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Data ambiguity and invalidity can cause significant expensive issues in the cadastral domain (e.g. legal disputes). An automated data validation can significantly help to reduce the potential issues. Quality assurance has been comprehensively investigated in various domains, however, the validation of 3D cadastral data is still in its early development. The availability of various regular and irregular shapes for 3D cadastral objects and modern building designs has resulted in a critical need for developing validation rules to ensure data validity and quality. The land registry in Victoria, Australia, is investigating the technical requirements for implementing a 3D digital cadastre. The study of 3D cadastral data validation requirements has been part of this ongoing investigation. This study is being undertaken in three main phases including 1) developing geometrical validation rules, 2) developing non-geometrical validation rules, 3) implementing an online service to validate 3D cadastral data. This paper aims to discuss the initial outcomes of the first phase of the aforementioned study which has focused on developing geometrical validation rules for 3D cadastral objects. The paper reviews the development of four geometrical validation rules which have been formalised using mathematical expressions to check the individual 3D parcels and their relationships with adjoining or neighbouring parcels. The first validation rule checks the compatibility of the cancelled parcel against the created parcels. The second rule deals with parcel collision detection which is required for flagging unacceptable intersection of 3D objects. The third rule ensures the faces forming a 3D parcel are flat. The fourth validation rule assures 3D objects are watertight. The paper concludes with a discussion around the impacts of the proposed validation checks on the subdivision process and future research for the Victorian 3D digital cadastre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As lifecycle emissions accounting becomes more widely used in policy, it is important to understand how it has been applied. This paper analyses policy-making for two U.S. fuel regulations—the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)—that were pioneering not only in using life cycle assessment (LCA) in performance-based environmental regulations, but especially for including emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC). The case studies in this paper focus, in particular, on the decision to include ILUC in lifecycle emissions accounting. Tracing the development of these policies shows the key role of environmental policy entrepreneurs in advocating for ILUC emissions accounting during policy formulation. Moreover, it highlights a paradox in the use of science: although ILUC policy proponents were motivated by best available research, they were also politically enabled by scientific uncertainty and lack of understanding. Understanding this political dimension of decision-making is valuable for scholars as well as practitioners facing similar decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent, consistent, and statistically reliable land use/ land cover area estimates are needed to assess land use change and greenhouse gas emissions associated with biofuel production and other land uses that are influenced by policy. As relevant studies have increased rapidly during past decades, the methods used to combine data extracted from land use land cover (LULC) surveys and remote sensing-based products and track or report sources of uncertainty vary notably. This paper reviews six data sources that are most commonly used to investigate LULC and change in the contiguous U.S. by highlighting the main characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and considering how uncertainty is assessed by the June Area Survey (JAS), the Census of Agriculture (COA), the Farm Survey Agency (FSA) acreage, the National Resources Inventory (NRI), the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI), and the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA); and two remote sensing-based data products, the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) and the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The summary and conclusion identify important research gaps or challenges limiting current land use/land cover and change studies (e.g., lack of high-quality reference data and uncertainty quantification, etc.) and opportunities and emerging techniques (data fusion and machine learning) that will improve reliability of land use/land cover assessments and associated policies. Blended approaches that marry high quality ground truth data that are more finely resolved than data supplied by government surveys with multitemporal imagery are needed track use of non-agricultural lands vulnerable to agricultural expansion. These considerations are notably important as the U.S. considers the renewal and possibly revision of its Renewable Fuel Standard, which includes provisions that require monitoring of agricultural land expansion. • Producers and consumers of land use change information rely on key data sources that are being continually updated and improved. • Strengths, weaknesses and data gaps associated with key survey and remote sensing products are reviewed. • Trust in land use and biofuels policies that are reliant on accurate land use allocation will increase with transparency and consistency in methods used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the applicability of different evaluation methods for commercial real estate with a short remaining period of land use rights, and believes that for some situations where renewal can be determined or the possibility of renewal is high, evaluate renewal's pricing should consider both the subsequent income value and the impact of renewal payment on the value, and it is not advisable to measure its value only by the remuneration capitalization approach (full remaining life model). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the variety of landscape software available, new tools keep being developed in order to improve the existing analytical capabilities. Scripts, packages, or standalone software are built to enhance performance, add features or fulfil specific needs. This paper introduces LDT4QGIS, an open-source tool built exclusively to operationalize the Landscape Dynamics Typology method. LDT4QGIS is a Python-based tool developed to assess the landscape composition and configuration and to classify different land cover / land-use changes using QGIS. By combining the metrics 'area' and 'number of patches', it is possible to define different patterns of landscape changes (types of dynamics). The tool, which uses vectorial binary landscapes, allows squares or irregular polygons to be used as analytical units. The end goal of the procedure is to assign a type of dynamic to each analytical unit. To do this, metrics and their variations are calculated and then combined through a series of queries and selections that operationalize the type of dynamic assignment. LDT4QGIS has additional functionalities that are computed at the class level; they are related to the calculation and spatially explicit representation of gained and lost areas, as well as perforations in the land cover under study. Depending on what functionalities are being used, two or three analytical moments are required as inputs. The outputs produced by LDT4QGIS can be used in landscape assessment procedures and therefore can be helpful to decision-makers, allowing them to better understand and anticipate the consequences of policies related to the use of the land. LDT4QGIS will be updated regularly and improved whenever we develop a new functionality, but the real strength of LDT4QGIS is that it is free and open-source, and it can be adapted by each user according to their own needs. This paper describes LDT4QGIS and includes three illustrative practical examples to demonstrate the variety of scripts and outputs. The first case study concerns the dynamics of grasslands in Slovenia, and it uses two analytical moments and squares as analytical units. The second example focuses on olive groves in Portugal; it uses administrative boundaries as analytical units and three analytical moments. The last example concerns forests in Germany and showcases additional features like the detection of gained areas, lost areas, and the associated dynamics. • We developed LDT4QGIS, a free and open-source landscape analysis tool for QGIS. • LDT4QGIS identifies types of dynamics based on landscape metrics' variations. • The outputs, filled attribute tables and maps, are easy to interpret. • LDT4QGIS will be continuously updated and improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how land-use management practices incorporate nature conservation concerns in four Norwegian rural municipalities. It focuses on nature conservation, which is vital both to maintain nature's ability to store carbon and to preserve ecosystems, as key aspects of the environmental dimension of sustainable development. The paper analyses the perceptions of local, regional and state stakeholders relating to four rural municipalities following diverging land-use trajectories. We find land policy in all four cases to be highly entangled with strategies to achieve growth in terms of income, job creation and population. When nature conservation was not in line with wider economic or social considerations, it was less integrated into land-policy practices. In three of the municipalities, the construction of residential units, holiday-homes or renewable energy parks was prioritized over the preservation of nature areas or cultural landscapes. One case presented a contrasting trajectory, as it involved a clear alignment between nature conservation and economic growth. Here, conservation was considered a key strategy to both sustain the traditional fishery industry and to accommodate the growing tourism. However, while this municipality's restrictive land use was based on a nature conservation understanding, it was also connected to the greenhouse-gas emissions, resource exhaustion and waste generation traditionally associated with international tourism. