Sustainable Land Use Development Research Articles

Defining the measures to rationally manage the sustainable development of agricultural land use

The issue of socio-economic development of rural areas was explored. It was substantiated that the state policy should be aimed at mobilizing labor, financial, material and organizational resources, strengthening the social security of rural population, rehabilitation of social infrastructure, development of entrepreneurship, and maintaining ecological stability. It was proved that within the integrated management of the development of rural areas, the development of the system of local self-government in rural territory communities requires special attention. The factors that led to an unprecedented socio-economic and ecological crisis in agricultural land use were explored. Based on the solution of the optimization problem, the negative trends in the dynamics of key indicators of agricultural production, determined especially clearly on the basis of the results of the correlation data analysis. The obtained mathematical model of the dynamics makes it possible to foresee the consequences of unsustainable management of the development and even to predict the sad ending, unless certain priority factors of management are accepted. The prediction based on such a mathematical model of dynamics can be made by any indicators of agricultural production. It was noted that the modern period of development of land relations in rural areas will be able to satisfy the interests of the peasants only on condition of harmonious combination of economy of different spheres of activity in rural areas, which are reinforced one after another. The innovative approach to ensuring deficit-free balance of humus in soil as a condition for the sustainable development of agricultural land use was substantiated. It was determined that the policy, aimed at the environmental land use stabilization is based on the development of organizational-legal forms of economy of a cooperative type, based on the common share ownership of land plots of land share owners.

ALGORITHM FOR CALCULATING THE NORMATIVE AREA OF AN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE LAND PLOT

In the article, the problem of finding justified approaches aimed at achieving sustainable development of urban land use is presented. In Ukraine, as in many post-Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, the transition to market relations has led to a change in production technologies, a reduction in the capacity or the termination of the functioning of industrial enterprises within settlements, but the parameters of land use remained unchanged. However, today, most of the especially large cities face the problem of lack of available land for its normal development. There are trends in the reduction of green zones and building compaction, etc. Based on the results of the established sizes of normative land plots, tax regulation of land use it is proposed to levy a tax in a fivefold amount for a portion of the land plots granted to enterprises, institutions and organizations (except agricultural land) exceeding the standards of land allotment. In the case of the excess of establishing territory for enterprises, institutions and organizations and refusal to pay increased tax, it is possible to optimize the land use by means of an equivalent exchange. Based on the results of the conducted studies it was established that when determining the area of a land plot for an industrial enterprise, the main technical characteristic is its capacity. Modelling is carried out on the basis of data on typical sizes of land plots and enterprise capacities. It is established that a linear regression reliably approximates the dependence of the area on the capacity of the enterprise according to calculations. A detailed analysis shows that for low-capacity enterprises their area will be more reliably determined by non- linear dependence.

The way forward confronting eco-environmental challenges during land-use practices: a bibliometric analysis.

With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, land-use practice, while satisfying the ever-increasing desires of our material civilisation in the short term, may undermine natural ecosystems on a local, regional and global scale in the long run. Innovative and sustainable land-use practices should be developed in response, so that eco-environmental problems can assessed and dealt with during the whole process of land-use planning, construction, operation, maintenance and management. Using a bibliometric analysis, this study has traced global trends in land-use research from 1992 to 2016, as indexed in the Science Citation Index EXPANDED (SCI-EXPANDED) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). A novel method called 'word cluster analysis' has revealed that hotspot analysis is one of the emerging techniques, tools and strategies used to respond to, improve, and protect deteriorating ecosystems during land use. Based on involving various elements, the emerging analytical techniques and tools, including geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, have attracted attention for their ability to assess and solve increasingly serious eco-environmental problems, such as climate change, deforestation, soil erosion, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and eutrophication. Ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and sustainable development are also potential resilience strategies used to confront eco-environmental destruction. The maximum benefits that can be derived from natural ecosystems should be pursued to achieve environmentally sustainable land-use development, strengthening the socio-economy and eco-environment, as well as enhancing the well-being of people and nature.

