Project Background

Peri urban landscapes and peri-urban open spaces

Cities expand in a dynamic way and occupy more and more space through housing areas, recreation facilities, offices, industries, retile centers and different kinds of infrastructures. Cities influence the surrounding landscapes also due to increasing demand for agricultural products , waste treating facilities, water or storage areas.

Many of those land use changes are taking place in urban fringes and peripheries beyond the administrative boundaries of cities. Such transitional vulnerable peri-urban landscapes are characterized by a decrease in peri-urban open spaces such as forest, agricultural or park areas on the one hand. On the other hand there is an increase in buildup areas of the following type: urban fabric, industrial, commercial, public, military, private and transport units and mine, dump and construction sites. Consequently, the natural heritage of the peri-urban open spaces are lost. 

The RENATUR project objective

The loss of peri-urban open spaces and the natural heritage within them, can be prevented by timely, political and planning co-operation beyond administrative borders. The overall objective of the RENATUR project is to develop improved policy instruments suitable to protect the natural heritage of peri-urban open spaces. Those policies will help to:

• better protect peri-urban ecosystems and their services;
• better conserve biodiversity and reduce the biodiversity loss in the extend of peri-urban areas
• reduce the soil sealing in peri-urban areas;
• work against further fragmentation of natural ecosystems in the extend of peri-urban areas and improve natural ecosystems connectivity;
• better introduce the green infrastructure concept in land-use planning of peri-urban landscapes. 

RENATUR and EU2020 strategy

RENATUR fits into the EU2020 strategy by addressing more resource efficient and greener land use and more sustainable growth. RENATUR will adapt existing policy instruments in order to foster efficient land use. By enhancing the living comfort and human well-being, peri-urban landscapes could increase their chance to attract new residents or tourists. Therefore, economic benefits could emerge, as well.

RENATUR will collect the best practices and transfer them to less-favoured and less-experienced regions. The project will also contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion by integrated guidelines and adapted regulations of sustainable land use. The cooperation partners are the representatives of a specific region or member state.