Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design
Lifestyle blocks (LBs) are small rural holdings primarily used for residential and recreational purposes rather than commercial farming. Despite the rapid expansion of LBs over the last 25 years, which has been driven by lifestyle amenity preference and land subdivision incentives, their environment...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Land |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1447 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849733245340483584 |
|---|---|
| author | Han Xie Diane Pearson Sarah J. McLaren David Horne |
| author_facet | Han Xie Diane Pearson Sarah J. McLaren David Horne |
| author_sort | Han Xie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lifestyle blocks (LBs) are small rural holdings primarily used for residential and recreational purposes rather than commercial farming. Despite the rapid expansion of LBs over the last 25 years, which has been driven by lifestyle amenity preference and land subdivision incentives, their environmental performance remains understudied. This is the case even though their proliferation is leading to an irreversible loss of highly productive soils and accelerating land fragmentation in peri-urban areas. Through undertaking a systematic literature review of relevant studies on LBs in New Zealand and comparable international contexts, this paper aims to quantify existing knowledge and suggest future research needs and management strategies. It focuses on the environmental implications of LB activities in relation to water consumption, food production, energy use, and biodiversity protection. The results indicate that variation in land use practices and environmental awareness among LB owners leads to differing environmental outcomes. LBs offer opportunities for biodiversity conservation and small-scale food production through sustainable practices, while also presenting environmental challenges related to resource consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and loss of productive land for commercial agriculture. Targeted landscape design could help mitigate the environmental pressures associated with these properties while enhancing their potential to deliver ecological and sustainability benefits. The review highlights the need for further evaluation of the environmental sustainability of LBs and emphasises the importance of property design and adaptable planning policies and strategies that balance environmental sustainability, land productivity, and lifestyle owners’ aspirations. It underscores the potential for LBs to contribute positively to environmental management while addressing associated challenges, providing valuable insights for ecological conservation and sustainable land use planning. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-95e6d60bdca0496f876d132015ed192b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj-art-95e6d60bdca0496f876d132015ed192b2025-08-20T03:08:06ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-07-01147144710.3390/land14071447Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape DesignHan Xie0Diane Pearson1Sarah J. McLaren2David Horne3School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4414, New ZealandSchool of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4414, New ZealandSchool of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4414, New ZealandSchool of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4414, New ZealandLifestyle blocks (LBs) are small rural holdings primarily used for residential and recreational purposes rather than commercial farming. Despite the rapid expansion of LBs over the last 25 years, which has been driven by lifestyle amenity preference and land subdivision incentives, their environmental performance remains understudied. This is the case even though their proliferation is leading to an irreversible loss of highly productive soils and accelerating land fragmentation in peri-urban areas. Through undertaking a systematic literature review of relevant studies on LBs in New Zealand and comparable international contexts, this paper aims to quantify existing knowledge and suggest future research needs and management strategies. It focuses on the environmental implications of LB activities in relation to water consumption, food production, energy use, and biodiversity protection. The results indicate that variation in land use practices and environmental awareness among LB owners leads to differing environmental outcomes. LBs offer opportunities for biodiversity conservation and small-scale food production through sustainable practices, while also presenting environmental challenges related to resource consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and loss of productive land for commercial agriculture. Targeted landscape design could help mitigate the environmental pressures associated with these properties while enhancing their potential to deliver ecological and sustainability benefits. The review highlights the need for further evaluation of the environmental sustainability of LBs and emphasises the importance of property design and adaptable planning policies and strategies that balance environmental sustainability, land productivity, and lifestyle owners’ aspirations. It underscores the potential for LBs to contribute positively to environmental management while addressing associated challenges, providing valuable insights for ecological conservation and sustainable land use planning.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1447biodiversity conservationenvironmental sustainabilitygreenhouse gas (GHG) emissionhighly productive landland use changelandscape strategy |
| spellingShingle | Han Xie Diane Pearson Sarah J. McLaren David Horne Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design Land biodiversity conservation environmental sustainability greenhouse gas (GHG) emission highly productive land land use change landscape strategy |
| title | Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design |
| title_full | Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design |
| title_fullStr | Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design |
| title_full_unstemmed | Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design |
| title_short | Expansion of Lifestyle Blocks in Peri-Urban New Zealand: A Review of the Implications for Environmental Management and Landscape Design |
| title_sort | expansion of lifestyle blocks in peri urban new zealand a review of the implications for environmental management and landscape design |
| topic | biodiversity conservation environmental sustainability greenhouse gas (GHG) emission highly productive land land use change landscape strategy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1447 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hanxie expansionoflifestyleblocksinperiurbannewzealandareviewoftheimplicationsforenvironmentalmanagementandlandscapedesign AT dianepearson expansionoflifestyleblocksinperiurbannewzealandareviewoftheimplicationsforenvironmentalmanagementandlandscapedesign AT sarahjmclaren expansionoflifestyleblocksinperiurbannewzealandareviewoftheimplicationsforenvironmentalmanagementandlandscapedesign AT davidhorne expansionoflifestyleblocksinperiurbannewzealandareviewoftheimplicationsforenvironmentalmanagementandlandscapedesign |