Exploring Land-Management across Europe: Perspectives, Challenges and Practices

A brief recap on the ARL Summer School 2025 on Land Management at NMBU, Norway

From 17 to 19 June 2025, the Summer School on Land Management was held at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås, Norway. The event was organised together with Andreas Hengstermann from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (BYREG) at NMBU, providing a perfect academic and social environment for a stimulating and productive week.

The Summer School was officially opened by Antje Bruns (ARL) and Kristine Lien Skog (NMBU), who warmly welcomed the participants and set the stage for the days ahead. A group of 13 outstanding PhD candidates from across Europe participated in the Summer School, which was characterised by intensive discussions, collaborative learning, and diverse perspectives on sustainable land management. The programme offered a focused platform to critically examine planning frameworks, policy impacts, and transformative approaches in response to urgent challenges such as urban sprawl, and the EU’s goal of zero land take by 2050.

There were several thematic workshops throughout the week, giving participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in key areas such as academic writing, visualisation methods, research design, de-growth and institutional theories. These sessions provided valuable skills and theoretical foundations to support the participants in their ongoing research and academic development. A special thanks goes to the mentors Eliška Vejchodská (Charles University, Prague), Martin Sondermann (ARL) as well as to the NMBU colleagues Jin Xue, Mina Di Marino, and Terje Holsen for leading these interactive workshops and enriching the discussions.

A particular highlight of the week was the keynote on Limits on land consumption: reductive land policies and no net land take by Peter Lacoere (Hogent and KU Leuven). What made this session especially valuable was the active involvement of all participants, who contributed their knowledge and reflections on land take policies in their respective countries. This resulted in a dynamic and comparative exchange.

The week was rounded off with a guided excursion along the Akerselva River in Oslo, led by Anne-Kristine Kronborg (NMBU), who provided valuable insights into local land-use challenges and innovative planning solutions in an urban context.

The ARL Summer School not only fostered academic exchange and new research perspectives but also built a strong network of emerging researchers committed to advancing sustainable and just land use across Europe and beyond.