On 26 September, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), which acts as the Latvian ESPON contact point, held an online seminar entitled “The future of land use: ESPON experience in land management in Latvia”.

This was the fifth event organised under the ESPON 2030 programme in Latvia, bringing together representatives of local authorities, regional planning bodies, ministries, academia, research institutes and other interested parties to discuss sustainable land use and the instruments available to support it.

A focus on no net land take

The main theme of the seminar was the concept of no net land take (NNLT) – the EU goal of achieving no net land take by 2050. It was examined in the light of the ESPON SUPER and NNLT projects, as well as the forthcoming activities of the Interreg Europe project Green LUPO.

David Evers, lead researcher at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, presented the results of the SUPER project, which confirmed that land use remains a significant problem. He noted that, although there is no universal solution for sustainable urbanisation, European policy and planning measures play a decisive role in shaping land-use trajectories. He stressed the importance of cooperation, coordination and a long-term vision, highlighting scenario modelling as a valuable instrument for assessing the trade-offs and synergies of different development paths.

Nicolas Rossignol, Deputy Director for Research and Policy at ESPON, shared findings from the NNLT project, stressing that the implementation of NNLT objectives varies widely across Europe because governance structures differ. He argued that NNLT should not be regarded merely as a technical target, but rather as a strategic instrument for the green transition and a catalyst for broader public policy reform. Achieving this requires strong cross-sectoral and horizontal cooperation.

The Lithuanian experience

Erblin Berisha, associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin, presented Lithuania's experience in the Espon SUPER spin-off project, in which the ESPON SUPER handbook on sustainable urbanisation was adapted to national planning practice. He explained that existing planning instruments and the unintended consequences of other policy areas, such as housing subsidies, have encouraged dispersed development which, despite a declining population, has led to an increase in land consumption. The professor also stressed the importance of a tailored approach and coordinated cooperation, which makes it possible to regulate competition between municipalities and sectors.

Latvia's land-use challenges

VARAM experts noted similar trends in Latvia: the declining population is linked to a reduction in agricultural land area, while built-up areas continue to expand, particularly in the Riga metropolitan region. Although the population of this region is growing, land is often used inefficiently, development is low-density and too little is being done to regenerate existing urban areas. To address these problems, VARAM is actively taking part in the Green LUPO project in order to support the development of new land policy guidelines.

Participants acknowledged that the NNLT concept is new to many, but highly topical. They recognised that land use is a pressing problem for Latvia's local authorities, where irrational land use can also be encountered, for example the construction of new housing, retail or logistics facilities in green areas while undeveloped plots and unused buildings remain in city centres. This trend increases demand for transport infrastructure and services, while land-use patterns are further affected by renewable energy development and changes in forest and agricultural land cover.

Key conclusions for Latvia

The discussions with ESPON experts highlighted several important considerations for Latvia's future land-use policy:

• Sustainable land management must strike a balance between private property rights and the public interest.

• Planning restrictions must be communicated clearly to the public in order to build understanding of their benefits.

• Fiscal and legal frameworks have a considerable influence on land consumption and must be aligned with sustainability objectives

• Monitoring must include the qualitative aspects of land use, not just quantitative indicators.

• Environmentally sound strategies must also be economically viable.

• Policy change takes time and broad public support.

During the interactive session, participants proposed a communication strategy for NNLT in Latvia under the slogan “Let's grow smaller!”, stressing the need for well-considered urban development. Although various instruments for reducing land consumption already exist in Latvia, efforts remain fragmented and strategic objectives are often not fully implemented. To ensure the effective implementation of NNLT, participants called for a clear national target, a coherent land policy and a shared spatial vision, supported by closer cooperation between local authorities and sectors. They also stressed the importance of compensation mechanisms and greater involvement of regional authorities in land management. Improving the monitoring of land consumption was also discussed, including opportunities for public involvement and the use of existing statistical and spatial data to create an integrated national monitoring system.

Future prospects

The seminar reaffirmed that sustainable land use is a complex task that requires multi-level and cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as broader public awareness. Building on ESPON research and the forthcoming results of the Green LUPO project, Latvia has a valuable opportunity to shape a land-use policy that supports the objectives of the European Green Deal and promotes sustainable territorial development in the years ahead.

Seminar materials are available here: https://www.varam.gov.lv/lv/zemes-izmantosanas-nakotne-espon-pieredze-latvijas-zemes-parvaldibai-seminars-24092025