The aim is to link public or semi-public organisations in Europe that are actively developing and implementing integrated land development policies. This stimulates the exchange and development of proper and timely policy responses to (changing) needs of societies in rural and peri-urban areas.
The scope is land development, covering the broad range of public and public/private interventions to adjust the use or the ownership structure of land to the current economic, environmental and social reality. Interventions take place in carefully planned and implemented ‘people oriented’ approaches. The nature of land development is to serve different objectives at local, regional and national level, taking the territory at hand, into consideration.
Land development is a dynamic, implementation-oriented approach used in specific areas with specific problems. It aims to solve problems related to land use or land ownership, to prevent future problems or to promote the improvement of livelihood conditions. Land development should be well embedded in broader rural development approaches.
Main operational objectives are to:
1. Exchange knowledge and experience to enhance capacity among its members
2. Stimulate the establishment and upgrading of regional and national approaches
3. Stimulate upgrading of the national and European policies by joining policy consultations and taking part in public and policy debate
4. Stimulate professional training and capacity building
In the future, land development approaches need to be equipped better to achieve in a comprehensive way multiple objectives in agricultural areas, environmentally sensitive areas and metropolitan landscapes. A modular set up with a wide range of tools is needed to embed land development more firmly in a broader regional development approach. Instrument guided planning methods need to be replaced by goal oriented ways of working. It is acknowledged that such approaches need new and appropriate programming and financing systems.