Urbanisation in the European Alps

Humans first settled in elevated areas in the more accessible main alpine valleys which offered the best conditions four housing and farming.

Settlements grew along these large valleys and slowly spread to side valleys. That's why the easily reachable Rhone, Rhine, Inn and Adige rivers valleys have already lost most of their biodiversity value.

The average living space occupied by a person has doubled since 1950. A sharp rise in the number of residential properties took place even with stagnating or minor population growth.The continuing expansion of cities, towns, villages and hamlets however is now threatening also the more remote areas in the Alps.  

The natural valley bottoms habitats such as riverbeds, riverside forests, mires, alpine steppes etc. have been destroyed by expanding settlements. The transport infrastructure represents a major barrier for many species preventing the establishment of ecological networks.  

While the majority of Alpine communities lie below 1000 m some cities, mostly tourist centres, are situated at higher altitudes. Holiday homes are being built almost everywhere. Apartment complexes or residential tourist buildings are significantly contributing to the rising level of urbanization.