TY - JOUR A1 - Job, Hubert A1 - Meyer, Constantin A1 - Coronado, Oriana A1 - Koblar, Simon A1 - Laner, Peter A1 - Omizzolo, Andrea A1 - Plassmann, Guido A1 - Riedler, Walter A1 - Vesely, Philipp A1 - Schindelegger, Arthur T1 - Open spaces in the European Alps — GIS-based analysis and implications for spatial planning from a transnational perspective JF - Land N2 - This article presents an open space concept of areas that are kept permanently free from buildings, technical infrastructure, and soil sealing. In the European Alps, space is scarce because of the topography; conflicts often arise between competing land uses such as permanent settlements and commercial activity. However, the presence of open spaces is important for carbon sequestration and the prevention of natural hazards, especially given climate change. A GIS-based analysis was conducted to identify an alpine-wide inventory of large-scale near-natural areas, or simply stated, open spaces. The method used identified the degree of infrastructure development for natural landscape units. Within the Alpine Convention perimeter, near-natural areas (with a degree of infrastructural development of up to 20%) account for a share of 51.5%. Only 14.5% of those areas are highly protected and are mostly located in high altitudes of over 1500 m or 2000 m above sea level. We advocate that the remaining Alpine open spaces must be preserved through the delimitation of more effective protection mechanisms, and green corridors should be safeguarded through spatial planning. To enhance the ecological connectivity of open spaces, there is the need for tailored spatial and sectoral planning strategies to prevent further landscape fragmentation and to coordinate new forms of land use for renewable energy production. KW - Alps KW - conservation KW - connectivity KW - fragmentation KW - GIS-analysis KW - land use KW - open spaces KW - protected areas KW - sectoral planning KW - spatial planning Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288207 SN - 2073-445X VL - 11 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Job, Hubert A1 - Willi, Gero A1 - Mayer, Marius A1 - Pütz, Marco T1 - Open Spaces in Alpine Countries: Analytical Concepts and Preservation Strategies in Spatial Planning JF - Mountain Research and Development N2 - Open spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked. Open spaces preserve ecosystem services but are under pressure in many Alpine valleys due to demographic and economic development as well as corresponding technical and tourism infrastructure. This article conceptualizes and measures open spaces in Alpine environments. In addition to analyzing existing spatial planning instruments and the open spaces resulting from 2 of them-the Bavarian Alpenplan in Germany and the Tyrolean Ruhegebiete in Austria-we identify open spaces in Switzerland using a geographic information system. More generally, we discuss how spatial planning deals with open spaces. Results show that both the Alpenplan and the Ruhegebiete have contributed significantly to the protection of open spaces in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps since the 1970s. Indeed, both approaches prevented several development projects. In the Swiss Alps, open spaces cover 41.9% of the Alpine Convention area. A share of 40.3% vegetation-free open spaces shows that they are concentrated in high alpine areas. Of the open spaces identified, 64.6% are covered by protected areas. Hence, about one third of the open spaces still existing in the Swiss Alps need preservation, not only for ecological connectivity reasons but also to preserve them for generations to come. We conclude that different sectoral approaches for the conservation of open spaces for people and natural heritage in the Alps and other high mountain ranges should be better coordinated. In addition, much more intensive crossborder cooperation in spatial development and planning is needed to preserve open spaces throughout the Alpine arc. KW - Alps KW - ecological connectivity KW - open spaces KW - sectoral planning KW - spatial planning; sustainable development; cross-border coordination Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259338 VL - 40 IS - 3 ER -