Developments like emancipation, individualization, multicultural society and the ageing of the population bring about changes in spatial use and the different interests involved in the layout of green space. The area covered by forest and natural environments in the Netherlands is once again on the increase, while agricultural land use is under pressure due to the demand for land for other purposes. The land based character of dairy farming is coming under pressure as a result of demands made on behalf of the abovementioned other land-use purposes. The establishment of agro-production in industrial zones is being considered as a possibility in order to be able to reduce the amount of space taken up by agriculture. This could also limit transport flows. Water management may take up more and more space during the coming years, potentially resulting in a considerable area of land being used for water storage, coupled with extensive operational management. The aim of this is to combine the land-use types of water storage, agriculture, recreation and nature.
The increase in the amount of land intended for residential purposes, employment, recreation and infrastructure (as opposed to agricultural uses) generally leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Concentrated agricultural production generally results in a reduction of transport flows and can therefore also result in a reduction of emissions.
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