainability, European Environment Agency
- 1. Urban sprawl, a remaining challenge European Environment Agency and Swiss Federal Office for the Environment Ronan.uhel@eea.europa.eu OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum 2016
- 2. Approaching the land system in Europe Responses Governance, planning, land recycling, etc. Driving forces Environmental and socio-economic processes Pressures Changes in land use and management State Land multifunctionality Impacts Degradation of ecosystems and services, costs, etc. Supply Demand
- 3. What are the cumulative trends in Europe? Land use changes CORINE Land cover, EEA 1990 2012
- 4. … but land take is increasing! 4
- 6. Relative contribution of land-cover categories to urban and other artificial land development Land take gains… land cover losses 6
- 7. Important loss of high-nature value farmland 7
- 9. Urban sprawl is an ongoing process in Europe Expansion of low density urban areas Spread of patchy, scattered and discontinuous urban areas Expansion of urban areas far outpacing population growth Land up-take mainly in surrounding agriculture areas Leap-frogs process leaving plenty of agriculture enclaves
- 10. With significant cumulative effects on environmental services Fragmentation of habitats Soil sealing resulting in the loss of soils functions Alterations of water cycle and water quality Changes in microclimate conditions resulting in heat island effect Air pollution, noise, light pollution GHG emissions due to energy fossil use for transport by car Degradation of landscape amenities…
- 11. Yet, other problems are not always recognised • Car-dependency and risk of ‘fuel poverty’ • Need for / costs of infrastructure • Long travel-time for commuting • People living far from activities and jobs • Health problems related to stress and pollution • Isolated people, in particular ageing and most vulnerable people • Remoteness from public services
- 12. Resources management: cities more efficient than rural areas Less land for building, less energy for transport and heating, less roads, etc.
- 13. Ecosystems inside and around cities • Share and distribution of green urban areas • Urban or peri-urban forests or parks The “grey” urban system • Availability of roads • Affordable and efficient public transport • Cost of transport and fuel • Private car ownership • Urban design encouraging walking and cycling • Enough density to supply good quality public services Society and economy • Demography, • Rising living standard • Household size • Housing preference • Inner city problems • Price of land and real estate market • Economy growth • Governance and planning Challenges can be seen throughout the urban system
- 14. Challenge 1: Working with nature Enhancing ecosystems / green areas inside and around cities Timber production Flood regulations Food production Local climate regulations Aesthetic values Habitat services Carbon sequestration Recreation
- 15. Challenge 2: Working with society Values Behaviour Lifestyle Culture Political system Institutions Economic system Legal system Knowledge
- 16. Cities can be “locked-in” to consumption and production patterns for decades. Challenge 3: Improving the “grey” urban system
- 17. Measures to control urban sprawl in Switzerland Revision of Swiss Spatial Planning Act (Loi Fédérale 2014) - Expansion of building zones is possible only if an evaluation demonstrates that there will be a need in the future based on the projected increase of population Some municipalities and cantons have also rigorous limitations: the measures of the Canton de Zug: Separation of settlement areas from non-settlement areas Boundaries of the city delimit the extend of the built-up area Reinforcement of areas in core cities and close to the most important intersections of public transport Autorisation for high density of built-up areas Result: The weighted urban permetation has decreased by 11% between 1980 and 2010
- 18. Measures to control urban sprawl in Germany How to do? Limitating land take in the urban fringe Densifying and revitalising the inner cities Land recycling and enhancing the productivity of land Safegarding open spaces Taking soil qualities into account Monitoring With what instruments? Objectives of the National Sustainable Development Strategy (2007) ‘By 2020, land take for new housing and transport developments is to be limited to 30 ha/day’ Photo: Land recycling - Dresde Trans-regional trade with certificate (Flächenzertificate) All towns and municipalities together can consume non –artificial land within the limits of the 30 ha/day
Editor's Notes
- 'Land take' dominates in Europe, with artificial areas (and also agricultural intensification) Resulting in high fragmentation on 30% of land area. Generating conflicting demands on land Impacting the land's potential to supply key services (e.g. Destruction of the high productive soil) Limiting 'land take' is a key policy target at national, sub-national level or local levels Objectives => land-recycling, compact urban development, place-based management and green infrastructure.
- If we look more broadly at Europe this illustration indicate how much and in what proportions is agriculture, forest and other natural land being taken up for urban and other artificial land development. Agricultural zones and to a lesser extent forests and semi-natural lands are disappearing in favour of the development of artificial surfaces. This affects biodiversity since it decreases habitats and fragments landscapes that support and connect them.
