Arealforbruk

Arealforbruk, or area consumption, is a concept used in geography and urban planning to describe the amount of land that is occupied, converted, or otherwise taken from natural or agricultural use to support human activities. It measures how much land is required to sustain a given population or level of economic activity, and is often used to assess land efficiency, urban growth, and regional sustainability.

The metric can be expressed in various ways, most commonly as hectares per inhabitant (ha per capita) or square meters per person. It can also be presented per unit of economic output, such as hectares per unit of GDP. Calculation typically relies on land-use data that categorize built-up areas, transportation infrastructure, and other land segments, which are then aggregated over a defined period and divided by the chosen denominator (population or GDP). Within a city or region, arealforbruk may be broken down into residential, commercial/industrial, and transport-related land.

Applications and interpretation: a higher arealforbruk indicates more land is used per person or per unit of output, which is often associated with urban sprawl, low-density development, and greater land consumption for infrastructure. A lower value can reflect higher density, efficient land use, or successful redevelopment. Policymakers use the metric to monitor growth patterns, set densification targets, and compare performance across cities or regions.

Limitations: the measure does not capture land productivity, ecological value, or quality of life, and results can be sensitive to boundary definitions and data quality. It should be complemented with other indicators of sustainability, such as housing density, transport efficiency, and environmental impact.

Strategies to reduce arealforbruk include densification, infill development, mixed-use zoning, transit-oriented development, brownfield redevelopment, and preserving agricultural and green spaces through planning policies.