The master thesis addresses agricultural land planning whose functional efficiency, landscape and ecological diversity, and perceived attractiveness are usually undermined, as a result of design and construction of infrastructure facilities, such as motorways. The work consists of two thematic sections. In the first, theoretical, part we discuss in detail the rural development of Slovenia and in selected European countries (i.e. Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Switzterland) and the effects of motorway construction to agricultural land; to this end, we used the historical, descriptive and comparative methods. The second part presents the review of the legislative framework of agricultural land planning in Slovenia and abroad; the results of the analysis of agricultural land planning during the motorway construction, focusing upon different aspects; and the results of the survey. A set of negative effects of motorway design and construction to agricultural land in terms of integrated agricultural land planning is given (i.e. legal, functional, ecological and aesthetic). This provided the basis for the analysis and critical delineation of their negative effects to agricultural areas. Two hypotheses were proposed: (1) the construction of major infrastructure facilities and installations, such
as motorways, adversely affects rural areas, particularly due to non-integrated agricultural land development, i.e. the integrated development of agricultural land should include legal, functional, ecological and aesthetic aspects; and (2) if agricultural land is developed by considering the legal functional, ecological and aesthetic aspects, landowners are more willing to care for, and maintain, the land after the completion of construction. Their validity was tested both theoretically and empirically on the case of the Krška vas–Obrežje motorway section, i.e. based on the responses obtained in the
survey. In the final section, we proposed the guidelines for an integrated and simultaneous development of agricultural land, along with motorway construction and other spatial developments of national significance, from legal, functional, ecological and aesthetic aspects, which would help to improve the economic, environmental and social situation in rural areas. In this context, the social
aspect is of utmost importance, as the owners of agricultural land are, indeed, also responsible for the care and proper maintenance of the land.
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