Jehling, Ma hias; K üge , Tobias; Behnisch, Ma in
A icle
Edi o ial: Land use compe i ion in socie al ans o ma ion
Raum o schung und Raumo dnung / Spa ial Resea ch and Planning
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Leibniz-Fo schungsne zwe k "R – Räumliches Wissen ü Gesellscha und Umwel | Spa ial
Knowledge o Socie y and En i onmen "
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Jehling, Ma hias; K üge , Tobias; Behnisch, Ma in (2025) : Edi o ial: Land use
compe i ion in socie al ans o ma ion, Raum o schung und Raumo dnung / Spa ial Resea ch and
Planning, ISSN 1869-4179, oekom e lag, München, Vol. 83, Iss. 4, pp. 245-248,
h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/ u .3427
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/327143
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
u .oekom.de h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/ u .3427
EDITORIAL EDITORIAL OPEN ACCESS
Land use compe i ion in socie al ans o ma ion
Ma hias Jehling, Tobias K üge , Ma in Behnisch
Recei ed: 30 July 2025 Accep ed: 31 July 2025 Published online: 18 Augus 2025
1In oduc ion
Socie al ans o ma ion owa ds sus ainabili y (Hölsche /
Wi maye /Loo bach 2018) goes hand in hand wi h a un-
damen al shi in how land is u ilised. New compe ing de-
mands on land challenge policies and p ac ices in spa ial
planning and de elopmen . Cu en ly, he pa adigm o sus-
ainable land use a gues o he need o subs an ially educe
land ake, mo ing owa ds a ci cula land use economy. Na-
ional and in e na ional s udies show ha al hough momen-
um is ending o slow down in some coun ies, land ake in
gene al emains high and is leading o u ban sp awl (Oues-
la i/Al anides/Ga od 2015; Meinel/Henge /K üge e al.
2020; Behnisch/K üge /Jaege 2022). In eac ion o his,
policies and goals owa ds no-ne land ake policies ha e
been in oduced on Eu opean le el and also in many mem-
be s a es and coun ies wo ldwide. The a ge is o ensu e
ha human ac i i ies a e land ake neu al and o p o ec
soil, bo h in e ms o i s quali y and in e ms o he quan-
i a i e amoun o land in ag icul u al use o unde na u al
condi ions (Lacoe e/Deco ille/Dela e e al. 2025). In pa -
icula ac oss Eu ope, he e is an ongoing p ocess o in e-
D . Ma hias Jehling, Leibniz-Ins i u ü ökologische Raumen -
wicklung, Webe pla z 1, 01217 D esden, Ge many
m.jehling@ioe .de
D . Tobias K üge , Leibniz-Ins i u ü ökologische Raumen wick-
lung, Webe pla z 1, 01217 D esden, Ge many
.k uege @ioe .de
P o . D . Ma in Behnisch, Leibniz-Ins i u ü ökologische
Raumen wicklung, Webe pla z 1, 01217 D esden, Ge many
m.behnisch@ioe .de
© 2025 by he au ho (s); licensee oekom. This Open
Access a icle is published unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
4.0 In e na ional Licence (CC BY).
g a ing he ins umen s used o implemen such aims wi hin
spa ial planning (Id /Le Bi ic/Melo 2025). On a na ional
o in e na ional scale, managing g ow h has become a key
opic o esea ch and p ac ice in spa ial planning (Sieden-
op/Schmid /Dunlop 2022). Howe e , while educed land
ake a es could be seen as an ini ial success, cu en soci-
e al de elopmen s highligh he na ow ocus o no-ne land
ake policies. In he wide sense o sus ainabili y, he way in
which we use land should allow us o li e wi hin ecological
bounda ies while ensu ing plane a y jus ice. Howe e , he
ecological aim o p ese ing open land compe es s ongly
wi h demands a ising om a ans o ma ion o socie y and
he economy. Hence, u he compe ing land uses challenge
he ocus on land ake and go well beyond deba es on u ban
sp awl and se lemen a ea.
In hese imes o socie al ans o ma ion, he ypes o
compe i ion o land a e mani old, anging om housing
o enewable ene gy p oduc ion. Affo dable and accessible
housing is becoming an inc easingly u gen socie al p ob-
lem in many agglome a ions. While infill po en ials seem
e e sca ce , a gumen s o expansion on g eenfield si es a e
becoming mo e p ominen (Eh ha d /Eichho n/Behnisch
e al. 2022). When i comes o u ban ans o ma ion, he
issue o housing p o ision also aises he ques ion o he
in e play be ween p i a e p ope y igh s and public land
policies (Ha mann/Hengs e mann/Jehling e al. 2025). In
addi ion, he loca ional equi emen s o indus ial ac i i ies
and comme ce e eal he dilemma be ween p ese ing land
a such loca ions o supplying he land equi ed o he cu -
en needs o economic de elopmen (Jehling/K ehl/K üge
2021). Fu he mo e, ans o ma ion o low ca bon ene gy
sys ems also in ol es a conflic o goals wi h ecology. The
ex ensi e cons uc ion o enewable ene gy plan s, such
as g ound-moun ed pho o ol aic sys ems and wind a ms,
demands la ge amoun s o land (Masu owski/D echsle /
F ank 2016; Benna /B oekel/S e nbe g 2019). Ag icul u al
p oduc i i y and na u e conse a ion a e u he compe ing
Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning (2025) 83/4: 245–248 245
M. Jehling e al.
in e es s ha equi e people o ake sides wi hin ecological
bounda ies and demands o plane a y jus ice.
On he one hand, he e a e e ol ing new demands on
land ha challenge ecen achie emen s in educing land
ake. On he o he hand, hese demands compe e wi h each
o he o land as a esou ce needed o make socie ies mo e
sus ainable. Land policies and spa ial planning in pa icu-
la ha e he means o find solu ions ha balance compe ing
in e es s. Agains he backd op o land use compe i ion in
socie al ans o ma ion, he e is a need o esea ch ha
iden ifies new concep s and iable solu ions o land poli-
cies and spa ial planning, including app oaches o in ol -
ing public and p i a e ac o s. Mo e knowledge is needed on
ins umen s and p ocesses ha suppo he efficien u ilisa-
ion o land, which emains a sca ce esou ce.
This special issue aims o connec cu en esea ch on
hese necessa y concep ual pe spec i es wi h empi ical
knowledge. The con ibu ions highligh me hodologies,
p ocesses and d i e s, which cons i u e he ounda ion o
iable pa hways owa ds sus ainable land use. The special
issue add esses ele an app oaches o land policies and
spa ial planning ha seek o mi iga e compe ing in e es s
bu also iden i y conflic ing goals inhe en in sus ainabili y
ans o ma ion.
2 New pe spec i es on land use
compe i ion
In his commen a y, Binde (2025) add esses he ongoing
deba e on no-ne land ake in Ge many and p oposes a new
concep ual app oach o wha land ake means. He poin s ou
ha he sole ocus o cu en policies on land as ei he u ban
o non-u ban inhibi s he implemen a ion o egula ion. He
p oposes a model ha uses compensa ion as a s a ing poin
and includes he ecological alue and mul i- unc ionali y o
land aken o u banisa ion, bu also o land gi en back o
u banisa ion. Such a model would no be based on he need
o p o ide compensa ion o squa e me e s o new u ban
land bu a he conside s he unc ionali y o such land in
quali a i e e ms.
A u he pe spec i e on compe ing in e es s o land is
p o ided by Oelke (2025). In his con ibu ion, he discusses
he ecological dynamics o human-wol compe i ion (o co-
ope a ion) in he Eas e n Ge man egion o Lusa ia. This
opens he spa ial planning deba e o he ques ion o he co-
habi a ion o humans and animals. He in oduces he con-
cep o ‘ecological labou ’ o emphasise he ole o land
use as a esou ce o ep oduc ion, o which bo h human
and animals con ibu e. In e ms o a sus ainabili y ans-
o ma ion, his de elops he idea o unde s anding land use
compe i ion in a way ha espec s he con ibu ions o bo h
human and non-human ac o s.
