Anne Gravsholt Busck

Land system changes in the context of urbanisation: Examples from the peri-urban area of Greater Copenhagen

Abstract Peri-urban areas are characterised by great heterogeneity and rapid changes of land use. Furthermore, population composition changes as peri-urban areas offer attractive residential alternatives to city centres or more remote locations. The dynamic processes leave peri-urban areas in an in-between situation, neither city nor countryside and home to a range of functions, spanning from agricultural production to residential and recreational areas. The paper investigates the urbanisation of agricultural areas in the Greater Copenhagen region based on quantitative data collected on agricultural properties in nine study areas between 1984 and 2004. The overall conclusion is that agricultural land use has continued largely unaffected by the processes of urbanisation. However, most of the production is concentrated on a few very large full-time farms. In addition, the economic activities have been greatly diversified over the last three decades. The structural components of the areas (land use and landscape elements) thus appear more resilient than the socio-economic system (declining number of full-time farmers and increasing number of owners engaged in other gainful activities). However, at some point this discrepancy will disappear and rapid land use changes may be expected.

Multifunctional agriculture and multifunctional landscapes - land use as an interface

In contemporary sciences dealing with cultural landscapes, the concept of multifunctionality has gained increasing attention in the last decade. The scientific literature displays several attempts to frame the concept (e.g DeVries 2000; Anon 2001; de Groot et al. 2002) but there is much frustration regarding proper sets of broadly based definitions and clear statements concerning the authors’ scientific points of departure (Anon 2001). Multifunctionality is on the one hand used to characterize the activities in the primary production sector, and the land use reflecting the material consequences of the various demands set by the society on land territories — these approaches relate to the agricultural understanding of multifunctionality. On the other hand, multifunctionality is used to characterize the landscape per se. The primary production sector (i.e. agriculture, forestry, horticulture and related land dependent activities) is considered having a primary or main function (production), and related joint productions, typically including a mix of material and non-tangible goods as well as a mix of private and public goods (externalities). Production of food and fibres is generally considered the primary products in this context, but the primary sector produces other material goods too, such as CO2 sequestration, groundwater recharge etc.

Urbanisation of rural areas: A case study from Jutland, Denmark

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(1):47–63, 2010 The growth of urban areas is one of the most important characteristics of spatial development in Europe during the past decades and is traditionally described with a few indicators on a relatively coarse spatial scale. However, urbanisation is not only a matter of land use change, but also socio-economic changes, which may or may not manifest itself as physical changes in built-up area and land use. It is therefore useful to analyse the urbanisation patterns along an urban-rural continuum, based on a broad range of indicators. This paper analyses urbanisation patterns in rural areas of Region Midtjylland, Denmark using socio-economic data from the entire rural population aggregated at parish level to investigate if this method may contribute to existing classifications. Through multivariate analysis and GIS analysis, five types of urbanization were identified and their spatial distribution analysed. The results indicate that rural areas of Region Midtjylland are very diverse, and generally reflect the pattern described in the 2006 Danish National Planning Report. However, our results offer a more fine-grained analysis based on scientifically selected indicators which is an important step to improve existing classifications. This is especially relevant in a Danish context following the administrative reform in 2007 which renders the traditional classifications less suited for locally adapted planning and policy formulation.

Managing rural landscapes in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden- comparing planning systems and instruments in three different contexts

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 108(2):1–16, 2008 Urban growth and sprawl have put pressure on surrounding rural areas for a long time, and planning history abounds with examples of how to cope with this development. The problem is also acknowledged in the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), which, apart from recommending planning principles, also recommends common ways of arriving at solutions. This study compares three different planning systems and physical and socio-economic contexts (the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden) to analyze different approaches to managing urban growth, dealing with the transformation of rurban areas, and ensuring green areas. The results show that population density, the relative abundance of land and the role of agriculture have not only shaped planning systems and policies historically, but still define how urban sprawl is perceived and managed in current planning practices. Although indications of a common discourse can be found, the factors that once led to three distinct planning systems still play a major role. The results are used to discuss the potential for arriving at a common European view on planning as represented by the ESDP.

Introduction: Landscape Change and Rural Development

Abstract European rural landscapes are changing. Flows of capital, people, goods and information affect functions and forms of the rural landscape and change its character and, more or less, coordinated policies for agriculture, landscape and rural development are applied at different levels. Rural landscapes constitute a number of resources which in various ways can be mobilized by the rural actors and the local landscape is a suitable spatial level for studying and analysing rural transitions and their socio-ecological context. Studying landscapes in transition involves a change of symbolic values (cultural heritage, values and identities), productive structures and functions and ecological/environmental aspects of sustainability. Rural research, especially in the context of sustainable rural development, can benefit from such diverse approaches in understanding and analysing the different aspects of rural landscape and its changes. The papers of this special issue demonstrate the interchange of theories, concepts and methodological approaches in defining, describing, analysing, understanding and unravelling the complex realities of the rural landscape today, with a European emphasis, from different disciplines.

