This working paper examines the emerging land-sparing agenda from a Nordic planning and land governance perspective.

The publication clarifies key concepts related to land take and summarises relevant international and EU policy developments. It outlines how Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden currently facilitate land take reduction ambitions through planning and land-use policies. The overview of current policies, regulations, and practices is structured according to the land take mitigation hierarchy of avoidance, reuse, minimisation, and compensation.

The memo highlights the need to approach net land take as an integrated governance challenge that extends beyond urban sprawl and housing development. To achieve significant reductions in net land take, shared commitment and coordinated action across government levels, land-use sectors, and policy domains are needed. Stronger efforts to identify and manage the tensions and synergies between different forms of land-use are furthermore called for.