Hersperger, M.A., Oliveira, E. and Grădinaru, E. (2017) Landscape issues in strategic spatial plans of European urban regions: current state and future options -- Developing an understanding of how landscape issues are currently addressed in contemporary strategic spatial plans of European urban regions. Hersperger, M.A., Oliveira, E. and Grădinaru, E. (2017) Landscape issues in strategic spatial plans of European urban regions: current state and future options, oral presentation at IALE 2017 European Congress: From pattern and process to people and action, 12-15 September, Gent, Belgium.

1. Landscape issues in strategic spatial
plans of European urban regions:
currentstateandfutureoptions
Anna M. Hersperger
Eduardo Oliveira
Simona Grădinaru
Landscape Ecology Group
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL

2. Research aim
Developing an understanding of how landscape
issues are currently addressed in contemporary
strategic spatial plans of European urban regions
This research is part of the CONCUR project on how strategic
spatial planning contributes to the development of urban regions
Content of the talk:
• Conceptualization of strategic spatial planning
• Conceptualization of landscape issues
• Case studies & Methods for strategic spatial plan assessment
• Results
• Conclusions
Research Aim

3. Strategic spatial planning:
addressing land change in urban regions
• Strategic spatial planning (SSP) is a transformative and
integrative public-sector-led involving multi-level governance
• SSP is mainly developed at the urban regional scale
• The urban regional scale is better suited to deal with landscape change
• SSP is a well established practice in many European (e.g.
Stockholm), North America (e.g. Toronto) and Australasian (e.g.
Melbourne; Pearl Delta River region, China) urban regions
• SSP – main objectives:
• To frame long term spatial logic for land use, for resource protection, for
sustainable development and for spatial quality (e.g. cultural landscapes)
• To shape the development/transformation/structural change of an urban region
• To deal in an integrated manner with sustainability, livability, climate change,
low carbon growth, green transport and green & gray infrastructures
• Landscape ecology (e.g.) greatly contributes to SSP develop.
Conceptualization

4. Landscapeecology:Scienceto Governance
Landscape ecology as a branch of ecology
Landscape ecology as a science for action
Landscape ecology as a transdisciplinary
approach to achieve sustainable landscapes
Conceptualization

5. Five aspects of “landscape issues”
Landscape ecological concepts
(Forman 1995)
Community based landscape
initiatives
(Garcia-Martin et al. 2016)
Principles for a landscape
approach
(Sayer et al. 2013)
Reference to the European Landscape Convention ELC
Term “landscape” in the plan
with which meaning? In the context
of which geographical area, theme?
In which part of the plan?
Conceptualization

6. Case studies
• 14 European urban regions
• Approximately ….km2
Case studies & Method

7. Spatial Planning documents:
• Strategic development plans
• Regional development guidelines
• Strategic development programme
• Mission statements
• Strategic visions
Approved between 2007- 2017
Assessment protocol:
• Apriori
• Theory driven
Content analysis
Method

8. Results
Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
yes no
Reference to ELC

9. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
never seldom often
How often does the plan contain the word “landscape”
Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
yes no
Reference to ELC

10. In which meaning
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Bio-Physical
Socio-cultural
Aesthetic
Holistic

11. In the context of which theme
Results
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Forestry
Resilience
Sustainability
Place branding
Aesthetics
Agriculture/farming
Water management
Nature conservation
Biodiversity
Tourism and recreation
Green infrastructure
Multiple answers possible

12. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Introduction Vison Measures
In which section of the plan
Integral part of the plan or in other document
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Integral part Elsewhere
Results

13. Inwhichwaydoestoplanreferto
Landscape ecological concepts
Results
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
L. based recreation
L. multifuunctionality
L. ecological connectivity
L. related cultural heritage
Movenment of species
Past landscapes
Spatial configurations
Patch-corridor-matrix
Mosaic
In a specific way In a general way Not at all

14. Community based landscape initiatives
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Yes, existing ones Yes, future ones No reference
Major Aims:
Nature conservation (3)
Cultural heritage (2)
Promotion of tourism (1)
Localized and organic food production (1)
Results

15. Results
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Participatory monitoring
Addressing resilience
Strengthened stakeholder capacity
Negotiated change logic
Clear rights and responsibilities
Adaptive management
Multiple stakeholders
Common concern entry point
Multifunctionality
Multiple scale
Principles for a landscape approach
Aretheprinciplesfollowedinthestrategicspatialplanningprocess(evidenceintheplan)

16. Landscape in strategic spatial plans
Synthesisof findings
• Many strategic plans integrate a holistic approach to
landscape, but few plans refer to the European Landscape
Convention
• Landscape’s place in the plan: mostly regarding measures, not
in context of visions and goals
• Clear references to key landscape ecological concepts such as
mosaic, patch-corridor-matrix, and effects of spatial
configurations are missing in many plans
• Landscape is very often mostly mentioned in context with
green infrastructure
Conclusions

17. Conclusions
• Though many plans address some landscape issues,
there is room for improvement
• Strategic spatial planning in urban regions is conducive to
landscape ecology’s strive for achieving sustainable
landscapes
• Current times of dynamic developments in strategic
spatial planning provide opportunities for landscape
ecologists
Conclusions

18. Thank you for your attention
Anna M. Hersperger, anna.hersperger@wsl
Eduardo Oliveira, eduardo.oliveira@wsl.ch
Simona Grădinaru, simona.gradinaru@wsl.ch
WSL CONCUR Project
http://www.wsl.ch/fe/landschaftsdynamik/projekte/CONCURN
#CONCURWSL on social media
WSL Landscape Research Group
http://www.wsl.ch/fe/landschaftsdynamik/landscape_ecology