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of rural municipalities being equipped with sufficient resources if they are to prioritize environmental concerns over the economic and social dimensions of sustainability in their land-use management practices. • Sustainable land-use management in rural settings is understudied. • Nature conservation is vital to store carbon and to preserve ecosystems. • Nature conservation was integrated in land policy when in line with growth agendas. • Sustainability and non-sustainability may be differently linked at different scales. • Sustainable land use involves a mutual dependency across the levels of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper investigates the impact of highway extension on new building construction. • The investigation focuses on a project that aims to limit land use change. • The infrastructure increases the probability of construction on surrounding parcels. • The impact is spatially concentrated around the access ramp and along the highway. Despite its impact on both sprawl and carbon emissions, developing or expanding highway infrastructure remains the object of strong political support. Highway access provides important advantages for firms and households, generating powerful incentives to develop new built areas through the conversion of vacant land. Based on the case study of the expansion of Highway 30 on Montréal's South Shore region between 2000 and 2019, this paper investigates how new highway infrastructure impacts the construction of new industrial and commercial buildings on individual parcels. Using a panel dataset, an event study model is developed to estimate the impact of the proximity to highway access ramps on the probability of construction. Results show that highway infrastructure increases the probability of construction of new industrial and commercial buildings, even if public authorities aim to limit such possibilities by legal constraints and laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes and applies a novel interdisciplinary framework to study peri-urban land use dynamics in India, which is theoretically embedded in the concepts of land use transition, land change science and neoliberlisation of nature. The framework is operationalised by a mixed methods approach cutting across scale and time to provide a comprehensive understanding of land use transitions. The paper proves the applicability of land use transition theory in India by establishing that the core state Delhi is in the "urbanised/industrialised" stage of land use transition, whereas the peripheral states are in a transition from "frontier" to "agricultural" stage of land use transition. The paper also provides evidence for different political economy-derived logics of nature's neoliberalisation. Field visits as well as expert and household interviews uncover a nexus between the state, civil society and economy in exploitation and degradation of natural resources for their vested interests. The use of local and global open access data in the framework makes it transferable to similar regions of the Global South facing data constrains. • Interdisciplinary framework is applied to India's land use transition analysis. • Theoretical approach is embedded in land change science and political economy. • Mixed methods approach cutting across scale and time is applied. • Stages of land use transition trajectory are detected for peri-urban areas in India. • Urban expansion is faster than population growth and depleted arable land and water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scenario-building has proven useful in situations marked by considerable uncertainty in the context of land use and transport policymaking, additional research is needed to develop adaptive and dynamic scenario-building schemes. To address this gap, the present paper conceptualises an adaptive scenario-building approach that would facilitate adaptive policy responses by using exploratory scenarios as intermediate tipping points. An empirical research design is also conducted following a participatory approach, with a case study of the Henares Corridor in the Metropolitan Area of Madrid, Spain. Three exploratory scenarios are assessed as experimental tipping points for the basic policy pathways initially adopted by regional and local governments. The use of such tipping points suggested different adaptive policy responses: (i) preserving policy responses when exploratory scenarios are strongly aligned with the basic pathways; and (ii) transforming policy responses when significant deviations are perceived between the exploratory scenarios and the basic pathways. The paper also discusses the real-life application potential of this adaptive scenario-building approach, further research steps, and future horizons for scenario-building. • It is proposed a conceptual framework for an adaptive scenario-building approach. • Exploratory scenarios are used as intermediate tipping points. • A proof-of-concepts is conducted in the Henares corridor (Spain). • Different adaptive policy responses are defined and discussed for the case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rich body of literature is stressing the crucial importance of migration and market evolution on the underutilization of housing in cities. Rural housing is unique given its less mature market structure. Drawing on an empirical case of Sunan, the work reported in this paper addresses underlying mechanisms of housing land underutilization in rural China. Employing a multi-level modeling approach, results suggest that the likelihood of underutilization relates to household and village features, such as family attributes, housing/parcel characteristics, type of villages, and geographical locations. Additionally, underutilization was also closely associated with regional contexts including local economic development levels and migration patterns. Theoretically, we conceptualized rural housing land underutilization as a land use transition with villagers' awareness of policy change possibilities in the context of both rapid urbanization and rural transformation with nested hybrid results. We argue that urban-rural differences do not induce underutilization. Rather, policy-induced overbuilding of new houses and insistence on retaining uninhabited older houses combined with the tendency for villagers' to view investments as a mechanism to retain ties to their rural hometowns drove underutilizaiton. • We propose a multi-scalar analytical framework on the underutilization of rural housing land. • We identify the nested impacts of factors at different levels on the utility of rural housing land. • The dualistically organized regime is argued as the primary driver of housing land underutilization in rural China. • The transition of rural space from productivism to post-productivism matters as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid popularity growth of shared e-scooters creates the necessity of understanding the determinants of shared e-scooter usage. This paper estimates the impacts of temporal variables (weather data, weekday/weekend, and gasoline prices) and time-invariant variables (socio-demographic, built environment, and neighborhood characteristics) on the shared e-scooter demand by using four months (June 2019- October 2019) period of data from the shared e-scooter pilot program in Chicago. The study employs a random-effects negative binomial (RENB) model that effectively models shared e-scooter trip origin and destination count data with over-dispersion while capturing serial autocorrelation in the data. Results of temporal variables indicate that shared e-scooter demand is higher on days when the average temperature is higher, wind speed is lower, there is less precipitation (rain), weekly gasoline prices are higher, and during the weekend. Results related to time-invariant variables indicate that densely populated areas with higher median income, mixed land use, more parks and open spaces, public bike-sharing stations, higher parking rates, and fewer crime rates generate a higher number of e-scooter trips. Moreover, census tracts with a higher number of zero-car households and workers commuting by public transit generate more shared e-scooter trips. On the other hand, results reveal mixed relationships between shared e-scooter demand and public transportation supply variables. This study's findings will help planners and policymakers make decisions and policies related to shared e-scooter services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how land use affects water quality and how this impacts the viability of shellfish mariculture (marine aquaculture) in the UK through a synthesis of the current literature, stakeholder workshops and targeted engagement of cross-sector organisations across a case study in South West England. We examine the importance of water quality as a constraint for shellfish mariculture in South West England and explore how current and projected future land uses are likely to influence ongoing viability. Currently, faecal material from agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater discharges is the main water quality issue affecting the viability of shellfish mariculture. Most UK Shellfish Waters, including those in SW England (~90%), do not consistently meet regulatory standards for faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) in shellfish, designed to ensure they are safe for direct human consumption. Other pollutants currently impacting shellfish mariculture include persistent organic pollutants and metals, suspended solids and excess nutrient inputs. Emerging pollutants with the potential to impact on mariculture include a range of consumer- industrial- and agri- chemicals, including biocides, pesticides, veterinary and human medicines. We evaluated possible changes in water quality conditions through