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Landscape provides amenities and supports recreational, residential and productive activities. It appears both as an economic resource and as a local public good. Landscape economics uses both public economics and spatial economics concepts, but draws some specificity due to the social and cultural dimensions of landscapes. Moreover, it emphasises the role of the enforcement of property rights' devices on landscape dynamics. The latter is crucial for policy makers who have to deal with various topics such as urban sprawl, agriculture policy, territorial governance and local development. This editorial provides a concise introduction to the economic analysis of landscapes and the main research issues in this field. It thus establishes some background for the seven papers that make up this special issue on landscape valuation and planning.