Assessment of ecological and economic efficiency of agricultural lands preservation

The article substantiates the necessity to define and generalize the criteria for assessing the ecological and economic efficiency of using agricultural lands. Due to the transition of the agro-industrial complex to private forms of management, the problems of forming a strategy of rational, ecologically safe and sustainable development of land use in Ukrainian agriculture became of paramount importance. Therefore, systematic studies on the assessment of the ecological and economic efficiency of the agricultural land use need to be conducted. Harmonization of ecological and economic interests is of particular importance in the context of ensuring the conservation, resource-saving and reproductive nature of the agricultural land exploitation.A scientific study found that in Ukraine, the agrarian sector of the economy provides about 47% of GDP, but the question arises: At what price are these achievements given to us? Agricultural land development exceeds environmentally sound standards. Excessive cultivation of the territory leads to an annual increase of eroded lands by 80-90 thousand hectares. Land use is recognized as environmentally unstable, and there is a steady tendency to deteriorate the quality of soil. Each second hectare of cultivated land is erosion-hazardous, that is, these soils are subject to water and wind erosion. In this regard, it is recommended to introduce the world-wide experience of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), which provides an opportunity to provide food security to the country and to limit the negative impact of the environment, based on the introduction of organic production.It is proved that regardless of the size of farms and forms of management using resource-saving no-till technologies, enterprises received low cost of grown products, providing profitable activities. Ecological compatibility of the technology provides energy savings of at least 30% in comparison with traditional farming systems, the accumulation of not less than 30-40% of plant residues on the soil surface after harvesting of the predecessor, provides protection of the soil from wind and water erosion by minimizing the amount and depth of technological operations.It is confirmed that the most widespread evaluation of the agricultural lands use is the evaluation of the results of their use through volumes of gross and commodity products, income, and production profitability. The criteria for the environmental effectiveness of agricultural land use should be: the degree of functional use of land resources, ecological stability, the level of anthropogenic loading, the degree of erosional feature of land, etc.According to the study results, it was established that one of the main areas of agriculture is the application of minimal tillage in crop rotation, i.e. resource-saving no-till technology.The economic feasibility of technologies based on the use of different soil tillage systems has been confirmed.

Assessing Impervious Surface Changes in Sustainable Coastal Land Use: A Case Study in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, reclamation is the main method for developing new land use areas as most country parks and mountains are protected under a land policy that emphasizes conservation for their high ecological value. Therefore, the land use for urbanized area in Hong Kong is limited, which has become an issue of concern. Hong Kong’s population is increasing; however, the amount of available land use is insufficient to meet the demand. Developing a high density of buildings is one of the critical strategies of Hong Kong’s government. Highly dense development may result in an urban heat island as well as health problems. In this study, we present an assessment of urban impervious surface changes in coastal megacities like Hong Kong based on satellite images. Landsat satellite images are employed to analyze urban impervious surface changes from 1995 to 2015 in coastal urban areas of Hong Kong. The results show that the increase of impervious surface area is almost the same as the increase in land reclamation area. This suggests that Hong Kong’s land use policy, which underlines conservation for high ecological value and reclamation, may be able to maintain its sustainable development of coastal land use.

A GIS-based quantitative geo-environmental evaluation for land-use development in an urban area: Shunyi New City, Beijing, China

Urbanization is considered high priority in China. The present study focuses on a novel Geographical Information System-based approach to quantitatively assess the geo-environmental conditions for sustainable land-use development of an urban area. Fuzzy theories with analytic hierarchy processes are the most commonly used tools for land-use suitability evaluation. In fuzzy theories, a pattern recognition model is one of the tiny minority of models which can quantify the result. However, the key challenge is to provide each influencing factor with a quantitative value and selecting an approriate model to calculate the site’s adaptability for different infrastructures. The present study first proposes an approach coupling geostatistical analysis with three-dimensional visualizing technology to establish a reliable geological structural and high-precision informative geotechnical model to comprehensively understand the subsurface conditions of the research area. Then, an approach which uses an improved fuzzy pattern recognition method combining reliable geotechnical parameters to evaluate the geological environment is conducted. The weighting of each influencing factor in the final result is determined by an analytic hierarchy process. Finally, a zoning map of site adaptability is formed in the Geographical Information System for guiding land-use development. The study area is one of the most promising areas for urban and economic as well as airport developments in China, which is located on the northeast of Capital Beijing. This area may face several geo-environmental problems that will limit its suitability for infrastructure projects. The resultant models demonstrate the appropriate application of the presented methodologies. The quantified evaluation of the geo-environment could be combined with other conditions to provide decision-makers with improved reasonable land-use suitability scenarios.