deriving and exploring a range of future scenarios, considering policies and trends in land use including regenerative and intensive agriculture, renewable energy generation, afforestation, urban development and climate change. Our findings highlight possible trade-offs and synergies between land and water-based food production systems, applicable in SW England and across other regions of the UK and internationally, for helping to inform environmental policy development and implementation. • Marine aquaculture (mariculture) has the potential to enhance future food security. • UK mariculture has not yet met its potential sustainable output. • Mariculture viability is sensitive to catchment land management practices. • Poor land management exports faecal, metal and persistent organic pollutants. • Future land management is uncertain, but crucial for mariculture to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to propose an integrated methodology for reconstructing the rural landscape of Mongardino, a municipality in the cross-border area of the UNESCO Buffer Zone of the 'Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato'. A multi-source approach was established to detect land use changes that occurred in its dynamic agricultural mosaic from the 17th century to date and intuiting future land-use variations. Qualitative comparisons have combined literature, historical maps from archives, repeated photo- and postcard-based research, statistical dataset interpretations and WebGIS surveys. This research has delineated the significance of historical studies to detect and interpret current matrices of change and build an enhanced comprehension of the evolutionary trajectories of a wine-growing landscape over time. Findings reveal that changes do not follow administrative boundaries but rather linear, non-linear, external and internal dynamics that are local and context-dependent. On the one hand, no asymmetries or prevailing trends have been found between the areas encompassed or not in the UNESCO Buffer Zone. On the other hand, land-use and historical permanencies are detected as indicators of integrity and qualifying landscape elements upon which to build rural strategies and policies for local-based landscape planning and management. • Land-use permanence: indicator of integrity for landscape planning. • Historical permanence as pivot of knowledge, enhancement and managing strategies. • a multisource approach is helpful for detecting current matrices of change. • Changes follow linear, non-linear, external and internal dynamics that are local and context-dependent. • In a territorial governance, traditional values can improve systemic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies that address the integration of active modes (i.e., walking and bicycling) and public transit tend to focus on either transfer distance or feeder mode choice. Few articles have reported the relationships between the built environment (D-variables) and transfer patterns (e.g., transfer distance and mode choice) in a single study. Furthermore, only very few studies accounted for travelers' judgements of walkability and/or bikeability and distinguished between access and egress trips. This paper fills these gaps in the literature using data collected in Nanjing, China. A random parameter Tobit and a random parameter multinomial logistic model are estimated to investigate respectively (i) the association of perceived walkability/bikeability and features of the built environment in metro catchment areas on walking/bicycling distance of access/egress trips and (ii) the probability of choosing active modes as transfer modes. The modeling results reveal that perceived walkability/bikeability and features of the built environment are more significantly correlated with mode choice behavior than with transfer distance. Moreover, walking/bicycling distance and access/egress mode choice tend to be strongly associated with perceived walkability and bikeability as well as with features of the built environment. The results are helpful in deepening urban planners and policymakers' understanding of how to design built environments that maximize the integration of active modes and metro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing attention on accessibility concepts from both planning practice and research recognising their relevance in understanding the evolution of urban areas. However, despite the large number of accessibility measures available in the literature, they are not widely used to support urban planning practices. Much has been said about the implementation gap of Planning Support Systems with a significant attention paid to usability and more recently to the usefulness of Accessibility Instruments. The paper aims to assess the usefulness of a specific accessibility instrument – the Structural Accessibility Layer (SAL) – and by doing so exploring the strengths of accessibility instruments holding similar characteristics. To this end, we follow a multidimensional assessment framework under development in the Planning Support System literature. This paper explores the main findings of a workshop bringing together local planning practitioners and the developers of the SAL in an experiment using the SAL. The assessment of usefulness of SAL identified the instrument’s strengths with regard to insight into participants’ assumptions, communication, commitment and development of shared language. Regardless, the low fit between planning concerns of participants (in this case study context) and of the SAL seemed to limit its potential use in practice and as such undermines the strengths identified in the usefulness assessment. The assessment developed here only partially confirmed objectives and purposes defined for the SAL. Results confirm the usefulness of the SAL as diagnosis tool, however, the ability of the SAL to contribute to a joint thinking of land use and transport constraints on mobility was not confirmed. Finally, this research raises questions on the role of PSS in changing strategic thinking in planning and how this might conflict with the current PSS research concern in improving usefulness of tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaics (PV) is the fastest-growing renewable energy source at the global level and Italy has been one of the pioneers of such growth, now being one of the Countries with the largest installed PV capacity – absolute, per unit area, and per capita. In this paper we investigated the impact of PV on land use in the area with the highest density of PV farms in Italy, i.e. the Province of Lecce (Southeastern Italy): here, such impact is expected to be maximum and has been the subject of public debate. In order to map all PV farms in detail, we used participative cartography, specifically OpenStreetMap (OSM), as data source. This international project collects geographic information (often gathered by people – i.e. the so-called Volunteered Geographic Information , VGI – using widely available technologies, such as smartphone built-in GPS), in order to create freely available global topographic maps. In this paper, we used the OSM platform to create a Geographical Information System (GIS) of PV farms in the Province of Lecce. Using GIS-based techniques, we estimated land use at the municipality level and created a density map of PV farms within the study area. Using the official land cover map Corine Land Cover of 2012, we also evaluated the main changes in land use. The results highlight the correlation between spatial distribution of PV farms and geographic variables (geomorphology, demographics, tourism, etc). We also show that land take by PV farms is quite marginal even in a region such as the Province of Lecce, where the density of PV installed power is among the highest available at the global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is situated amidst concerns that public spaces are diminishing in both quantity and quality (Low & Smith, 2006), with this trend exacerbated by the excising of state budgets for their provision, maintenance or development, their privatisation and/or devolution of their management to corporate interests. Here we interrogate what ‘public space’ is using the lens of temporary use projects undertaken on privately-owned land. As a distinct form of DIY urbanism, it could be argued that temporary use projects might be least likely to promote enduring change but, in this paper, we demonstrate that it is their very transience that enables the interstices between the actual and the possible to be exploited in innovative ways. We explore how a distinctive methodology associated with temporary use projects, and a reconceptualisation of what public space is, creates new opportunities to restore the emancipatory potential of (increasingly) emaciated public places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the onset of industrialization over the past several decades, the rural areas are undergoing considerable changes in China. Optimal rural industrial land use distribution provides a spatial foundation for sustainable development in rural areas. Moreover, the importance of appropriate rural industrial land use adjustment is evident in rural spatial restructuring. This paper investigates rural industrial land use patterns and its impact on rural areas in Pinggu District of Beijing based on a combined method of “landscape indices” and the “geospatial analysis.” Subsequently, this paper proposes a rural industrial land use adjustment. The results show that according to the relevance of township and village enterprises (TVEs) to rural development, rural industrial land can be classified as rural industry land (RI-land) and non-rural industry land (NI-land). “Small scale, spontaneous dispersion” is the overall rural industrial land use pattern in China, and the spatial patterns between the two types of rural industrial land are quite different: the pattern “dispersion inside rural settlements” is usually observed in RI-land, while “agglomeration around regional central towns” and “linear sprawl” are common on NI-land. Considering