Land use planning

Many of our biggest global challenges are related to issues concerning how we use and allocate the Earth's land area for various purposes.

In most countries, there is strong competition over land between different interests such as production, recreation, urban development, nature conservation, etc.

Land use planning as a Green Solution 

There is an urgent need to redefine and redistribute land resources in light of the three major crises: climate, food, and biodiversity. This challenge can only be solved through interdisciplinary contributions from academic fields such as law, land planning, economics, biology, geography, agronomy, hydrology, human health, and many others.

Central to the discussion on the allocation of land resources is the question of "land sparing" or "land sharing."

There is an urgent need to redefine and redistribute land resources in light of the three major crises: climate, food, and biodiversity.

'Land sparing' fundamentally involves separating natural areas and production, whereas 'land sharing' suggests that wild species and cultivated areas share land. The choice between the two approaches to land division is crucial in the green transition.

Our research network "Landscape planning and multifunctionality" investigates how we can best solve land-related problems in connection with the preservation of biodiversity, sustainable food production, climate adaptation, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as human health and well-being.