The long and winding boundaries: quantifying interfaces between residential, natural and agricultural land uses

The coexistence of different land uses in peri-urban areas is a well-known planning and managerial challenge, but explicit analyses of the boundaries and interfaces between different land uses are lacking. This paper suggests a method to explicitly quantify the spatial extent of the interfaces between different land uses. The analysis is carried out using urban development models and an empirical analysis. Using detailed Dutch geographical data, we study the evolution of the boundaries between residential, natural and agricultural land uses and their associated interface areas. The areas affected by interfaces are smaller than predicted by realistic urban models, but the shape and extent of the interface areas are extremely varied. The population share and the extent of the geographical areas potentially affected by land-use interfaces and their edge effects are great, calling for detailed follow up analyses and tailor-made planning tools at local levels.