METROLAND (Metropolitan Territories: Land Take Reduction and Net-Zero Development) is the third ESPON project in which Lille Metropole (MEL) is involved. Its aim is to reduce pressure on land and protect biodiversity. Its goal is to find ways to meet the housing and infrastructure needs of a growing population while limiting the use of natural land. This project aims to provide decision-making tools to meet the European “No Net Land Take” target by 2050. In this context, Lille metropole proposes a paradigm shift: moving from a management approach focused on mitigating the negative impacts of development—which seeks to Avoid, Reduce, and Compensate for land consumption—to a strategic management of land resources through the PVC sequence (Preserve, Valorize, Create).

Project Background and Collaboration with Partners 

This project originated from a seminar organized by Perspective Brussels in May 2024 on urban sprawl and qualitative density, which brought together urban planning agencies from several European cities, including Lille Metropole. The idea of launching an ESPON project on net zero land take was then raised within the Eurocities Metropolitan Areas group. 

METROLAND was thus born from a consortium of seven European metropolitan areas united by the common challenge of reconciling urban development needs with the imperative of land use restraint. Alongside Lille Métropole, the project partners are the Brussels-Capital Region, the Metropolitan City of Turin, the cities of Amsterdam, Vienna, and Riga, as well as the Prague Planning Institute, lead partner of the project.

This project has highlighted the existence of shared challenges with the Brussels-Capital Region and the Metropolitan City of Turin. Furthermore, it helps maintain close ties between Lille Metropole and its neighboring region. 

Each metropolitan area pursues different objectives. What sets Lille Metropole apart is its use of this project to integrate “3D”—the biological and chemical quality of soil data—into planning tools, such as the local urban plan. The experiments currently being conducted by Lille Metropole aim to transform the regulatory constraint of land rationing into a genuine strategy for enhancing the value of this resource. Data on soil quality and actions to restore soil functions will create conditions for an abundance of healthy and fertile land, thereby preserving what constitutes the territory’s primary environmental capital.

Current Status of the Project 

METROLAND is currently in the process of consolidating a shared knowledge base on the land and institutional dynamics within the consortium. In the near future, “future labs” will be organized to compare Lille Metropole’s development scenarios with those of the partners and gather feedback. The final phase will consist of formulating concrete strategic recommendations to guide metropolitan policies. Additionally, peer learning workshops are scheduled to begin in October, and a steering committee meeting will take place in February 2027.

How does the project fit into Lille Metropole’s’s land strategy? 

Alongside the four other pillars of Lille Metropole’s Soil Strategy, METROLAND aims to reshape urban planning by shifting surface-level urban development to intelligent soil resource management. To achieve this, a collaborative effort is needed to establish genuine value chains for soil resources.  By learning to plan in accordance with the biological reality of its soils, Lille Metropole is taking responsibility in the face of the scarcity of land and healthy, fertile soil. It is becoming the driving force behind local abundance and renewed ecosystem sovereignty.