the peculiarity of TVEs, the dispersion for RI-land is designed to absorb the surplus labor and raw materials nearby in the countryside to enhance their output-efficiency, whereas the agglomeration for NI-land is to pursue the efficiency of agglomeration economies. This paper also revealed that current disperse rural industrial land use pattern has generated polluting effects on the environment. Therefore, following the “classification principle,” rural industrial land use adjustment should not merely pursue economic efficiency and agglomeration efficiency but should also engage in labor absorptivity and environmental benefits. The formation and development of rural industrial land in China is quite different from traditional industrial land; these differences are largely attributed to their unique driving mechanisms and historical backgrounds. In particular, the traditional Theories of the Location of Industries directed by “agglomeration,” are unsuitable for rural industrial land in China. Therefore, the results in this paper can help form a basis for sustainable planning of rural industrial land and contribute to rural transformation development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial use of wildlife is considered a potential tool of conservation and sustainable development, under the ideological assumption that the economic valuation of them generates incentives for conservation, as well as the ecosystems they inhabit, while benefiting local communities. However, many authors question the scope of these initiatives. The reptiles represent 61% of the value of this trade. Two species of Caiman genus inhabit Argentina. In 1997, a ranching farm was developed in Santa Fe province; between 1997 and 2004, more ranching farms were developed in other four Argentinean provinces. This paper aims to develop a conceptual model of the production system and its influence on sustainability trajectory in commercial use of caiman in Argentina based on the stakeholders` perception. The information obtained from interviews was organized into two results: 1) a conceptual model representing the caiman production system, and 2) a stakeholder network. This paper provided insights about the caiman production system and its articulation with the stakeholders involved. Throughout the qualitative analyses here implemented, we have obtained a diagnostic tool which could be converted into a planning tool incorporating quantitative information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a constructive critique of Corrine Cash's paper “Good governance and strong political will: Are they enough for transformation?”, published in volume 58 of Land Use Policy in 2016. By focusing on how intra-sector dynamics influence land use policies in conflicts revolving around urban sprawl, this paper aims to complement and, to some extent, widen the analytic lens deployed by Cash. The examination of the Spanish wine sector and its lack of zoning policies confirms Cash's argument about the need to go beyond discourses of ‘good governance’ and ‘strong political will’ to understand the dynamics underpinning real spatial processes. However, this exploration underscores the need to add layers of complexity to land use analyses, showing the relevance of intra-sector conflict and logics. In complicating any simplistic reduction of urban sprawl conflicts to rural–urban oppositions, the paper ultimately calls for a more dynamic and multiscalar planning theory to address complex governance issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why should a parcel of agricultural land be abandoned when there is a scarcity of food? In this paper, we address this question in relation to the hills of Nepal, where agricultural land is being abandoned at an unprecedented rate, despite looming food scarcity. Responding to studies that have highlighted land abandonment trends, we conducted in-depth case studies in two of Nepal's hill districts to understand how land abandonment is taking place, and under what circumstances. Using an interdisciplinary lens and transcending linear models of agrarian change which attribute land abandonment to one or more prominent factors, our study unravels complex, cross-scalar processes, involving the interaction among social forces and environmental factors which lead to land underutilisation. The paper shows that land underutilisation happens through what we term ‘socio-environmental pathways’, which operate across scales, yet are deeply rooted in local dynamics of agrarian change. These pathways are triggered by, and embroiled within, three wider socio-economic and political dynamics in contemporary Nepal, namely: socio-cultural changes that favour out-migration; evolving economic opportunities that make farming less profitable; and a policy context in which the gravity of the land abandonment challenge goes unrecognised. The framework of ‘socio-environmental pathways’ applied here also advances a theoretical lens to explain agrarian change in a way that integrates multiple scales and multiple sectors, emphasising a thoroughly empirical approach. Finally, we identify key policy implications of this research on livelihoods and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a substantial literature using life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the extent to which second and third generation biofuels are more sustainable than the first generation remains a subject of debate. Although the existence of limitations due to LCA variability and uncertainty, this paper intends to determine global tendencies based on a statistic and critical interpretation of previously published study results, reviewing 61 recent papers addressing an environmental evaluation of microalgae biofuels. Such information is compared to the same impact indicators for fossil fuels and for ethanol and biodiesel from terrestrial crops in Europe and Brazil. For each case, the system boundaries and the methodological choices were precisely described. The sustainability potential of all biofuels was evaluated by the Global Warming Potential (GWP), the Energy Ratio (ER) and the Land Use (LU), allowing a broad estimation of the biofuels’ contribution to climate change mitigation, their net energy efficiency and their competiveness with food production chain. The results highlight that algae-derived biodiesel is, by far, the most efficient alternative in terms of land use compared to other biofuels, avoiding competition with food crops. Some biodiesel pathways can also satisfactorily perform in terms of greenhouse gases emissions reduction, but some others can be even worst than fossil diesel. Nevertheless, in terms of energy efficiency, algae biofuels cannot compete with other biofuels or fossil fuels. They present very low performances, even demanding more energy for its production then the energy they can deliver. Moreover, no pathway can be conclusively selected as preferable between the two main technologies available for microalgae biodiesel due to high uncertainties. However, open raceway pounds technology seems to be preferable as it looks less GHG intensive, requiring lower energy input and land use. Energetic and GWP performances can be improved if production pathways are carefully chosen and optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline in farmland birds observed throughout Europe during recent decades has attracted much attention. Agricultural intensification or land abandonment are commonly forwarded as key drivers. Several countries have established agri-environmental schemes (AES) to counter these negative trends among farmland birds. This paper reports a study of the relationship between land use and bird species in the agricultural landscape of Norway. The main objective was to investigate the effect of spatial heterogeneity and diversity of land use on total richness and abundance of farmland birds at a national level. Monitoring the distribution and abundance of birds is part of the Norwegian monitoring programme for agricultural landscapes. The monitoring programme is based on mapping of 1 × 1 km squares distributed across the entire agricultural landscape. Within these squares permanent observation points are established for bird monitoring. Detailed interpretation of aerial photographs provides the land classification. We tested the relationship between landscape metrics at different levels of land type detail and species richness and abundance of farmland and non-farmland birds. There was a positive relationship between species richness and abundance of farmland birds and agricultural area. For non-farmland birds the relationship was negative. Spatial heterogeneity of land use was a significant positive factor for both farmland and non-farmland species. High land type diversity was positive for farmland bird richness, but negative for abundance. Non-farmland bird richness was not affected by land type diversity, but abundance had a negative response. The results presented in this paper highlight the importance of a spatial heterogeneous landscape. However, we also found that land type diversity could negatively affect the abundance of both farmland and non-farmland birds. Our findings suggest a need for different management approaches depending on whether the aim is increased species richness or abundance. Achieving both aims with the same means might be difficult. We thus suggest a need for land use analyses before proper management strategies can be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nowadays, data sets are spreading continually, generated by different devices and systems. In most cases, these data are stored, and the service providers don't use the information they contain, what even more they delete these data to save space. However, these data are processable with the modern devices and methods, and we can use them for obtaining information. This paper presents a possible application of the digital raw materials, taking the public transport passengers boarding and alighting information as a base. Based on these, we are able to deduce the