Sustainability impact assessment of peatland-use scenarios: Confronting land use supply with demand

Sustainable development of land use is determined by changes of the regional supply of Land Use Functions (LUFs) and the demand of future societal land use claims. LUFs are based on the ecosystem services concept, but more adapted to human land use. In this paper, we assessed two peatland-use scenarios towards sustainable development in Northeast Germany in order to understand their impacts on LUFs and land use claims. For this, we extended an analytical framework designed to confront LUFs with land use claims identified in multi-level stakeholder strategies in a participatory manner. The sustainability assessment was performed with peatland-use scenarios “Services for services” and “Market determines usage” that favoured environmental and economic land use claims, respectively. Findings revealed possible trade-offs between land use claims for biomass production and regional value creation as well as for peatlands` carbon and nutrient sink, and habitat functions. The core achievement is an extended sustainability assessment framework integrating land use demands of multi-level stakeholder strategies into participatory impact assessment, in a way that land use claims serve as benchmarks for LUFs. This facilitates the understanding of sustainable land use in both supply and demand perspective, and the normative evaluation of ecosystem services.

Regional variation in the dynamics of Estonia's coastal landscapes

Ratas, U., Rivis, R., Kont, A., Tõnisson, H., Vilumaa, K., Anderson, A., Szava-Kovats, R.,2014. Regional variation in the dynamics of Estonia's coastal landscapes. In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 139–144, ISSN 0749-0208.The coastal landscapes of Estonia are young (less than 10,000 years old). Their development is affected by the Baltic Sea, by pre-existing geomorphology and by regional tectonic uplift. Since emerging from the sea ~5,000 years ago, the coastal landscapes have been evolving under regressive sea conditions. The landscape diversity is greatest on coasts with variable topographies and those exposed to wind and waves. Low and flat parts of the coast, which are seasonally inundated, exhibit less variable landscapes. Landscape changes in coastal areas no longer affected directly by the sea have been caused largely by human activity. Abrupt socio-political and economic changes over the last century led to a cessation of traditional land use during the Soviet era with urban sprawl and expansion of recreation areas after re-independence in the beginning of the 1990s. The aim of this paper is to analyze the structure, formation conditions, and the velocity and extent of change in coastal landscapes (for both natural and human-induced impacts) along different coastal regions of Estonia. The Estonian coast can be divided into four distinct regions: 1) Gulf of Finland; 2) Baltic Proper; 3) Gulf of Livonia and 4) Coast of Väinameri, making it possible to compare the influence of sea exposure, geological structure, vegetation, soil productivity, age of human settlements and character of land use on the development of coastal landscapes. The results of the current study are applicable to coastal conservation, to the development of sustainable coastal land use and to the facilitation of transnational tourism.

Causal chains, policy trade offs and sustainability: Analysing land (mis)use in seven countries in the South

The need to enhance sustainable development of land use is more urgent than ever; specifically in developing countries where poverty and land degradation are often interlinked. To promote a common understanding of land use problems by experts, stakeholders and decision makers, it is essential to understand the system characteristics, including the complex feedbacks between drivers and impacts. To enhance sustainable development, appropriate policies need to be identified. In this paper, we analysed and compared seven case studies in Kenya, Mali, Tunisia, China, India, Indonesia and Brazil, representing different biophysical and socio-economic conditions and challenges. We analysed Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) story lines of the land use problems, policy priorities and value trade-offs as identified by stakeholders and experts in National Policy Forums. Important drivers of land use change impacting main land use problems among the case studies were economic growth, technological development, immigration and agricultural intensification, in addition to existing policies. Of the latter the most important were related to domestic support through various forms of subsidies or access to credit, land tenure polices and liberalization policies. In the policy prioritization, the value trade-offs made by the National Policy Forums emphasize the environment rather than increased economic production. It is recognized that the environment needs to be improved to maintain and improve economic production in the long term, both in agriculture and in other sectors.

Participatory evaluation of regional light rail scenarios: A Flemish case on sustainable mobility and land-use

Abstract Rail transit is generally acknowledged as an alternative transport mode in contributing towards sustainable mobility. In addition to minimising negative externalities, rail transit has sustainable land-use opportunities to integrate transport- and spatial planning. The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of integrative light rail scenarios and their ability to curtail private vehicle driven urban sprawl in the Flemish rhombus. The paper proposes three light rail scenarios: an infrastructural scenario; tramification scenario; and spatial rail scenario, each covering a specific landscape structure to reorganise the dispersed spatial environment in Flanders in the long-term. We used the participatory multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) which incorporates the objectives of all involved stakeholders to assess the impact of the scenarios. The infrastructural alternative scenario gained most support among the involved stakeholders, on the grounds of improved multimodality, enhanced user amenities, reduced implementation costs, moderated greenhouse gas emissions and mitigated infrastructural barrier effects. Despite the merits of the infrastructural scenario in terms of stakeholder objectives, few possibilities are included to elaborate upon sustainable land-use development. In response to the low performance of this assessment criterion, catalyst measures are discussed to support the implementation.

