Land-use planning

Abstract

Land-use planning prepares and endorses decisions about future land use. It is specified in different scales from regional planning/development and in most countries sets the framework for detailed planning at a local, i.e., municipal level. One of the main instruments of local land-use planning is zoning or zoning ordinances, respectively. Local land-use planning normally consists of two stages: a general, or preparatory land-use plan; and detailed land-use plans. Land-use planning is responsible for the development of a particular land-use area (where the sum of hazards and vulnerabilities defines the overall land-use risk) and not for a particular object or thread (e.g., sectoral engineering sciences). The involvement of land-use planning is only institutionalized in some countries. Currently, single hazard concepts dominate in landuse planning. Multi-hazard approaches to appropriately deal with the potential sum and interaction of hazards and risks are seldom found in practice. Land-use planning is limited in its powers and can only solve parts of the problem. Its coordinative role and responsibility is relevant and responsible for nonstructural adaptation measures as part of risk management strategies. The adaptation of existing settlement structures is a main challenge for regulatory land-use planning, e.g., due to private property rights. Therefore risk governance is regarded as a tool to support land-use planning in the development of adaptation strategies.