Leipzig-Halle: Ecosystem services in a stagnating urban region in eastern Germany

Abstract

Land use change makes an impact on ecosystem services and quality of life in urban regions. The dynamics of land use change as well as their effects are more clearly understood by taking local conditions into account. In the case of Leipzig-Halle, a period of heavy commercial and residential suburbanisation has recently come to an end. With uneven economic and population development, the region is characterised by stagnation and internal disparities. A clear-cut future development path is not self-evident. This raises questions for regional decision makers, planners and scientists alike: What are the potential land use developments of the future? Which of them are desirable and which are not? What, therefore, are appropriate and effective steering options? These questions are examined in this chapter.