“The EU has set a target of ‘no net land take’ by 2050, but the government seems mobilised to achieve it well before that date.” Reports and working groups are preparing measures, but a circular of 29 July already mobilises the prefects on the subject. It sketches a clear inflection of housing policy, with a focus on renovation, the fight against vacancy and densification, and especially by asking the prefects to be very vigilant on urban planning. These instructions create balance effects, and already can be heard protests from elected officials and developers whose projects are suddenly blocked by the zeal of the State. For developers, this objective of ‘no net land take’ is both a risk (less artificialisation = fewer projects) and an opportunity (less artificialisation = more density), which will be one of the fundamental subjects of 2020, especially during municipal elections.”
Source: https://fpifrance.fr/actualites/preserver-la-nature-etou-preserver-nos-villes