Søren Pilgaard Kristensen

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.

Farmers as initiators and farms as attractors for non-agricultural economic activities in peri-urban areas in Denmark

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 107(2):13–27, 2007 Changes in rural economy have been conceptualized as a post-pro-ductivistic transition with growing importance of non-agricultural economic activities as an important component. It is here hypothesized that these activities are profound in peri-urban areas and the importance of non-agricultural activities—here defined as on-farm business structure diversification—has been investigated on farm properties in an agricultural area in the vicinity of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has been explored what types of farm household adopt on-farm business structure diversification, and whether these activities evolved while living on the farm (farmers as initiators) or if opportunities for diversification were an important rationale for buying the farm property (farms as attractors). The case study area has 169 registered farm properties, and statistical inquiry (of business register information), questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews have been performed. The results show that agriculture is absent as an economic activity on half of the 169 farm properties. On a third of the farm properties, the buildings or their close surroundings are used for on-farm business structure diversification. It is a heterogeneous group of farmers that adopt diversification strategies, but especially the situation “farm as attractors” concerns many newcomers: They are attracted by the opportunities that the farm offers for economic activities traditionally located in urban areas. However, the attractor perspective is usually combined with other reasons for farm purchase. The total number of jobs generated by on-farm business structure diversification exceeds the employment in traditional farming. It is concluded that the peri-urban area to a certain extent has been transformed into a functionally urbanized countryside though it is still dominated by agricultural land use.

Exploring local rural landscape changes in Denmark: A human-environmental timeline perspective

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 109(1):47–67, 2009 The intensification of agriculture was a key driver behind rural landscape changes in Europe during the 20th century, with severe environmental impacts. This paper investigates land use changes in a rural landscape with contrasting biophysical potential for agricultural production in western Denmark in a 136 year period (1870–2006). The purpose is to explore links between drivers of landscape change and observed changes during this period as well as to document the spatial variability of landscape changes. The analysis is based on a longitudinal case study of Gadbjerg and Givskud parishes. A heuristic framework, the coupled human-environmental timeline, is used to examine the environmental history of rural landscape in order to highlight the co-evolution of the land use dynamics and major socio-economic, technological and legislative events. Land use patterns are analysed by use of topographical maps from 1870, 1950 and 2006. Additional information is drawn from comprehensive interview-based studies conducted in 1973 and 1997. Change detection is performed by a simple GIS overlay analysis. The analysis reveals that the cultivated area has remained very constant during the period, while important shifts have occurred in other land use categories. In general, uncultivated areas have disappeared (heath land and wetlands) while afforestation on former heath land and hedgerow planting has increased the wooded character of the area.

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.

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.

Gadbjerg and Givskud revisited - changes in agricultural structure in two parishes in central Jutland between 1973 and 1997

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 99: 69–80, 1999 The agricultural sector in Denmark has experienced drastic structural changes since World War 2 which have reduced the number of farms from 200.000 in 1960 to 63.000 in 1997. This article analyses the changes in agricultural structure at a local scale, comparing key farm parameters for farmers in Gadbjerg and Givskud parishes in central Jutland in 1973 and 1997. It was found that the proportion of full-time farmers has declined from 77% to 41%, and that the dominant farm type changed from farm with mixed animal production to farms without animals. It is concluded that the drive towards a bipolarization of the farming community into large full-time farms and small hobby farms which is a common development in Denmark for the period was more pronounced in Gadbjerg and Givskud parishes. Farmers have followed different pathways of development to adapt to the variable farming conditions, with the adoption of part-time farming being a ve...

The sustainability of cassava-based bioethanol production in southern Mali

The demand for biofuels has been rising, which has led developing countries to focus on production of feedstocks for biodiesel and bioethanol production. This has caused concerns for the impacts on food security, food prices and environmental sustainability. This paper examines a hypothetical case of cassava-based bioethanol production in southern Mali, assessing its environmental, economic and social sustainability. Results demonstrate that environmental sustainability of cassava-based bioethanol production depends on the ‘baseline’ chosen: Compared to the situation before the decline in cotton production 10 years ago, the carbon stocks will increase. However, if compared to the current situation, where considerable carbon stocks have accumulated in fallow fields, the loss of carbon will be substantial. Increased cassava production will create greater incomes and better temporal distribution of labour input. Analysis of the significance of current cassava production for food security shows that bioethanol production should be based on the attiéké variety of cassava, thereby avoiding interference with the important role of the bonouma in assuring food security in northern Mali. The key factor determining the economic feasibility is whether local farmers will be willing to supply cassava at a realistic price. The results indicate that this is likely to be the case.