Buika and Schille (2025) d aw on a case o in as uc-
u e conflic o se up a complemen a y pe spec i e on ac-
cep ance in planning. They look a he LNG e minal on
he Ge man Bal ic Island o Rügen, whe e hey iden i y an
accep ance c isis conce ning accele a ed planning wi h lim-
i ed pa icipa ion and ecou se o ‘a a ional legi imisa ion
app oach’. They coun e his by p oposing complemen a y
app oaches o legi ima ion. In e ms o socie al ans o ma-
ion, hei plea o ‘sha ed legi ima ion a enas’ could p o-
ide a iable pa hway o add ess compe i ion o u u e land
use.
3 Gaining knowledge on ac o s and
spa ial dynamics
Eh ha d , Somme , Ndim e al. (2025) look a he dynamics
o inne u ban land use and ocus on he pi o al ole o
landowne s in u ban densifica ion. They con ibu e an em-
pi ical app oach ha makes use o spa ial da a on landown-
e ship and i s change o he ci y o Do mund, Ge many.
They show ha dis inc g oups o landowne s we e in ol ed
in diffe en o ms o densifica ion and demons a e changes
in landowne ship o e ime. The gained knowledge on ac o
g oups sus ains he a gumen ha u u e endea ou s in spa-
ial planning and land policy need o be mo e specific abou
which landowne g oups hey add ess o mi iga e compe i-
ion o u ban space o housing o clima e adap a ion. This
app oach helps enable adap i e u ban sys ems capable o
mi iga ing housing p essu es and limi ing land ake.
Tie z and Bockelmann (2025) examine he ole o ag i-
cul u al landowne ship ac oss a na ionwide sample in Ge -
many and e eal highly di e se owne ship s uc u es in ag i-
cul u al land. They conside he owne ship o non-u ban
land wi h i s impo an ole o socie al ans o ma ion and
poin ou ha such owne ship is gene ally widely dispe sed
bu simul aneously highly unequal. These imbalances ha e
epe cussions o he benefi s and bu dens o u u e land
use in socie al ansi ion, which elies g ea ly on p i a e
landowne s as key ac o s. They poin ou ha his may c e-
a e pa hways o inequali y in ene gy ansi ion, as land used
o sola a ms and wind u bines is ypically owned by
long-es ablished landowning amilies.
Sieden op and Scha mann (2025) add ess compe i ion
o u ban land and poin o he deba e abou whe he he
sca ci y o de elopable land is due o egula o y es ic ions
o he financialisa ion o housing ma ke s. They in es iga e
he spa ial pa e ns o land p ice dynamics in he Ge man
ede al s a e o No h Rhine-Wes phalia, which is unde go-
ing s ong demog aphic and economic eu banisa ion. They
246 Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning (2025) 83/4: 245–248
Land use compe i ion in socie al ans o ma ion
see spa ial planning as incapable o esponding o a su ge
in demand by inc easing land supply, and obse e spa ial
pola isa ion be ween dynamic u ban a eas and le -behind
u al a eas. This highligh s he a ied condi ions shaping
u u e sus ainable land use adap a ion. Abo e all, he e-
sul s aise ques ions abou he capaci y o land policies o
es ain ising land p ices.