- Urban sprawl results of a lack of plannning and a little control of land subdivision
- Photo:SOER Fragmentation of habitats: reduction of habitats between the minimum required for species => alterations of species communities, lack of food availability, mortality due to car, etc. Soil sealing resulting in the loss of soils functions (e.g. loss of fertile soils, reduction of water infiltration, diminution of carbon storage in the soil, removal of vegetation coverage, loss of soil biodiversity) Alteration of water cycles and water quality: reduction of water infiltration, modification of water courses, water pollution of rainwater by abarsion dust, risk of run-off and flood Heat island effect higher in sealed araeas Higher air pollution and GHG emissions due to an higher used of cars Degradation of landscape scenery: impacts of daily life of citizens but also on the attractivity of the place (e.g. touristics activities)
- Some problem are not perceived as a problem by people and by policy-makers although they generate many problems that affect their quality of life. Some effect of urban sprawl are well described such as fragmentation of habitats and the impacts on flora and fauna, the loss of productive soils due to soil sealing, the increasing use of car and the associated air pollution and energy consumption, etc. However, some of consequences of urban sprawl have social implications that affect quality of life such as car-dependency (risk of obesity), stress for commuting, time waste during transport, higher use of energy and the associated cost, pollution emited and breathes in congestion, remoteness from public services and cultural activities, degradation of landscape scenery, social risk due to isolation (in particular for aging population), spatial segregation of populations, etc. High cost of infrastructure and maintenance due to low density. Public transport cannot be profitable due to the low density of potential users Water consumption and energy use are higher for a detached house than in a multistorey building Risk of leakages in the pipe network which is longer in low dense areas compared to low dense area .
- US is a systemic issue that depends on interactions of interdependent components: ‘Grey system’: It is the component that is easier to change The urban technical system (roads, metro, railways, buildings, utilities) determines the spatial extent of the city and the urban pattern (urban form, density, design). It shapes how people live, work and move about. Roads are a factor of physical expansion of roads ‘Green areas inside and around cities’ Well-being of urban population and cities’ prosperity depend on natural capital which provides vital services. If the city offers sufficient and high quality urban areas, people do not need to go far from the dense city to find nature and enjoy it. Society Society is the key element. Society gives the city its character through population’s behaviour, lifestyles and values. Society influence living standards and expectations . Society determine the size of households Economy is also a decisive factor taht determine the wealth of city, income, the style of land use (industrial areas, commercial areas) Governance and the policy-making process determines the ability to implement efficient integrated urban planning and to design a vision for the future. Changes of perception, values and the way of thinking are determinant as well as changes in the decision-making process.
- In addition of fighting loss of biodiversity, green infrastructure offers several other services: Provisioning services: clean water, flood regulation, food, timber production, etc. Regulating services: carbon sequestration and storage, water infiltration, air purification, noise reduction, balancing of storm water peak, reduction of heat islands effect, etc. Cultural and social services: recreation and tourism, healthy environment, psycho-physical benefits, perception of nature, aesthetic, urban landscape character, etc.
- Transition toward a green economy requires a set of changes in several areas such as technology, the economy, institutions setting, behaviour (individual and collective), culture, ecology, belief systems, values, norms, practices. But the society needs to be convinced to embrace sustainable goals and to accept behaviour changes. Problems have a high degree of complexity and therefore no pre-defined solution. Different possible solutions can be explored in a cooperative learning process. The challenge is much more than the involvement of civil society in the decision-making process, it is the co-production of new approaches. The process needs to involve a large variety of stakeholders cutting across sectors, functional specializations and jurisdictional boundaries. Involving in the decision-making process, actors with different backgrounds make possible to imagine new alternatives or practices. To find the pathway towards a societal change, it is necessary to search, test, learn, experiment. Learning is essential in societal change processes. The innovation can be done in an incremental way by taking small but radical steps guided by a long-term perspective. Actors who are already adopting new ways of thinking and doing should be actively empowered and engaged in the process
- Spatial development has very strong “lock-in” effects. As carbon emissions and energy consumption are closely connected to urban form, actions affecting land-use and spatial development are among the most critical to achieve low-carbon society. The sustainability of cities is determined by past planning decisions regarding large infrastructure projects. A crucial issue with ‘grey infrastructures’ is their long life span. They locks cities into consumption and production patterns for decades because it is difficult (almost impossible in some cases) and costly to modify and retrofit existing infrastructure once it is built. A hierarchy can be established The longer-lasting elements are the first priority because they are structural elements that can be changed slowly, at great cost and risk generated impacts on other sectors and far beyond limits of city. Natural assets, urban forms, land use pattern, heritage elements and stocks (existing settlements fabric such as building and infrastructure) are typically long-lasting elements. They are key elements for integration. The shorter-lasting elements are easier to change by appropriated management and in general they concern proximity scale (house, block, and district).
- Photo: land recycling - Dresde