Record drop in land artificialization in Île-de-France

The increase in urbanized areas reached a historically low level in the Île-de-France region between 2021 and 2025, according to the regional urban planning agency. This trend is part of the implementation of the "zero net land take" (ZAN) principle.

Over the past four years, the consumption of natural, agricultural and forest areas in Île-de-France has averaged 554 hectares per year, a historically low level since 1982 and the creation of the land use indicator, which measures the development of the Île-de-France region.

According to a note published in January by the Paris Region Institute, this trend marks a decrease of 28% compared to the period 2012-2021. The decline even reaches 39% when major infrastructure projects, such as the Grand Paris Express or the Roissy-Picardie railway line, are excluded.

The 2021 Climate and Resilience Law defines land consumption as "the creation or actual expansion of urbanized areas," corresponding to the change of use of natural, agricultural, or forest land towards built-up areas. The observed decrease thus places the Île-de-France region on the trajectory set by its environmental master plan for 2040, which sets a limit of 598 hectares consumed per year over the period 2021-2031.

The Paris Region Institute points out that the slowdown in construction, linked to the real estate crisis and rising interest rates, largely contributes to this decrease in soil artificialization.

In 2025, the Île-de-France region will still be predominantly composed of agricultural land (49%) and woods and forests (23%), while housing will represent only 9% of the regional surface area. For more than fifteen years, "urban development in Île-de-France has relied primarily on urban renewal rather than expansion," the report states. Nearly 4,000 hectares of already urbanized land have thus changed use, a volume significantly greater than that of natural areas consumed.

Urban expansion primarily involves economic activities—industry, warehouses, shops, and offices—which account for 20% of developed land. This is a unique characteristic of the Île-de-France region, whereas in most other French regions, housing remains the main driver of land consumption.

This development reflects a growing awareness of the importance of soils, which led to the adoption of the Climate and Resilience Law. This law sets the objective of land conservation by 2050, with an intermediate step aiming to halve the consumption of natural spaces by 2031, compared to the previous decade.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.