4 Conclusion and p ospec s
The ocus on land use compe i ion in socie al ans o ma-
ion highligh s how impo an i is o iden i y new concep-
ual app oaches o open up u u e de elopmen pa hways in
u ban o u al con ex s. How we concei e land ake, hink
abou in e ac ion as compe i ion o co-ope a ion, and seek
legi imacy o changes in land use can enable hese pa h-
ways. The s udies on landowne ship also show who is in
con ol o he land a ailable o sus ainable u u es. Hence,
solu ions need o emb ace hese ac o s in e ms o co-ope -
a ion bu also egula ion. The s udy on land ma ke s u he
highligh s he impo ance o complemen ing a planning-
o ien ed iew wi h conside a ion o demand and supply in
land ma ke s o be e posi ion policies ha enable soci-
e al ans o ma ion. The esea ch on s uc u es o landown-
e ship in u ban dynamics and ag icul u e e eal he eno -
mous alue o da a a ailabili y o e idence-based decision
making. Due o he inc ease and specifici y o da a collec-
ions, as well as imp o ed possibili ies o empo al c oss-
sec ional and longi udinal analyses, he e is eno mous po-
en ial o de eloping inno a i e app oaches o spa ial mod-
elling and assessmen – pa icula ly o he simula ion and
diffe en ia ion o u u e scena ios.
Agains his backd op, cu en ac i i ies need o enhance
he measu ing and moni o ing o spa ial p ocesses o land
use in bo h u ban and u al en i onmen s o suppo u-
u e esea ch. The mo e we know abou pas and cu en
d i e s o land use compe i ion, he mo e we can de elop
and e alua e scena ios o desi ed and undesi ed spa ial u-
u es. Fo his, mul idimensional pe spec i es ha make he
in e ac ions be ween biophysical, social, economic, legal
and e hical dimensions explici a e becoming key. Such in-
e dependencies mus be eflec ed in u u e modelling and
scena io-building effo s o ensu e ha p oposed land use
s a egies espond o he complexi y o eal-wo ld dynam-
ics and con ibu e o mo e sus ainable ou comes o spa ial
planning.
Acknowledgemen s This special issue was concei ed a “D esdne
Flächennu zungssymposium 2024” and “Woche de Umwel 2024”
(Be lin). We would like o hank all hose in ol ed in he discussions
in he p epa a ions o and du ing hese wo e en s. We a e pa icula ly
g a e ul o Go ha d Meinel who se he scene o he collabo a i e
effo on sus ainable land use p esen ed he e.
Re e ences
Behnisch, M.; K üge , T.; Jaege , J.A.G. (2022): Rapid
ise in u ban sp awl: Global ho spo s and ends since
1990. In: PLOS Sus ainabili y and T ans o ma ion 1, 11,
e0000034. h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.ps .0000034
Benna , T.; B oekel, T.; S e nbe g, R. (2019): Zu Messung
de Nu zung egionale Po enziale beim Ausbau e neue -
ba e Ene gien. Eine empi ische Analyse deu sche Land-
k eise. In: Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial
Resea ch and Planning 77, 6, 617–638. h ps://doi.o g/
10.2478/ a a-2019-0043
Binde , C. (2025): E o de nis eines Flächenkompensa ion-
smodells zu E eichung des Flächenschu zziels „Ne o-
Null-Flächen e b auch“. In: Raum o schung und Raum-
o dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning 83, 4. h ps://
doi.o g/10.14512/ u .3081
Buika, I.; Schille , D. (2025): A complemen a y pe spec i e
on legi ima ion in egional de elopmen : he c isis o
accep ance o liquefied na u al gas (LNG) on he ou is ic
island o Rügen. In: Raum o schung und Raumo dnung
| Spa ial Resea ch and Planning 83, 4. h ps://doi.o g/10.
14512/ u .3089
Eh ha d , D.; Eichho n, S.; Behnisch, M.; Jehling, M.; Mün-
e , A.; Schünemann, C.; Sieden op, S. (2022): S ad e-
gionen im Spannungs eld zwischen Wohnungs age und
Flächenspa en. T ends, S a egien und Lösungsansä ze in
Ke ns äd en und ih em Umland. In: Raum o schung und
Raumo dnung 80, 5, 522–541. h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/
u .216
Eh ha d , D.; Somme , F.; Ndim, M.; Raimbaul , J.; Ha -
mann, T.; Jehling, M. (2025): Who d i es u ban den-
sifica ion? Linking landowne ship and spa ial dynamics.
