Sustainable Urban Land Recycling

Abstract

The concept of sustainability as formulated in Agenda 21 of the Rio Convention of 1992 clearly states that our practice of consuming resources shall not compromise on the ability of future generations to benefit from these resources (Brundtland-Report, World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). The consumption of virgin land as being observed all over the world contradicts this concept. It is the task and the duty of today’s scientists to put an end to the shortsighted land consumption by introducing strategies and concepts to recycle used land. The 10^th Chapter of Agenda 21 addresses an integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources:

Land is a finite resource, while the natural resources it supports can vary over time and according to management conditions and uses. Ex-panding human requirements and economic activities are placing ever increasing pressures on land resources, creating competition and con-flicts and resulting in suboptimal use of both land and land resources. If, in the future, human requirements are to be met in a sustainable manner, it is now essential to resolve these conflicts and move towards more effective and efficient use of land and its natural resources.