Trends der Siedlungsflächenentwicklung und ihre Steuerung in der Schweiz und Deutschland

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In Western industrialized countries, land consumption for housing has been on the increase for decades. This type of land consumption is mainly a result of an increase in wealth and the technical, economic and societal changes of the last fifty years. It has been largely decou pled from population growth. In many countries, ongoing land consumption is perceived as both a key factor and a major problem for a sustainable development. The need for a long-term reduction of land consumption for housing has gained increased political importance, especially in connection with the United Nations Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. This article describes and analyzes the present and future developments in settlement growth in Switzerland and Germany. Based on the analysis, the concluding sections highlight the implementation strategies of both countries to reduce land consumption for settlements.