characteristics of the stop point's environment since the different land usage yields dissimilar stop usage with well-defined peak hours. With the help of distance measurement and classification techniques it is possible to define how similar are the stop points to predefined patterns and we can create stop point groups which define separated zones. The paper shows a usage method of distance measurement methods and classification in public transportation and presents the background of this kind of land-use zone distribution technic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s promotion incentive is the main motivation behind local officials’ decisions regarding the expansion of urban construction land, and is therefore crucial to understanding the mechanism behind the expansion of urban construction land. This paper discusses the promotion incentive’s theoretical influence on urban construction land expansion. Then, using 25 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region (including Shanghai and prefecture-level cities in the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang) as samples, we estimate two econometric models that reflect the relationship between local officials’ characteristics and changes in the scale and efficiency of urban construction land to test the specific influence of different local officials on the expansion of urban construction land when driven by the promotion incentive. Our results show that the promotion sources of local officials and their terms in office significantly impact changes in the urban construction land scale and utilization efficiency. We also found that the ages of local officials significantly impact the efficiency of urban construction land use, but have an insignificant impact on the expansion of urban construction land. Considering China’s unique administrative system, the promotion incentive has a definite but divergent influence on mayors and municipal party secretaries regarding urban expansion. This paper concludes with policy proposals to improve the administrative management system and regulation on urban construction land expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation tenders − or procurement auctions − are a competitive mechanism, in which payment for ecosystem service contracts are allocated to landholders based on their submitted bids. These encompass a price and sometimes a measure for the environmental services the landholder offers to provide. This special edition comprises a set of papers from a workshop on conservation tenders across developed and developing countries. These papers assess the status quo, and the challenges and prospects of tendering approaches. Four high level lessons emerge: 1) Conservation tender performance has been robust; 2) Developed − developing country conservation tender differences are modest; 3) Conservation tender prospects are dependent on political and institutional support; and 4) Optimal conservation tender design is circumstance specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all rural areas in Europe have been shaped or altered by humans and can be considered cultural landscapes, many of which now are considered to entail valuable cultural heritage. Current dynamics in land management have put cultural landscapes under a huge pressure of agricultural intensification and land abandonment. To prevent the loss of cultural landscapes, knowledge on the location of different types of cultural landscapes is needed. In this paper, we present a characterization of European cultural landscapes based on the prevalence of three key dimensions of cultural landscapes: landscape structure, management intensity, and value and meaning. We mapped these dimensions across Europe at a 1-km resolution by combining proxies on management intensity and landscape structure with new indicators such as social media usage and registered traditional food products. We integrated the three dimensions into a continuous “cultural landscape index” that allows for a characterization of Europe’s rural landscapes. The characterization identifies hotspots of cultural landscapes, where all three dimensions are present, such as in the Mediterranean. On the other hand, Eastern and Northern European cultural landscapes are mostly characterized by only one of the dimensions. Our paper can help to identify pressures to cultural landscapes and thus to target measures for the conservation of these landscapes, to link similar landscapes in different regions, and to inform policy design on the most important characteristics of cultural landscapes at a regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses complexity theory to analyze the urban order and development of Arab Palestinian villages and towns in Israel. It follows the spontaneous emergence of abstract planning codes and principles, influenced by changing social, political and cultural dynamics. Based on a morphological analysis of 77 towns in northern and central Israel, and an in-depth investigation conducted in the city of Sakhnin, in the central Galilee, the paper reveals a repeated three-ring structure, corresponding to three socio-political periods. We offer a detailed examination of the links between social values and spatial conduct, thus enabling us to follow how slight changes in social and economic circumstances affect planning principles. In addition, the paper highlights the power of planning-without-a-plan as a method that facilitates shaping the quality of the built environment while allowing local adaptation and creativity. Finally, we discuss the problematic urban pattern created in the typical third ring, which is a top-to-bottom product of modern planning thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationships between land consumption and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for a panel of 20 Italian regions over the period 1980–2010. As proxy of land consumption, it uses the supply of new housing, being residential construction the main cause of soil sealing. To test this hypothesis it runs a panel data regression model. In the considered period, results show the existence of an inverted EKC whereas, on a longer period, a N-shaped curve may be inferred. Contrary to the EKC hypothesis, both fixed effect and random effect model estimates show that higher income does not induce greater environmental awareness or, in different words, that the income elasticity hypothesis holds for housing demand rather (or more) than for environment. According to these results, considering the specificity of the resource under consideration, the paper claims for a shift from market to public policy. A tighter urban planning and a higher “environmental” property taxation could be efficient strategies to combat land consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last several decades since the opening reform, peri-urbanization emerged in the developed areas of China. In Shanghai, peri-urban areas expanded rapidly, and land use in these areas experienced significant changes and restructuring. This paper examines the expansion of peri-urban areas, and their social-economic characteristics in Shanghai from 1990 to 2009. By combining Landsat TM images and land use maps based on site survey, this paper analyzes the spatio-temporal characteristics of land use change in the peri-urban areas of Shanghai, and we find that expansion of non-agricultural land has been mainly characterized by the growth of industrial land, and has caused significant loss of cultivated and forested land. This paper then examines the driving forces of land use change from the perspectives of state-led growth and bottom-up development. It argues that state-led growth has played a dominant role in the expansion of non-agricultural land, and the impact of bottom-up development has been much less significant. Planning has played a critical role in regulating the space to accommodate the increasing demand of population and economic growth while at the same time promoting space growth to attract outside investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An idea that which zones are the main disturbed areas in mining cities and what are the exact impacts in space concerns re-use and optimal allocation of land. Current research mostly concludes that mining activities impact land use greatly, but there is no definite spatial range of disturbance. To find out the exact range, this paper sets up 12 gradients composed of mineral locations and 11 surrounding gradients with an interval of 3 km. And the “D-C-S” (Disturbance-Continuity- Sustainability) framework was then established to evaluate land use characteristics, including 9 indices in the three layers of disturbance, continuity and sustainability. Here, this paper adopted two approaches − transverse land use profiles and anomalous economic points − to test out the understanding of land use characteristics in mining cities. Our findings show that the areas surrounding mineral locations possibly play a more important role in land use structure and functions, designated to 0–9 km, especially 3–6 km away from mineral locations, where land needs more concerns about optimal allocation for future policy-making to improve the pattern, function and continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) has gained a significant recognition around the globe, the understanding of the challenges faced by planners and decision- makers in incorporating LCA processes and outputs in land-use planning remains insufficient. This paper presents a snapshot of the barriers to effective LCA-based land-use planning in Israel, with regard to four distinct phases of the process: (a) the knowledge development phase, i.e., the formulation of a credible LCA approach; (b) the approach adoption phase, i.e., the willingness to incorporate LCA processes and outputs into land-use planning; (c) the knowledge transfer phase, i.e., the actual incorporation of LCA outputs into land-use planning; and (d) the application management phase, i.e., the transition of LCA- based plans into action. To investigate the