This is undoubtedly an area characterised by complex trade-offs.
Some people prefer living close to nature, rather than in a compacturban setting. Equally, governments often impose restrictions on
the height of new buildings to preserve a city's cultural identity and
urban environment — and these are undoubtedly characteristics that
are valued by inhabitants and contribute to well-being. At the same
time, it is important to recognise that such restrictions can also greatly
increase the cost of housing in city centres (particularly impacting
Spatial planning must be truly integrated, aiming at optimising
economic development opportunities and ecosystem services,
reducing human exposure to multiple environmental pressures, and
reducing social inequities. The challenge is to design a future urban
environment with broad public appeal, meeting the evolving needs of
the population.
In the current EU governance model, spatial planning is the remit of
the Member States, not the EU institutions. Nevertheless, more and
more building blocks for spatial planning (and 'boundary conditions'
that limit what can be done) arise from European environmental
legislation, such as the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework
Directive. The European Commission's recently adopted strategy on
green infrastructure (EC, 2013e) provides opportunities to integrate
them into a common approach.
Regarding the construction materials used for housing, there is some
scope for increasing the share of renewables (primarily wood) in the
EU as a whole, but the resource base poses limits. Given the high
harvest rates in important European wood-producing countries such
as Sweden and Finland (EEA, 2009a), a substantial intensification of
production appears unrealistic. Increased reliance on imports is likely
to pose problems as well, given global deforestation rates.
The potential for increasing recycling rates of construction materials,
on the other hand, appears considerable judging by the highly
variable recycling rates in European countries. The Waste Framework
Directive (EU, 2008b) sets an EU recycling target for construction and
demolition waste of 70 % by 2020. Although these national datasets
are not necessarily complete and comparable, they point at differences
in governance and market regulation, with market-based incentives
— such as taxation of construction and demolition waste — probably
playing a major role.poorer households) and drive urban sprawl.
This is undoubtedly an area characterised by complex trade-offs.
Some people prefer living close to nature, rather than in a compacturban setting. Equally, governments often impose restrictions on
the height of new buildings to preserve a city's cultural identity and
urban environment — and these are undoubtedly characteristics that
are valued by inhabitants and contribute to well-being. At the same
time, it is important to recognise that such restrictions can also greatly
increase the cost of housing in city centres (particularly impacting
Spatial planning must be truly integrated, aiming at optimising
economic development opportunities and ecosystem services,
reducing human exposure to multiple environmental pressures, and
reducing social inequities. The challenge is to design a future urban
environment with broad public appeal, meeting the evolving needs of
the population.
In the current EU governance model, spatial planning is the remit of
the Member States, not the EU institutions. Nevertheless, more and
more building blocks for spatial planning (and 'boundary conditions'
that limit what can be done) arise from European environmental
legislation, such as the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework
Directive. The European Commission's recently adopted strategy on
green infrastructure (EC, 2013e) provides opportunities to integrate
them into a common approach.
Regarding the construction materials used for housing, there is some
scope for increasing the share of renewables (primarily wood) in the
EU as a whole, but the resource base poses limits. Given the high
harvest rates in important European wood-producing countries such
as Sweden and Finland (EEA, 2009a), a substantial intensification of
production appears unrealistic. Increased reliance on imports is likely
to pose problems as well, given global deforestation rates.
The potential for increasing recycling rates of construction materials,
on the other hand, appears considerable judging by the highly
variable recycling rates in European countries. The Waste Framework
Directive (EU, 2008b) sets an EU recycling target for construction and
demolition waste of 70 % by 2020. Although these national datasets
are not necessarily complete and comparable, they point at differences
in governance and market regulation, with market-based incentives
— such as taxation of construction and demolition waste — probably
playing a major role.poorer households) and drive urban sprawl.
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