How effective are greenbelts at mitigating urban sprawl? A comparative study of 60 European cities

Abstract

As Europe takes continuous steps towards urbanization, many cities in this continent are affected by the negative repercussions caused by urban sprawl. Among the efforts adopted to overcome urban sprawl and its adverse impacts is the greenbelt policy which is highly popular in several European countries. However, the actual effectiveness of this urban growth management strategy has been disputed. Using a sample of 60 European cities, 30 of which have greenbelts, this study compares (1) changes in urban sprawl in a 9-year time period (2006–2015), and (2) the level of sprawl between the cities with and without greenbelt in 2006 and 2015 separately, to investigate the performance of the greenbelts, applying the metrics of Weighted Urban Proliferation (WUP) and Weighted Sprawl per Capita (WSPC). The results show that (1) greenbelts have been largely effective at slowing down urban sprawl; and in most cases, they have helped reduce sprawl; (2) while urban sprawl decreased also in some cities without greenbelt, the average relative decrease in sprawl was much stronger in cities with greenbelts; (3) greenbelts were somewhat more beneficial in limiting urban sprawl in cities with larger population sizes; (4) the effectiveness of greenbelts was mainly due to the reduction of land uptake per person, i.e., through densification of the built-up areas. These findings are useful to inform future de-sprawling strategies in urban and regional planning as well as the formulation of new scenarios and of targets and limits to urban sprawl in support of more sustainable forms of urban development.