barriers, the study combines a literature review with thematic analysis of eight Israeli LCA-based land-use plans from all planning levels, and individual in-depth interviews with 35 senior planners and decision makers involved in the design and implementation of these plans. The study reveals that within the general trajectory of mainstreaming LCA approach in Israel over the past two and a half decades, significant gaps exist between LCA knowledge, LCA-based land-use planning, and on- ground action and results. The extent of the gaps differs across plans and planning scales. The gaps are rooted in the complexity of the LCA approach; language barriers; scientific and technical limitations; inconsistency and subjectivity; different academic, planning, and decision-making traditions; limited institutional capacity; vagueness and over-flexibility of approved LCA-based planning principles and instructions; and lack of sufficient involvement by stakeholders. This paper offers suggestions as to how these gaps might be bridged in the Israeli context. In conclusion, the study recommends the following: developing a legally binding, generic, credible, and continuously updated LCA-based planning guide, that should be written in the native language; establishing a national and comprehensive free-access online information center for sharing LCA knowledge; strengthening of institutional capacities at all planning levels; enhancing planners' and consultants' LCA skills; and inclusion of all affected stakeholders in the process. Broadening the understanding of the obstacles and solutions to effective application of LCA processes and outputs in land-use planning and management practices can contribute to operationalizing this approach in various contexts and eventually, advance the reduction of anthropogenic pressures on valuable landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The siting of both onshore and offshore wind farms has caused controversy in a number of countries, particularly in Europe, which currently has the world’s largest array of offshore wind turbines. Like the rest of the world there has been a dramatic increase in wind farm development In Australia over the last two decades but none of this has occurred in the offshore environment. Australian wind farms are predominantly located onshore around the southern part of the continent where wind energy is high. This has specifically affected rural coasts where it has created planning and land use policy issues along with environmental impacts and associated public and political reaction. This paper examines the geographic spread, timing and concentration of Australian wind farms around the coast. It also examines the extent to which scientific knowledge on wind farm impacts is incorporated into different state and federal land use and environmental policy and legislative frameworks. The paper concludes that the rapidity in the expansion of the Australian wind energy sector has outpaced strategic land use planning resulting in a piece-meal and cumulative wind farm development on rural coasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While adequate integration of land use and transport is seen as crucial for achieving sustainable outcomes, the reciprocal interconnection between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility is yet to be adequately examined. To address this gap, this paper proposes the concept of Retail Mobility Environment (RME) and develops a methodological process for identifying and mapping RMEs, using the city of Zaragoza, Spain, as a case study. The concept of RME is developed through three methodological phases: (i) definition of non-motorised Accessibility Zones (AZs), using three indicators (walking accessibility, bicycling accessibility, betweenness); (ii) definition of Retail Zones (RZs), also using three indicators (retail density, retail diversity, retail contiguity); and (iii) definition of RMEs, where both retail activity and non-motorised indicators were weighted and combined using multi-criteria analysis. In total, four RMEs were identified and mapped: short-distance environments, motorised environments, non-motorised environments, and long-distance environments. The paper concludes with a discussion on the need to unravel the relationships between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility, in order to reach sustainable planning goals, as well as the potential usefulness of RMEs for transport policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on collaborative landscape research conducted in Reunion Island, an outermost region of the European Union. On this 2,500 km 2 tropical island also considered a major international biodiversity hotspot, land-use planners must address important challenges, especially growing population densities and urban sprawl that cause important pressure on agricultural land and natural ecosystems. While progress has been made towards land-use zoning and planning at the island scale, entrenched interests and a lack of communication between the agricultural, urban and environmental sectors continue to hinder the design and implementation of integrated land-use plans at the local level. This paper presents an approach to territorial foresight where urban development scenarios and spatial models were co-constructed with a collective of institutional actors in order to facilitate dialogue on future urbanization patterns and impacts on landscapes. It describes how spatially explicit models and simulations of urban development, first used as demonstrators, have raised individual interests and expectations and facilitated the structuring of a collaborative research network. Models and scenarios were then questioned, redesigned collectively and used as boundary objects to facilitate a shift away from statistical and sectorial readings towards more territorialized and integrated perspectives. Analysing inputs, reactions and feedback from the actors involved in the research, this paper discusses the role and potential value of landscape modelling and simulation in mediating debates among planning stakeholders and creating social learning situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EKC hypothesis postulates that the relationship between economic growth and environmental deterioration is represented by an inverted U-shaped function. Its validity has been questioned from several perspectives and a need for public policies has been expressed. This paper uses a heuristic approach to analyze the relationship between per capita income and land consumption, as proxied by the number of Building Permits issued by public authorities. Using data from the Italian regions, we run a panel data regression model to test whether the EKC hypothesis holds. Results confute it, evidencing a U-shaped relationship. In the authors' opinion, the combined effect of market conditions, lifestyle evolution and institutional and political factors have produced an adverse effect on environment. On this basis, the paper claims that, when social and intergenerational aspects are involved, a balanced mix of market, policies and institutional architecture is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a set of energy and resource intensive scenarios based on the concept of Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSPs). The scenario family is characterized by rapid and fossil-fueled development with high socio-economic challenges to mitigation and low socio-economic challenges to adaptation (SSP5). A special focus is placed on the SSP5 marker scenario developed by the REMIND-MAgPIE integrated assessment modeling framework. The SSP5 baseline scenarios exhibit very high levels of fossil fuel use, up to a doubling of global food demand, and up to a tripling of energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the century, marking the upper end of the scenario literature in several dimensions. These scenarios are currently the only SSP scenarios that result in a radiative forcing pathway as high as the highest Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP8.5). This paper further investigates the direct impact of mitigation policies on the SSP5 energy, land and emissions dynamics confirming high socio-economic challenges to mitigation in SSP5. Nonetheless, mitigation policies reaching climate forcing levels as low as in the lowest Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP2.6) are accessible in SSP5. The SSP5 scenarios presented in this paper aim to provide useful reference points for future climate change, climate impact, adaption and mitigation analysis, and broader questions of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so called “land grabbing” has gained increased attention since the outburst of the global financial and food crisis triggering a new trend of acquiring land for outsourcing production of food, feed and agrofuels. India as one of the newly emerging economies is investing heavily in farmland as it faces enormous challenges to sustain its rising population and growing energy demands. This paper analyses Indian land acquisitions in Ethiopia, looking into India’s motivations to acquire farmland and what incentives does Ethiopia have to lease out land to large investors. The paper draws on trade data between India and Ethiopia, expert interviews, studies and reports on the use and productivity of grabbed land. In view of the land grabbing and food security debate, the paper critically evaluates whether acquiring farmland in Ethiopia can indeed contribute to food and energy security in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study about land management in western Burkina Faso. A landscape approach combining surveys and spatial analysis was used to identify key, levels of land management. While the village level provides us with current key data for, a detailed understanding of population dynamics (i), and the household level provides, explanations of economic conditions (ii), these two traditional levels were not able to, fully explain local variability in environmental resources. We therefore question