
Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Working Group
Space is a limited resource and subject to a variety of different usage demands – something which is especially true in the Alps. Coordinating these demands in a sustainable way is a fundamental and intersectoral task that requires collaboration across country borders. The Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Protocol of the Alpine Convention was created to facilitate this cross-border and cross-sectoral cooperation to ensure a sustainable spatial development of the Alpine area.
The Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Working Group was established in 2020 and builds on the work of a former expert group on Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development which was active between 2015 and 2019. The Working Group’s activities are also aligned with the Alpine Climate Target System 2050, the Alpine Convention’s Climate Action Plan 2.0, and the EU Territorial Agenda 2030.
One of its current priorities is the elaboration of an Alpine Spatial Development Perspective, which addresses the cross-cutting character of spatial development by tackling it from different perspectives, such as transport, green infrastructure, and economic development. This six-year process, scheduled to conclude in 2028, involves different Alpine experts and stakeholders.
Another of the group’s ongoing activities is to contribute to the implementation of the pathways to achieve the Alpine climate targets until 2050. This included a close cooperation with the Soil Protection Working Group to promote soil protection through spatial planning in the Alpine countries.
The Working Group also contributed to the elaboration of the 9th Report on the State of the Alps on Alpine towns and the Report’s 10th edition on Quality of life in the Alps.
Chair:
Germany
Contact:
Josiane Meier (Josiane.Meier@bmwsb.bund.de), German Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction
Overview of activities, documents, and results
- Mandate until the XIX Alpine Conference
- Activity Report 2023-2024
- Towards an Alpine Spatial Development Perspective - Synthesis Report: Compilation of three input papers (2024)
- Guidelines for municipalities for assessing and activating inner-urban development potentials (2024)
- Climate scenarios in Alpine countries and indications for spatial planning (2024)
- Land-saving targets in Alpine countries: status quo and challenges (2024)
- Climate scenarios: linking climate change and spatial planning (2024)
- Promoting soil protection through spatial planning in the Alpine States – National Workshops: summary and event reports (2024)
- Activity Report 2021-2022
- Assessment study: Cross-border spatial development in the Alpine Convention area (2022); summary
- Land take in the Alpine region: the data perspective (2022); summary
- Collection of good practices for growth and shrinking strategies (2022); summary
- Land-saving targets in Alpine countries and regions (2022); summary
- Soil functions and spatial planning in the Alps - Workshop documentation (2022)