In: Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch
and Planning 83, 4. h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/ u .2977
Ha mann, T.; Hengs e mann, A.; Jehling, M.; Schinde-
legge , A.; Wenne , F. (eds.) (2025): Land Policies in
Eu ope: Land-Use Planning, P ope y Righ s, and Spa-
ial De elopmen . Cham. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-
031-83725-8
Hölsche , K.; Wi maye , J.M.; Loo bach, D. (2018): T an-
si ion e sus ans o ma ion: Wha ’s he diffe ence? In:
En i onmen al Inno a ion and Socie al T ansi ions 27,
1–3. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.eis .2017.10.007
Id , J.; Le Bi ic, C.; Melo , R. (2025): U ban planning in
he con ex o no ne land ake: owa ds a new planning
pa adigm in Eu ope? In: Town Planning Re iew 96, 4,
337–346. h ps://doi.o g/10.3828/ p .2025.14
Jehling, M.; K ehl, A.; K üge , T. (2021): The mo e he
Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning (2025) 83/4: 245–248 247
u .oekom.de h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/ u .3427
me ie ? Ques ioning he ole o new comme cial and
indus ial loca ions o employmen g ow h in Ge man
ci y egions. In: Land Use Policy 109, 105653. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105653
Lacoe e, P.; Deco ille, A.; Dela e, R.; Melo , R.; G imski,
D.; Schamann, M.; Halleux, J.-M. (2025): Na ional in o-
duc ion o no ne land ake: a compa a i e s udy o fi e
pionee ing coun ies seeking o limi hei land consump-
ion. In: Town Planning Re iew 96, 4, 347–371. h ps://
doi.o g/10.3828/ p .2024.44
Masu owski, F.; D echsle , M.; F ank, K. (2016): A spa-
ially explici assessmen o he wind ene gy po en ial
in esponse o an inc eased dis ance be ween wind u -
bines and se lemen s in Ge many. In: Ene gy Policy 97,
343–350. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.07.021
Meinel, G.; Henge , R.; K üge , T.; Schmid , T.; Scho ch ,
M. (2020): We eib die Flächeninansp uchnahme?
Ein Plan e gleich und de en Flächenwi kung. In: Raum-
o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and
Planning 78, 3, 233–248. h ps://doi.o g/10.2478/ a a-
2020-0003
Oelke, J. (2025): De eloping an ecology o espec : Sha ed
land use by humans and wol es h ough “ecological
labou ” in Lusa ia. In: Raum o schung und Raumo d-
nung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning 83, 4. h ps://doi.
o g/10.14512/ u .3059
Ouesla i, W.; Al anides, S.; Ga od, G. (2015): De e -
minan s o u ban sp awl in Eu opean ci ies. In: U -
ban S udies 52, 9, 1594–1614. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/
0042098015577773
Sieden op, S.; Scha mann, M. (2025): Reu baniza ion and
Spa ially Pola ized Land Ma ke s – An Analysis o U -
ban Land-Value Changes in No h Rhine-Wes phalia,
Ge many, 2012–2024. In: Raum o schung und Raumo d-
nung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning 83, 4. h ps://doi.
o g/10.14512/ u .2975
Sieden op, S.; Schmid , S.; Dunlop, A. (2022): Managing
U ban G ow h – an O e iew o he Li e a u e. In: Raum-
o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Plan-
ning 80, 6, 659–677. h ps://doi.o g/10.14512/ u .1653
Tie z, A.; Bockelmann, L. (2025): Un e suchung on Lan-
deigen umss uk u en in Deu schland: Wem gehö die
Landwi scha sfläche? In: Raum o schung und Raum-
o dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning 83, 4. h ps://
doi.o g/10.14512/ u .3088
248 Raum o schung und Raumo dnung | Spa ial Resea ch and Planning (2025) 83/4: 245–248