the, relative dominance of traditional levels (village, households) and introduce a spatial, dimension of environmental management to examine the variability of plural legal, rights in several places. We demonstrate the impact of lineage strategies on observed, changes at different levels. Our results provide evidence that, although land cover has, changed, the local land management system seems relatively stable due to historic, lineage alliances. This paper highlights the importance of understanding how the, localized social position of inhabitants, inside and outside the village level, can strongly affect local resource management and thus contribute to a certain inefficiency of public policies. • The study shows strong spatial disparities between territories which are often overlooked in environmental resource issues. • This approach focuses on the scales in land governance. • A level of analysis is particularly dominant in West Africa : the village level (or terroir approach). • The finding is this single level of analysis can alter our interpretation of land use and land cover issues. • A need for historical and local studies with several levels of analysis in rural regions of West Africa is thus identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens to local institutional arrangements regarding access and use of communal land under the forces of agricultural commercialization? Taking Khwaykham village in Phongsaly province, Laos as a case study, this paper sheds light on this question as farm households in the settlement have progressively transitioned to commercial farming, specifically tea cultivation. Traditionally, farm households' access and rights to use the land were embedded in their swidden agriculture practices. The adoption of tea has increasingly fixed land use rights, making land sticky at the household rather than communal level. How, why and with what effects this occurs are the focus of the paper. We argue that while this transition to tea cultivation has benefited – in income terms – most farm households in the village, it has also created an agrarian context for increased inequity between those households who rapidly took the opportunity from the tea boom and others who have missed out on it. • Agricultural commercialization limits community's access to communal land. • The shift to tea cultivation changes customary land tenure systems and practices. • The shift reconfigures power relations and sustain inequalities among villagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a generalised belief that barley is more resilient to stress than wheat. Consequently, land allocation to wheat and barley is based on a presumed differential sensitivity to stresses between these species. Previous field experiments showed that yield of both crops tended to be similar under both low- and high-productivity conditions under Mediterranean environments, but in some particular studies barley advantages are reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the comparative performance of wheat and barley across a wide range of conditions through the literature published over the first 20 years of this century considering exclusively studies where both cereals had been grown side-by-side in field experiments. We compiled a rigorous database from papers of high-standard journals reporting actual yield data (we excluded simulated yields) measured in experiments under field conditions where both crops were grown side-by-side in the same experiment (excluding studies analysing wheat and barley grown separately). Yield distribution for both species across studies was symmetrical with an average of c. 440 g m−2 and a range from c. 50–900 g m−2. The yields of the lowest quartile ranged from 58 to 293 g m−2, being the comparison of performance in this quartile suitable for detecting differences in low-yielding conditions. Considering individual papers, it is possible to identify any possible outcome of the differential performance of these cereals. However, considering all papers together it was clear that there was not a consistent advantage of barley over wheat at most stressful conditions. Indeed, at very low yielding conditions wheat tended to outyield barley. The trends described above were not influenced by the data-points based on comparisons of barley with the tetraploid wheats, nor by our own experimental data-points. Thus, we confirm in this review that barley does not consistently outyield wheat under low yielding conditions, despite the generalised belief that it does. • It is believed that barley out yields wheat under stress, conditioning land use. • Previous results from our own experiments conflicted this belief. • We analysed data from the literature with rigorous experiments • There was not a consistent advantage of barley at low-yielding conditions. • The type of wheat or our own previous results did not alter the conclusions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how land use regulations applied in the formal sector can influence housing outcomes in both the formal and informal sectors, using metropolitan Buenos Aires as our case study. In particular, it addresses the question of whether land use regulations may contribute to the presence of informal settlements by restricting opportunities in the formal sector. In this context, the contributions of this paper are several-fold. Our theoretical model provides a direct test of a crowding-out hypothesis by which binding land use regulations limit the absorptive capacity of the formal sector, thereby creating spillovers into the informal sector. The base model is also extended to accommodate two alternative adjustment mechanisms whereby households relocate either to municipal jurisdictions with more suitable land use regulations (the Tiebout mechanism) or to locations further from the city center where land costs are lower (the Alonso mechanism). We also employ two distinct yet complementary datasets. First, we conducted a survey of representative households living in informal settlements and in nearby formal areas. The other dataset is derived from an innovative merging technique applied to the Census and the National Expenditure Survey (ENGH) of Argentina. Notwithstanding their rather distinctive approaches, both methods yielded similar results. At an empirical level, our findings confirm the existence of a rent premium for accessing the formal housing sector, consistent with our model predictions. Our results also show a strong interconnection between infrastructure provision and housing outcomes, which underscores the important role of infrastructure both in delineating formal sector housing developments and in delivering essential housing services, broadly defined. While we find clear evidence of the Alonso mechanism, our empirical findings suggest that the Tiebout adjustment mechanism may not be fully realized in metropolitan Buenos Aires due to lack of variability in land use regulations across local jurisdictions – there is little incentive for a household in one jurisdiction to relocate to another jurisdiction if land use regulations there are no different. • This paper provides evidence of a causal link between restrictive land use regulations and the emergence of informal housing settlements. • Our study employs two distinct yet complmentary datasets. • Both confirm the existence of a rent premium for accessing the formal housing secttor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many African countries, Ghana operates a pluralistic land tenure system – customary and state ownership exist conterminously. Land-use planning is largely a state function, but the involvement of chiefs who are custodians of about 78% of the lands is significant. The main aim of this paper is to examine how customary land ownership affects land-use change. This was done by specifically examining (i) the causes of selected land-use changes, and (ii) chieftaincy sustenance in relation to land ownership and land-use change. The study uses primarily qualitative approaches, with an in-depth study of multiple cases in Kumasi. Data were collected from several sources through face-to-face interviews, documentary reviews, observation, and focus group discussions. Data were analysed using the content analytical approach via the aid of Atlas ti , a qualitative analysis tool. The study's major contribution to land-use planning and urban governance is the chieftaincy sustenance which came out as a crucial factor for land-use change. Other factors include increasing land values, urbanisation, land ownership disputes, and the government's mal-handling of acquired lands. The customary land ownership system being embedded in African societies means that chieftaincy continues to be powerful in the management of the cities. Thus, chieftaincy sustenance should be a matter of concern in urban planning and governance. We call for increased collaboration between the traditional authorities and the State systems to actively govern land-use planning at the local government level. • The paper explores how land ownership affects land use change in cities. • Several factors caused the given land use changes in this study. • 'Chieftaincy sustenance' was a crucial motive behind the land sales. • The State's antidote to the chieftaincy sustenance appears unsuccessful. • Land use planning and policy implications have been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the relationship between maize price variability and forest loss in Ghana. Using the fixed effects regression technique while controlling for weather variables and accounting for spatial dependence, the study finds that an increase in maize price variability is associated with an increase in forest loss. Drawing on nationally-representative panel household survey data, the analysis further reveals that an increase in maize price variability contributes to forest loss through changes in household land use decisions. The finding indicates that an increase in maize price variability in the previous year positively correlates with a household's total cultivated farm size. This