Modelling and projecting urban land cover

As previous chapters in this book have shown, urban expansion is an ongoing process with considerable impacts on the environment, the economy and quality of life. Europe, with its largely urban population, is no exception. To curtail the negative impacts and foster the positive effects of ongoing urban expansion, policies will have to be adjusted and harmonised. To do so an outlook of future land use and urbanisation trends is indispensable. Such an analysis of evolutions and functional profiles of European cities requires evaluating the impacts of continent-wide drivers and, at the same time, the effect of national and local strategies with their own priorities and plans.