Sustainable urban development and the multi-level transition perspective

This article discusses some challenges and possible adaptations of transition theory as a framework for analyzing the prospects for environmentally more sustainable development of urban land use and transport infrastructure. Rather than depending first and foremost on niche innovations, a transition toward sustainable urban development is a matter of changing the composition of existing multi-segmented land use and transportation regimes. Those well-experienced forms of built environment and transport infrastructure that are in line with sustainability objectives should be strengthened while those that are not should be actively constrained and reduced. Urban development in a Danish provincial city is used as a case to illustrate some of the points made in the theoretical part of the article. Due to the wide gap between present conditions and those required to realize a sustainable urban development, more attention should be directed toward landscape level conditions and possibilities for changing them.

Sustainable Planning for Environmental Sensitive Area using Multi Criteria\Multi Objective Spatial Analysis: Case Study El-Dabaa, Egypt

Planning for a sustainable development of land use requires a set of factors that represent technical, bio-geophysical and socioeconomic aspects. Maintaining balance between society’s demands and environmental conservation requirements is the core issue of sustainable planning of land use. Many tools have been developed to aid in the implementation of such balance, including linear programming, computer simulation and other analysis support tools. Most of these tools are suitable for the economic analysis of sustainable planning in many fields, but in the field of land use allocation, the spatial approach is considered as the key player in academic research and executive proceedings. In this paper, a methodology is developed to solve the problem of land use allocation considering both bio-geophysical and socioeconomic aspects in a pilot area – El Daba’a Region in the north western coast of Egypt. This methodology attempts to develop a set of criteria for each land use by the stakeholder participation. It was used to map the suitability of each land use activity using a multi-criteria approach. The priorities of land use activities were defined by the stakeholder participation and then used to create a multi-objective land use allocation map. The developed map is considered as a base map for sustainable land use processes.

Caracterização de neossolos regolíticos da região semiárida do Estado de Pernambuco

Estudos de caracterização de solos em regiões ainda pouco exploradas, além de disponibilizarem e ampliarem a base de informações sobre as mais distintas ordens de solos do território nacional, também permitem sistematizar informações sobre suas propriedades, que poderão servir de subsídio para o desenvolvimento de práticas de manejo e uso sustentável das terras. Entre os principais solos recorrentes na região semiárida pernambucana, destacam-se os Neossolos Regolíticos, os quais perfazem aproximadamente 27 % da superfície do Estado e recobrem importantes áreas voltadas à produção agrícola, especialmente à agricultura familiar. Considerando a possibilidade de ocorrência de Neossolos Regolíticos com distintas propriedades físicas, químicas ou mineralógicas, em razão da existência de distintos contextos geológicos e climáticos ao longo do Estado de Pernambuco, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar física, química e mineralogicamente Neossolos Regolíticos ao longo da região semiárida do Estado de Pernambuco, bem como relacionar os solos com sua litologia. Para isso, foram selecionados cinco perfis de Neossolos Regolíticos em diversos municípios do Estado de Pernambuco (P1=São Caetano, P2=Lagoa do Ouro, P3=Caetés, P4=São João e P5=Parnamirim). Os perfis foram descritos morfologicamente, coletando-se amostras de todos os horizontes do solo e da rocha do embasamento. Foram realizadas análises físicas e químicas para fins de classificação de solos, análises mineralógicas das frações grossas (cascalho e areia) por microscopia óptica e das frações silte e argila por difração de raios X, além de análises petrográficas das amostras de rochas. De acordo com os resultados, observou-se a ocorrência de solos semelhantes e com pequeno grau de desenvolvimento pedogenético, variando de medianamente a muito profundos, com sequência de horizontes A-AC-C e Cr e textura arenosa a média. Dois perfis apresentaram caráter solódico em profundidade. Todos os solos apresentaram baixos teores de matéria orgânica e P disponível. Apesar dos baixos teores de cátions trocáveis, todos os perfis são eutróficos. A assembleia mineralógica das frações cascalho, areia e silte é constituída essencialmente por quartzo, seguido de feldspatos e mica, corroborando a constituição petrográfica analisada. A caulinita é o principal argilomineral da fração argila em todos os perfis e horizontes estudados, indicando um importante processo de monossialitização em solos autóctones, em clima caracteristicamente semiárido. No perfil P2, devido à posição mais baixa do solo na paisagem, ocorreram minerais esmectíticos com misturas de fases entre montmorilonita, beidelita ou nontronita, identificados pela análise de DRX, empregando o teste de Greene-Kelly.