increase in cropped area is primarily due to a rise in the household cultivated area of cocoa – an export crop with a guaranteed price set annually by the government. The study highlights an important linkage between agricultural price stabilization policies and environmental externalities. • This paper analyzes the relationship between maize price variability and farmland use and forest loss. • The analysis shows that maize price variability positively correlates with household cultivated farm size. • The results further suggest that an increase in maize price variability is associated with an increase in forest loss. • The paper highlights an important linkage between agricultural price stabilization policies and environmental externalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1990s, massive rural out-migration has had a significant impact on the utilization of cultivated land. However, the links between rural out-migration and arable land use intensity remain ambiguous. This paper expands the current theories on the relationship between migration flows and land use intensification and explains the underlying mechanism that arable land use intensity is fluctuating upward with the increase of rural out-migration. Panel data of 5 mountain cities in Guangdong Province from 1996 to 2012 is used to empirically examine the impact of rural out-migration on arable land use intensity and analyze the influence of rural out-migration income, land scale, GDP per capita and multiple crop index on arable land use intensity. Our results show that there is an inverted N-shaped relationship between rural out-migration and arable land use intensity. The positive effect of the productivity increase caused by the Household Responsibility System (HRS) is the main reason for the increase of arable land use intensity. Labor scarcity that results from the excessive emigration of rural labors leads to a decline in arable land use intensity. The added fertilizer and pesticide inputs or changes in crop type can ultimately compensate for the negative effect of labor scarcity and promote the improvement of arable land use intensity. In addition, over-intensive use of farmland has negative impacts on the ecological environment and national food security. Based on the empirical results of this paper, some policy recommendations are suggested, such as the transformation of the agricultural development mode for a less demand in rural labor, increasing the inputs of agricultural technique and capital instead of labor, raising the comparative benefit of agriculture to attract young rural labor for farming, cultivation of professional farmers, establishment of an agricultural supporting system and developing circulative agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ever growing demand for energy worldwide and the demand for gas alone is predicted to double between 2010 and 2035. This demand together with concurrent advances in drilling technologies caused the production of unconventional natural gas such as shale gas and coal seam gas (CSG), which is in the focus of this paper, to grow rapidly in the last decades. With the gas bearing coal seams extending across vast areas within their respective basins and with CSG production having to follow these seams through a network of production wells, pipelines and access roads, CSG activity affects large areas and therefore interferes with existing land uses, predominantly agriculture. For the eastern Australian Surat Basin and the southern Bowen Basin alone there are projected well numbers in excess of 15,000 to 20,000 between the years 2020 and 2030. The interference of CSG with agriculture on a large scale has raised concerns about the impact of CSG on farmland, food security, water resources and the socio-economic environment within the affected regions and beyond. This paper presents a newly developed spatial model which provides order of magnitude figures of the impact of CSG activity on gross economic returns of current agricultural land uses in a given region over the time of CSG production. The estimated gross figures do not account for any compensation payments received by farmers. The model is capable of accounting for a variation in a variety of parameters including impact frequency of distinct infrastructure elements, differences in soil types and associated varying responses of soil productivity, varying length of the CSG production phase and more. The model is flexible in that it can be transferred and applied in other regions as well. Based upon a literature review and given that CSG is an industry that started operating at larger scales relatively recently, we claim that the presented model is the first of its kind to provide these important agro-economic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traffic volume is frequently used measure of road capacity. Traffic volumes are suitable for urban planning, construction and upgrading of roadways or land-use planning decisions, while it is necessary to plan the construction of road infrastructure in the next few decades ahead on the basis of prognosis of road traffic. This paper outlines the problems of calculating the traffic volumes in Czech Republic. Especially the authors focus on the verification of methodical procedure for the determination of resulting traffic volumes using the short-term traffic surveys. The methodology TP 189 for determining the Annual Average Daily Traffic volumes (AADT) reflects the conversion coefficients which were statistically derived from long-term measurements of traffic intensities. It can be assumed that different traffic characters exist on different types of roads, for which no coefficients are set yet. Authors of the paper use data obtained from real long-term measurements of traffic volumes on the various categories of roads and try to determine categories of roads for which current conversion coefficients to determine AADT cannot be applied [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the abolition of dairy quotas in 2015 major change in Europe’s dairy industry is anticipated at the level of individual farms, with consequences for how land is utilised and managed. Critical questions in this context are how farmers react to the myriad challenges coming forth from changed policy circumstances and, more specifically, the factors that influence their responses to these challenges at farm level. As part of a broader multi-disciplinary research project, this paper presents a narrative analysis of dairy farmers participating in Ireland’s New Entrants’ Scheme, an initiative that has facilitated the establishment of over two hundred new dairy farms. Salient with an increasing literature on Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKISs) within agriculture, the paper focuses specifically on the actors who influence the decisions of the New Entrants (NEs) at this critical juncture in the transformation of dairy policy. Led by Norman Long’s actor-oriented approach, we examine social interfaces involving NEs and different categories of actors. We found that interfaces conditioned by coercive behaviour on the part of actors had a narrow scope of influence on farmers’ decisions compared to interfaces characterised by relatively equal power relations. The latter interfaces had the capacity to be strongly influential on broad habitual production and management decisions. Interfaces involving family members, however, had ultimate influence on major strategic decision-making, including decisions to establish new enterprises. Overall, our analysis suggests that NEs are empowered decision-makers in their social interfaces with other AKIS actors and our biographical approach to the analysis indicates that quota deregulation itself has not led to radical changes in who influences NEs’ decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural land use has a large impact on landscape diversity and the types and quality of the services landscapes provide to society. This editorial introduces four papers in a themed section of Land Use Policy which examines different themes related to agriculture and landscape interaction. The papers present new findings from research undertaken within the scope of the VOLANTE research project ( Kristensen et al., 2013 ). The main objective of the research was to increase our knowledge about landowners’ decision-making processes and drivers of land use change in rural Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past five decades, Nigeria has developed a number of contaminated land legislations to address the damage caused primarily by oil and gas exploitation activities. Within these legislations exists elements of risk assessment and risk-based corrective action. Despite this progress, we argue that contaminated land management approaches in Nigeria need further development to be able to integrate new scientific information, and to address environmental, economic, and social values. By comparison, advanced contaminated land regimes in the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America (USA) apply a number of integrative approaches (e.g. sustainability appraisal, liability regime, funding mechanisms, technology demonstration) that enable them to meet the environmental, economic, and social needs of their populations. In comparison, Nigerian governance lacks many of these mechanisms and management of contaminated land is ad hoc . In this paper we propose an integrated risk assessment framework for Nigeria that incorporates the principles of sustainability and stakeholder engagement into the decision-making processes for contaminated land risk assessment and risk management. The integrated approach relies on transparency to promote acceptance and build trust in institutions, and uses stakeholder engagement to address data deficiencies. We conclude this paper with a roadmap for how Nigeria might implement such an integrative approach into their existing contaminated land regulatory system, as well as identify a series of policy priorities that should be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]