Rural Report: ‘Open Space Under Pressure, Getting Less Operating Subsidies’

Use of space

More and more municipalities are becoming urban as a result of increasing population density. While the land taken up in rural municipalities has actually decreased by 1.2 percent in recent years, paving work is increasing. In the countryside, an additional 5,723 hectares have been paved in nine years. In 2022, rural municipalities consisted of 585,680 hectares of open space, which is 7,988 hectares less than in 2013.

Pressure on open space is increasing. This is mainly due to our way of life and the growth of transport infrastructure and industrial areas. The 2021 spatial report shows that more and more land is being given a residential function. In 2022, twice as many permits were issued for new homes in rural municipalities as five years ago. This concerns more specifically residential buildings and replacement buildings. The countryside shows the strongest growth in this respect. It is also striking that house prices in rural areas and urban municipalities are (significantly) higher than in central cities.

Another trend that emerges from the report is that open spaces are becoming increasingly fragmented due to, among other things, residential recreation and depletion. As a result, more and more agricultural land is being used for activities that are not directly related to agriculture. For example, consumption increased by 250 percent between 2010 and 2023.

Transport infrastructure is the second largest user of space. Rural municipalities still lag behind in sustainable mobility. For example, there are few charging points or shared mobility or cycling infrastructure. Moreover, rural residents travel mainly by car due to limited accessibility and facilities.