GHS-BUILT-LAUSTAT R2023A - GHS built-up surface statistics in European LAU, multitemporal (1975-2020)

The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) produces new global spatial information, evidence-based analytics and knowledge describing the human presence on planet Earth. It operates in a fully open and free data and methods access policy. The knowledge generated with the GHSL is supporting the definition, the public discussion and the implementation of European policies and the monitoring of international frameworks such as the 2030 Development Agenda. The GHSL are the core data set of the Exposure Mapping Component under the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. GHSL data continue to support the GEO Human Planet Initiative (HPI) that is committed to developing a new generation of measurements and information products providing new scientific evidence and a comprehensive understanding of the human presence on the planet and that can support global policy processes with agreed, actionable and goal-driven metrics. The Human Planet Initiative relies on a core set of partners committed in coordinating the production of the global settlement spatial baseline data. This document describes the public release of the GHSL Data Package 2023 (GHS P2023). The release provides improved built-up (including surface, volume and height) and population products as well as a new settlement model and classification of administrative and territorial units according to the Degree of Urbanisation.

Human settlements typically expand to accommodate additional housing demand from a growing population and their socio-economic activities. This implies consumption of land, a limited resource necessary for many other goods and services. The efficiency of this exploitation in relation to demographic trends is key to preserve soils and natural capital that could otherwise be lost or degraded. Here we assess recent (2000 – 2015) patterns of population and built-up growth, the latter assessed through remote sensing. We find that built-up areas have been growing at a faster pace than population on average for the EU27 and that built-up areas expand even where population declines. We quantify the impact of future population growth under different assumptions on future built-up efficiency. Keeping current built-up per capita fixed could preserve up to 9,000 km2 of land until 2030, mostly in predominantly rural and intermediate regions, where land use efficiency is low and has been declining.

The European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews – 2022 edition provides policy makers, urban practitioners and experts with a consolidated method and examples of indicators that European local and regional governments can use to monitor the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) are processes that encompass both the monitoring and the analysis of the achievements with respect to the SDGs at local level. The 2022 edition builds on the first one published in 2020 and it includes an updated analysis of the VLRs published globally and in Europe, their evolution over time and space in terms of use, main characteristics, and building blocks. The European Handbook includes detailed and updated information on 72 indicators and related data sources, which can enable cities to measure their progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The set of indicators includes examples of both official and experimental indicators, coming from international and European institutions, but also regional and local governments and research institutes. Finally, the European Handbook provides new insights into local SDG monitoring, including reference to new challenges and opportunities. The European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews – 2022 edition represents a step forward in the support for European local and regional governments in localising the SDGs using the Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs).