Session 1 - Montefiore

urban development plan and focused on the
objective of keeping the Munich region compact,
urban and green. Fundamental to the attainment of
the plan's objectives are a mix of policy initiatives
including the reuse of brownfield land, avoidance
of expansion, mixed land use development
integrating residential and commercial services,
improvement of public transport as well as
pedestrian and cycling facilities, and reinforcement
of regional cooperation.
The Munich case study clearly emphasises the
dominant role of local and regional policies in
defining the spatial organisation of cities and
regions. Munich has successfully adopted and
implemented a compact city model in the planning
of the city that has effectively contained urban
sprawl based on the following key objectives and
actions:
• integrated city development plan;
• regional cooperation;
• stakeholders' involvement in city planning;
• emphasis on reuse of vacant brownfields;
• continuously improving public transport with
as few new roads as possible;
• compact-urban-green — keep the city compact
and urban and green areas green;
• guarantee the necessary resources for
implementing the strategies of all relevant
policy areas (transport, housing etc.) for both
'business as usual' situations and through major
renovation projects.
The lessons from Munich can also provide the
good practice basis for sustainable development
that many other cities throughout Europe urgently
require.
As well as issues concerning the potential for
transfer of good practice experience, it is also clear
that conflict with policy objectives at national,
regional and local levels can also undermine local
efforts to combat urban sprawl. The role that EU
can play in combating sprawl should therefore be
set not only in the context of complementing what
is locally driven, but also proactively engaging
at all levels, given the evident potential for local
policy failure.
5.6 By way of conclusion — combat
against urban sprawl
Land use patterns across Europe show that
tensions are arising almost everywhere between
our need for resources and space and the capacity
Responses to urban sprawl
of the land to support and absorb this need. Urban
development is the main driver.
Throughout Europe in the 1990s, changes in land
cover were mainly characterised by increases
in urban and other artificial land development
and forest area, at the expense of agricultural
and natural areas. Anticipated growth of the
urban population by 5 % in the coming decade,
will further fuel these trends. Globalisation,
transport networks, socio-demographic changes,
societal aspirations for the 'urban culture' and
uncoordinated land-planning mechanisms
at various levels are the main sources of the
environmental unsustainability of our cities.
Scientists, planners and policy-makers are
becoming increasingly aware that adequate
decisions on urban development cannot be made
solely at the local level. This is especially important
in a European context where more and more urban
areas are becoming connected in order to realise
common objectives, such as the Lisbon agenda for
growth and competitiveness.
The history of human culture suggests that
'landscape' is one of the earliest and most
obvious concepts for perceiving and describing
our changing environment, be it artificial or
not. It is at the landscape level that changes of
land use, naturalness, culture and character
become meaningful and recognisable for human
interpretation. In that sense, landscape is as much
vision as it is reality.
The way we perceive landscapes, the attraction
we feel for some of them, and our feelings when
conflicts arise over the use of land, are all matters
of extreme importance for conservation and
future human welfare. A landscape is essentially
a photograph of what is going on; it reveals, in
short, who we are. With urban sprawl-generated
landscapes in continuous flux, we indeed reveal a
lot about the footprints we will be leaving for the
next generations.
The present report demonstrates, in this context,
the potential for local policy to be isolated in
overcoming the serious impacts of urban sprawl
throughout Europe, a fact which highlights the
requirement for urgent action by all responsible
agencies and stakeholders. The EU governance
white paper defines the preconditions for good
governance emphasising the need to assess
whether action is needed at the EU level and the
principles for action when required.
Urban sprawl in Europe 45