Land Take as a Policy Problem: Causes, Instruments, and Implications in an Italian Region’s Experience

What are the main causes of land take in a wealthy European region, and how to address it? This paper focuses on policy instruments and implications for tackling land consumption by illustrating the case of Lombardy region. In the context of EU environmental policy, Italy lacks national land-use planning and legislation on land take. It is left to regional authorities to address it. The government of the most populous Italian region has adopted binding quantitative land-use limits for municipal planning. Analyzing the responses of municipal officeholders to a questionnaire, the paper highlights the causes of land consumption, the attitudes of local policymakers and the perceived effectiveness of the policy instruments adopted, with a widespread preference for tax credits to support urban regeneration.