Deep Water Ports as a Trigger for Ongoing Land Use Conflicts? The Case of Jade Weser Port in Germany

Thomas Weith, head of the research group “Spatial Planning and Urban Design”, in collaboration with Roni Susman from ZALF, has published an article in the journal LAND. Based on the ReGerecht project, the article examines conflicts of use along Jade Weser Port. The focus is on the question of how large-scale infrastructure projects are embedded in ecologically sensitive coastal areas and what spatial conflicts arise as a result. Satellite images, planning documents, and implementation measures were used to analyse land use changes between 1970 and 2015. The results show that the growing demand for land for port-related infrastructure creates conflicts in limited spatial resources and competes with nature conservation and other land use demands. A lack of coordination between infrastructure planning and integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is further exacerbating the conflicts. The study highlights the need for coherent, interdisciplinary planning approaches to sustainable development in coastal regions. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14102009.  Further current selected papers can be found here.