The forest - a barrier to urban sprawl (essay)
2011
Frey, R.L., Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts, CREMA, Basel (Switzerland)
Urban sprawl, although not desirable, cannot effectively be opposed by existing land use planning: the forest is one of the few barriers which can keep it in check. That is why it would be inappropriate at the present time to relax the ban on clearances and to change forest areas into building zones. The protagonists of a less restrictive forest policy argue that it is necessary to optimize the use of land which is becoming more and more scarce. However, this would only be justifiable if landscape development could be correctly controlled through market forces. This is not the case. External costs in the dimension of ten billions of francs a year in transport and building development have in fact the effect of a kind of subsidy on land use and thus encourage uncontrolled development.
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