Land use
Land use describes the actual or registered use of an area, classified by purpose: bolig (housing), fritidsbebyggelse (holiday homes), næring og tjenesteyting (business and services), samferdsel (transport and communications) and technical infrastruktur, landbruks- og fiskeribebyggelse (farm and fishery buildings), or øvrige utbygde områder (other developed areas). The term answers the question "what is this plot actually used for?" and therefore differs from both arealtype (the physical production basis) and arealformål (the use set out in a plan).
Statistisk sentralbyrå uses six main categories in its land accounts: boligbebyggelse, fritidsbebyggelse, landbruks- og fiskeribebyggelse, næringsvirksomhet og tjenesteyting, samferdsel and technical infrastruktur, and øvrige utbygde områder. Samferdsel and technical infrastruktur (roads, railways, telecoms, energy installations) is by far the largest single category, and it explains why developed land in Norway grows faster than the population.
Built-up areas cover under 2% of the country's mainland, but they are the land category that grows fastest. The statistics build on aerial photographs, the matrikkel and FKB data from Geonorge, and are updated each year by Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) together with Kartverket and Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi (NIBIO). The land accounts are the official source for national figures on the reallocation of cultivated land and for the share of developed land per kommune.
The land use categories in SSB's land accounts are not arbitrary: they are chosen to capture what is relevant for planning in Norway, and they align closely with the EU CORINE Land Cover classification, which makes Norwegian figures comparable internationally. Boligbebyggelse and fritidsbebyggelse are counted separately because holiday homes dominate development pressure in mountain and coastal kommune areas. Samferdsel and technical infrastruktur are grouped in one entry because roads, railways and utility corridors are by far the largest single component of built-up land nationally. SSB updates land use figures on the basis of property registrations in the matrikkel and updates in FKB, and publishes them as part of the statistics release Arealbruk og arealressurser.
The three layers land use, arealtype and arealformål can give three different answers for the same plot: a field (arealtype: fulldyrka jord, fully cultivated soil) can be zoned for housing (arealformål) and still be used as cultivated land (land use). In an acquisition analysis it is important to read the three layers together, otherwise you misread the potential. A site with a housing purpose but active land use as agriculture signals that the change of use has not happened yet, and that farmland protection rules, the obligation to farm the land and any concession requirements still apply.
For property developers it is especially useful to combine land use data with SSB's population projections and with the municipal master plan: where land use and planned purpose match there is little scope for change, while a gap between the two can mean either a project that is ahead of the plan or an overlooked planning conflict. The land use map is shown as a separate map layer in Placepoint, and you can combine it with property data in the property panel.
How the dataset appears on the map
The dataset is part of the map layer Agriculture:
From Placepoint's dictionary: Land use
More information: Statistisk sentralbyrå: Arealbruk og arealressurser, Geonorge: Det offentlige kartgrunnlaget
English: Land use (actual on-the-ground use of land).
Frequently asked questions
What is land use?
Land use describes the actual or planned purpose of built-up and undeveloped areas, such as housing, business, recreation, transport purposes or agriculture. It is a central term in land use planning.
What is the difference between land use and area purpose?
Arealformål is the legally fixed category in a plan, while land use describes the actual or registered use of the land today. The two can differ if an area has not been put to use in line with the plan.
How is land use mapped in Norway?
Land use is mapped partly through the AR5 classification system, which divides the land area by arealtype, forest productivity and ground conditions. Kartverket and the kommune update these maps on an ongoing basis.
Why is land use data important for property developers?
Knowledge of existing land use gives developers insight into what is on and around a plot, and what the area is approved for. This is basic input for assessing potential and risk.
Can I see land use for a specific property?
Yes, land use data is available in public map databases and can be visualised in tools such as Placepoint, which gives a quick overview of land use and zoning conditions for specific properties.