Results and presentations of the ESPON seminar in Mons now available online
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Check the follow up of our ESPON seminar with the Belgian EU Presidency
Our ESPON seminar in Mons, Belgium, brought together policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders for a two-day exploration of the ambitious goal of achieving "No Net Land Take" (NNLT) across Europe. Organised in collaboration with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the event delved into the complexities of reducing land conversion to artificial surfaces and its impact on various aspects, including biodiversity, ecological services, affordable housing, and overall development.
On the updated page of the event, you can find a short follow-up summary and the presentations from all our sessions and our speakers. Among those, Philippe Estèbe, on why current indicators favour wealthier regions as "green ready," Xavier Desjardins, on the difference between soil sealing and land take, and why implementing NNLT policies at the local and regional level is a “gamble”, Thomas Leroy, on Walloon Region's priorities regarding zero land take by 2050 and wasteland rehabilitation.
From the ESPON side, Wiktor Szydarowski explains how ESPON connects expertise to help policymakers understand the diverse regional approaches to NNLT, and Marjan van Herwijnen presents different definitions of net land use and how ESPON is contributing to the debate about No Net Land Take.
More presentations on the topic from Bavo Peeters from DG ENV of the European Commission, Anna Laura Palazzo of the Roma Tre University, Michel Dachelet from Public Service Wallonia (SPW), Radu Necsuliu from the Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds, Anna Hellings of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, Benoit Nadler from DG Regio of the European Commission and Stefano Palmieri of the EESC, and many more researchers and experts from the ESPON community.
And, as always, photos from the event!
Check the the updated page of the event, for more.
P.S. Start preparing for our next ESPON seminar in Budapest, November 6-7, 2024!