Land Policies in Europe Land-Use Planning, Property Rights, and Spatial Development

Land is a scarce resource. How can conflicting claims to land be reconciled? How can more housing be provided and, at the same time, the ecological goal of reducing land take be met? In many European countries, land-use planning is facing increasing and oftentimes contradictory challenges. This forms a land question, which requires land policies that can deal with the fraught relationship between planning and private property rights. A legislative

reflex is to adapt planning laws. Oftentimes, such changes lack a deeper reflection of land policy and its implications. Especially an international comparison can foster a structured reflection of the own land policy.

This thought-provoking book compiles a remarkable collection of 12 cases unveiling how land policies work. Curated by leading experts in the field, it takes the reader on a journey through the multifaceted realm of land policies across the continent. This book offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between land use, and property rights. "Land Policies in Europe" isn't just a book; it's a conversation starter equally relevant for experienced academics or young students, policymakers, and practitioners.

This is an open access book.

Part A:Opening.- Land Policy vs. Land Policies.- Part B – Country Cases.- Land Policy in Belgium: how to limit land take in a “landowners’ paradise”?.- Land Policy in Czechia – When underregulation brings more conflicts.- Land Policy in England: maintaining equilibrium in a contested system.- Land Policy in Finland - Public land development still standing strong, even on brownfield land.-Land Policy in France: Tensions between national policies and local practice.- Land policy in Germany - waiting for the owner to develop.- Land Policy in Norway – Exploring the boundaries of planning striving for density and car-free living.- Land Policy in Poland – Evolution of the liberalisation of urban planning and policy making.- Land policy in Sweden – The paradoxical difficulty of creating affordable hous-ing at the intersection of municipal land allocation, local planning and housing policy.- Land Policy in Switzerland – A renewed interest in public land-ownership to support land-use planning.- Land Policy in the Netherlands: an Ambiguous Utopia on the Move.-PartC:Reflections.- Chapters of land.- Land Development in Land Policy Processes: Actors and the dominance of the Pipe-Line Effect.- A Reflection on Institutions of Land Policy.- Conclusion on land policies in Europe.

Thomas Hartmann is the chair of Land Policy, Land Management at the Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund University, Germany. Within his research on land policy, spatial planning and property rights, a special focus is on urban densification and climate adaptation.

Andreas Hengstermann is an associate professor at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning (BYREG) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway. His research focuses on comparative land policy, and the relation of planning law, property rights and planning theory.

Mathias Jehling is a senior researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Germany. His research interests include geographic information, regional settlement structures, urban densification, and institutionalist approaches to land policies.

Arthur Schindelegger is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Landscape Planning at the BOKU University in Vienna, Austria. His research focuses on spatial planning, land policy, and climate change adaptation.

Fabian Wenner is professor for sustainable urban development and alternative mobility concepts at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Wiesbaden, Germany. In his research, he combines land policy with transport planning, as well as new digital sources.