The implications of land use planning on environmental sustainability

Fuster Held^*
*Correspondence: Fuster Held, Department of Land Use Planning, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, Email:

Received: 02-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. AJGRP-22-65826; Editor assigned: 05-Sep-2022, Pre QC No. AJGRP-22-65826 (PQ); Reviewed: 19-Sep-2022, QC No. AJGRP-22-65826; Revised: 26-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. AJGRP-22-65826 (R); Published: 05-Oct-2022

About the Study

The process of a central body regulating the use of land is known as land use planning. This is usually done to produce more desired social and environmental consequences as well as more effective resource utilisation. Environmental conservation, urban sprawl constraint, transportation cost minimization, land use conflict prevention, and reduced exposure to contaminants are all common goals of modern land use planning. In order to achieve these aims, planners presume that controlling land use will alter human behaviour patterns, and that these changes will be good. The first hypothesis, that managing land use alters human behaviour patterns, is broadly recognised. The second premise, that these modifications are helpful, is debatable and depends on the place and rules under consideration.

Land use planning is a type of urban planning that aims to order and control land usage in an efficient and ethical manner in order to avoid land use conflicts. Land use planning is a tool used by governments to manage the development of land within their borders. As a result, the governmental entity may plan for the community's requirements while also protecting natural resources. In order to identify and implement the optimum land use options, it is necessary to conduct a systematic assessment of land and water potential, land use alternatives, and economic and social factors. A land use plan, which is often part of a comprehensive plan, presents a vision for future development possibilities in neighbourhoods, districts, cities, or any other defined planning region.

Land use planning and environmental sustainability

Land use planning is viewed as a political and technicaladministrative decision-making process agreed upon with social, economic, political, and technical aspects for orderly occupation and sustainable use of the land under development in the context of sustainable development. On the other hand, it aims to regulate and promote the location and long-term development of human settlements, economic and social activities, and spatial physical development, based on the identification of opportunities and constraints that take into account environmental, economic, sociocultural, institutional, and geopolitical factors. Generally speaking, these guidelines are in place to ensure that the environment is protected during land use or development. Indeed, land is assigned a significant priority for the development of human existence as it is the primary support for its permanence and development, which is the most important goal of the human settlements policy, according to the recommendations of the United Nations in its Habitat conference. That is, the land resource is regarded as a necessary component for society's social, political, and economic creation.

As previously stated, land use refers to the occupation of a specific area based on its agrological capacity and thus development potential; it is classified as urban or rural depending on its location; it is a critical component for the development of a city and its inhabitants because it is from these that the city's urban structure and thus functionality is defined. As a result, there is a need to ensure sustainability in order to ensure that we continue to profit from urban planning and that future generations will continue to benefit from it as well.

Environmental degradation is increasing over the world as a result of the use of filthy energy in the building and powering of cities and neighbourhoods. There was a global effort in the twentieth century to create major cities fast in order to accommodate people migrating from rural areas to cities in search of work. The energy used for this was either coal or oil, which meant that numerous urban development projects neglected and harmed the environment. According to the United Nations, almost half of the world's population now lives in cities that are still expanding. The United Nations campaigned for green energy consumption as well as urban development that fostered environmentally friendly transportation in order to create environmentally sustainable urban landscapes. Around 75% of the energy consumed in the United States is used to power buildings and means of transportation; land use planning can help change these components of energy usage in a way that is beneficial to both citizens and the environment.