Both Germany and the US pursue goals which aim at reducing urban sprawl. The benefits are manifold: reduction of land and soil sealing, less traffic, lower costs for infrastructure, protection of biodiversity, among. On the one hand, the Federal Government of Germany has approached the topic by setting the political target to reduce land consumption to less than 30 hectares per day (roughly 75 acres per day) by the year 2030. Not having a comparable goal in the US, there are still parts of the country where an increasing sensitivity concerning the conversion of agricultural or forest land into settlement structures can be observed.

 

The webinar allowed for the explanation of the German political goals related to reducing land consumption as well as practical testing of this regulation on the state and municipal level were discussed. Public and private entities in the US presented their approach to the topic as well and the working scheme for tradable land rights. In conclusion, participants were able to learn about both approaches and the intersections to each other.  The webinar was moderated by Sarah Sieloff (Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc.). The full recording can be found under "Webinar".