An evaluation framework for the sustainability of urban land use: A study of capital cities and municipalities in China

The urban land use involves more severe sustainability challenges than agricultural land use. An effective approach for evaluating urban land use is essential for meeting this challenge to improve efficient land use management. This approach must fit into a coherent conceptual and analytical framework covering different aspects, including social, economic, environmental and rational land use structure. A major problem with this is the lack of the evaluation approach for objectively evaluating the sustainability of urban land use in practice. In this paper, an evaluation system for the sustainability of urban land use (ESULU) is presented aimed at rectifying this situation. This is based on 13 indicators drawn from previous literatures in consultation with a group of experts in this field. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is applied to assist in identifying the major factors for evaluating the sustainability of urban land use. Examination of the results provides a grouping analysis of the capital cities and municipalities, indicating a general disproportion between coastal and interior urban cities in China. The findings lead to further suggestions and recommendations for central and local government to design relevant policy in achieving the sustainable development of urban land use and planning.

Sustainable land-use planning: revitalising a flood prone office park

This paper describes an applied research project that used a sustainable land-use planning approach to examine flood hazard mitigation alternatives in a 536-acre developed office park complex. A watershed-wide assessment including floodplain remapping and modelling of low-impact and large stormwater improvements throughout the upper watershed revealed limited impact on reducing flooding downstream in the environs of the office park during large storms. Thus emphasis had to be given to recommending retroactive sustainable land-use development actions such as relocating buildings and roadways out of the 100-year floodplain, which involves creating a mixed-use overlay district on high elevations, and restoring the floodplain.

Simulation of firms as a planning support system to limit urban sprawl of jobs

Besides the urban sprawl of housing, many regions suffer from an employment shift from city centres to the suburbs. A simulation model has been developed that analyses alternative strategies for limiting the suburbanisation of employment. It applies microsimulation by representing single businesses individually. The establishment, growth, decline, closure, and relocation of firms are simulated. The model was implemented in the urban region of Dortmund in Germany. Zoning, transport, and tax-related policies were tested and compared to estimate their likely success in fostering a more sustainable land-use development. The analyses reveal that a regionally coordinated approach would be the most successful policy option for reducing the urban sprawl of employment. Benefits and drawbacks of using microsimulation for business modeling are discussed.

A Relational Indicatorset Model for urban land-use planning and management: Methodological approach and application in two case studies

Urban land-use planning and management are in constant mutation throughout the world. With sustainability as the goal, the use of indicators for land auditing and monitoring is becoming more and more in demand. Classical approaches elaborate core sets of indicators by picking the most relevant elements in exhaustive lists. More recently, a few structured research approaches consider the set of indicators as a whole, following the concepts of systemics, and so highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the sets. Starting from the principle that the relevance of an indicator is due not only to its intrinsic qualities, but also to its placement and relationships with the other indicators in the collection, this paper proposes a systemic method, named Relational Indicatorset Model (RIM), for the elaboration of a set of indicators for management support. The RIM method starts with the a priori definitions of the goals and users’ purpose (RIM-objectives), and then chooses indicators to reflect the objectives on representing the distribution of indicators in a relational graph (RIM graph). The graph modeling allows analyzing the match between the indicatorset and the defined objectives, as well as the interrelationships between the indicators. The analysis is made easier by breaking down the RIM graph following two projections: the first one (RIM-4D) highlights the distribution of the indicators in a multidimensional graph with respect to the objectives; the second one (RIM-IR) focuses on the interrelationships and offers the possibility of formalizing the causal interactions and the aggregational relationships between the indicators, following a qualitative approach. The RIM is applied to the design of sets of spatial and non-spatial indicators for the cities of Thies (Senegal) and of Geneva (Switzerland) to emphasize the potential of the method. It opens up interesting possibilities for application to all sets of indicators for sustainable land-use development. It also contributes to the creation of observatories for city management, instruments used to monitor and control the urban sustainable development.