Steps to be taken

We need better and stronger land use planning than there is in most countries of the world. It is recognised that there are strong pressures on soil consumption that cannot be avoided. There are important 'socio-economic' factors such as the high dependence of gross national income from land consumption, housing, mobility, communication, the supply of goods and services - all of which lead to increasing urbanisation. But we need also to recognise the long term implications in terms of food supply. There needs to be a much better relationship between the driving forces of urban development and those forces seeking to secure the food necessary to feed the growing world population (the term 'food security' relates to a country being able to feed its own population). For too long these two forces have been developed separately and often with a lack of understanding of the other's needs. It is essential that the soils of each region and indeed country are assessed realistically with respect to their value for future food production as well as for urban development and that the impact of the use for one purpose as opposed to the other is properly assessed. It is most important, even vital, for future world development that planning for food, and planning associated with urbanisation come together and are considered as a whole in securing a sustainable future.

In some of the more developed countries of the world attempts have been made over the last 50 years to prevent the move of urbanisation onto good quality land. For example, in 1955 in England the concept of the 'Green Belt' was introduced around many of the towns and cities. This was land that was protected against the spread of urban development, forming some protection for land vulnerable to being built upon. The Green Belt covered about 13 per cent of England, amounting to around a million and a half acres. Coupled with this an 'Agricultural Land Classification' was introduced which classified the land of England in terms of suitability and quality for agriculture, providing a framework for guidance on the quality of land. The Green Belt Policy has successfully restricting the piecemeal development of houses on good quality agricultural land. However, because of increasing need for new houses, the Green Belt is now under review with the possibility that much more land will be released for development. In several other developed countries there have been similar attempts to restrict the spread of urbanisation or at least to channel such expansion onto poorer land. It clearly is possible to identify and protect land if the will is there.

Around the world there are many sites that have been previously used for industry. These are known as 'brownfield' sites and tend to be favoured by some planners since they have already had a previous industrial use. The problem in using these areas is that the land at many such sites has been contaminated by previous industrial processes, hence presenting a potential hazard for those occupying such land. It is, however, important that this type of land should be used whenever possible to relieve the pressure on better land that has not previously been used for industry. Where contamination of land exists, new technologies need to be developed to reclaim and clean the land, making it suitable for re-use. The concept of using such land needs to be followed by all countries of the world. Increasing amounts of land around the world are being degraded and the cost of reclaiming them is often huge. Again this is land that should be considered for necessary urban development where appropriate.