Revitalisation of Common Use in Management of Modern Multifunctional Landscapes

Abstract Land areas in collective ownership or use are traditionally referred to as commons. Through history, the common use and ownership has been a widespread means of regulating the use of natural resources. Changing economic conditions and technology spawned a process however where land use rights and landowner rights aggregated into the modern form of private ownership of individual farms with full management and owner rights. This process had obvious rationales in terms of production of marketable agricultural products. However, in the twentieth century increasing awareness of the supply of externalities such as clean groundwater and recreational opportunities from landscapes turned the attention once again to commons as an instrument for managing natural resources. Using groundwater and coastal landscapes as case examples, we pinpoint problems where outputs from the landscape are multiple consisting of a mix of public and private goods. In some instances central intervention is needed to ensure provision of public goods. In situations where transaction costs are too high to justify the guaranteed supply of goods, local initiatives, cooperatives and networks may be suitable regulatory alternatives to the predominant private and individualised ownership. It is concluded that the management regimes chosen should reflect the dominant functionality of the area in question.

Functional and Structural Changes of Agricultural Landscapes: How Changes are Conceived by Local Farmers in Two Danish Rural Communities

Abstract The subject of this paper is the views of farmers concerning their local landscape. In two contrasting Danish case study areas previously analysed in the 1990s, a small number of farmers have been interviewed regarding their views of the landscape and recent changes in their respective area including landscape changes. One of the areas (Hvorslev) is characterized by good conditions for agriculture, intensive husbandry production and a relatively stable landscape history. The other (Nees) has more marginal conditions and major changes in land use characterize the recent landscape history. We analyze the way in which the landscape is perceived by farmers and compare their views of the changing landscapes with the actual recorded changes on the one hand, and with other significant changes on the other. Farmers in both areas emphasized the same type of structural changes in agriculture and in the villages as significant, whereas only farmers in Nees indicated that the landscape had changed. When asked to characterize the landscape, farmers in Nees replied with a greater degree of detail and were more locally focused compared to farmers in Hvorslev who mainly referred to (well known) sites located a few kilometres outside the area in question. Long-term experiences with landscape changes and collective actions concerning landscape issues are suggested as the main reasons that farmers in Nees share a well developed awareness of their local landscape. We conclude by discussing some implications of this study for landscape research and policy.

Planning approaches for rurban areas: Case studies from Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 109(1):15–32, 2009 Urban growth and sprawl have long put pressure on rural areas, leading to a growing zone of ‘rurban areas’ where a multitude of functions, urban or rural, compete for land. The development is acknowledged in European spatial planning documents, which also recommend common solutions. E.g. the spatial policy discussed and recommended in the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) emphasises the compact city concept, rural-urban linkages and conservation of nature and cultural heritage. This paper compares planning practice for rurban areas in three cases: Roskilde municipality (Denmark), Staffanstorp municipality (Sweden) and Werv-area (the Netherlands). All three areas belong to the rurban zone and are selected to exemplify pro-active planning. The analysis focuses on how the concept of compact city is perceived and implemented, how rurban areas are managed in order to avoidfurther urban encroachment, and how resilient green landscapes are ensured. The results reveal significant differences in approaches, reflecting variations in the public involvement in rurban areas development, the role of different administrative levels and the use of zonation. Variation in the use of zonation encapsulates important differences between the cases: pre-zonation based on local discretion (Sweden), zonation based on national legislation and principles with little room of manoeuvre for the municipality (Denmark) and post-zonation with deliberate introduction of urban elements in rural areas and negotiations between stakeholders (the Netherlands).

From agriculture to nature – a study of drivers of land use change in a peri-urban landscape

In this article, we investigate drivers behind land use changes in a peri-urban landscape. The research focuses on the motives and factors behind landowners’ decision-making in relation to land use changes, with the objective of improving our knowledge of the dynamics of land use change processes on farmland. An actor-centred conceptual framework is developed on the basis of the concept of lenses of decision-making. Data on farm and farmer characteristics were collected through a survey conducted in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark, a peri-urban landscape with a high level of landscape dynamics. A logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship between nine purposively selected farm and farmer characteristics and the landscape activities of 93 landowners in the municipality. The results indicate that small farms, farms without livestock and landowners with a basic level of education are less likely to engage in landscape activities. A cluster analysis was used to analyse patterns of motives associated with land use changes. The results correspond with the intrinsic interests and family considerations suggested in the lenses of the decision-making framework, and in addition shows that the desire to improve the qualities of the property was the dominant motive.

Drivers of European landscape change: stakeholders’ perspectives through Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping

Abstract Understanding complex processes of landscape change is crucial to guide the development of future landscapes and land resources. Through Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, we studied the processes of landscape change of six different environmental zones in Europe. Results show that landscapes are complex systems, with many interactions. Except for one, all regions show a strong decline in landscape quality. Dominant drivers are EU policy and the global economy, sometimes in conjunction with environmental drivers or the governance system. The process of change differs for all cases, through urbanisation or land abandonment in some cases, and agricultural intensification in others. The (un)intended effects of policies are difficult to predict. Although some EU Policies directly improve landscape quality, their indirect effects as well as other EU policies outweigh this positive influence and jointly result in a decrease of landscape quality. To counter these negative side effects, targeted landscape policies are urgently needed.