What Can We Learn from Western European Landscape Policies? Comparitive Analysis of European Landscape Policies Focusing on Poland and Hungary

Abstract

With the contribution of our international team we compared the main elements of landscape policy of France, Germany, Poland and Hungary. Germany and France, all have a strong landscape policy but of different types, tools and institutional systems. In our analysis we compare these systems with the landscape policy tools of East-Central European countries. The French state offers several possible tools for local authorities for landscape protection and development. Germany has an exceptional hierarchic and detailed system for landscape plans integrated into the spatial planning system. In Poland and Hungary as former socialist countries landscape and spatial policy had to be changed, adjusted to market demands. In all countries landscape assets are important part of our heritage and the countries have chosen different methods to protect them. We compare the tools, the mechanism and draw consequences for the Hungarian and Polish landscape planning practice.