News #8

Figure: Land consumption (increase of settlement and traffic area) between 1979 and 2015 is shown in grayscale, population decline between 1980 and 2015 in blue squares, population increase between 1980 and 2015 in red circles (A). Land consumption is widespread and even occurred in municipalities with population decline. The case study area in Lower Saxony (B). Data A: ESRI basemap Europe and BKG (2016). Data B: LSN (2018) and BKG (2016).

DID YOU KNOW?

Researchers led by Michael W. Strohbach identified “hidden urbanization” — the unnoticed growth of impervious surfaces from low-density housing developments. Actual construction often exceeds planned paving, with added driveways and extensions increasing impermeable areas by 8–36%. This disrupts the water cycle: infiltration drops by 4–19%, surface runoff rises by 4–18%, and evaporation slightly increases. Between 1980 and 2015, settlement areas expanded by 34%, while population grew only 7%. The study calls for integrated housing design, strict monitoring of impervious surfaces, and the use of Nature-Based Solutions to mitigate environmental impacts and promote sustainable urban development.

Strohbach, M. W., Döring, A. O., Möck, M., Sedrez, M., Mumm, O., Schneider, A.-K., Weber, S., & Schröder, B. (2019). The “Hidden Urbanization”: Trends of Impervious Surface in Low-Density Housing Developments and Resulting Impacts on the Water Balance. Frontiers in Environmental Science, Volume 7, Article 29. The article was published on 15 March 2019, with the DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2019.00029
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00029/full