Responsible and Smart Land Management

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 February 2021) | Viewed by 49557

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Design, Department of Aerospace and Geodesy, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Arcisstrasse 21, 80333 München, Germany
Interests: land management; land administration; land use planning; cadastre; land information; organizational and institutional aspects of land management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Responsible land management is a kind of land management that prepares and assesses interventions in land use, land size, land shapes, land rights, land tenure, and land values in a manner that is (using the 8R model) responsive to needs of the citizens and stakeholders of the land; ensures the resilience of societal and biophysical structures; derives robust solutions in robust institutional structures; and relies on reliable and trustworthy decisions made by respected decision makers, whereby all steps of the decision making process are retraceable and whereby all stakeholders can identify and recognize themselves in the decisions and interventions, and whereby on a regular basis the rightfulness of the decision is reflected upon. This Special Issue is seeking cases and studies that research any of these responsible land management aspects.

In addition, smart land management research results are being sought. Land management interventions are smart if both the construction of the policy and governance process leading up to an land intervention and the process through which citizens are stakeholders interact with each other are supported by active and passive sensors, social information technologies, new data management systems, systematic algorithms, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other innovative technologies. Studies that either identify the responsible use of these technologies, the effects of the uptake of these technologies for land interventions, or the normative settings surrounding these technologies are sought in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Walter T. de Vries
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Responsible land management:
  • inclusion; spatial justice; tenure security; impact assessment; reflectiveness; responsiveness; resilience; robustness; reliability; responsibility
  • Smart land management:
  • smart technologies; artificial intelligence; machine learning; smart citizens; smart cadastres, smart land use planning, digital land governance

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1576 KiB  
Article
National Spatial Data Infrastructure vs Cadastre System for Economic Development: Evidence from Pakistan
by Asmat Ali and Muhammad Imran
Land 2021, 10(2), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020188 - 13 Feb 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5501
Abstract
The growth of Pakistan’s agriculture-based economy depends on elevating agriculture production and raising the per-capita income of rural communities. This paper evaluates the value of two simultaneous initiatives for the economic development of Pakistan, i.e., (i) reforming and modernization of the cadastre system, [...] Read more.
The growth of Pakistan’s agriculture-based economy depends on elevating agriculture production and raising the per-capita income of rural communities. This paper evaluates the value of two simultaneous initiatives for the economic development of Pakistan, i.e., (i) reforming and modernization of the cadastre system, and (ii) the implementation of national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI). Both can provide crucial frameworks to assemble geographic information necessary for effective agriculture policies in the country. Their execution at the national level requires substantial technical, human, and finical resources. These mega initiatives may become highly challenging, due to the already shrinking economy of the country from COVID-19. The study makes use of an evaluation framework, official documents, such as project proposals, minutes of meetings, in addition to data collected through questionnaire and from ministries, such as the ministry of planning, development, and reforms (commonly known as planning commission), as well as Pakistan bureau of statistics. Our findings indicate that both the projects share some commonalities in terms of benefits, problems, and resources. However, the economic benefits of the NSDI project are high compared to the cadastre for the country, especially for effective agricultural policy-making. The results output will help practitioners from both systems to reduce the overlapping value, cost, and scope of the work involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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16 pages, 2930 KiB  
Article
Digital Transformation of Land Services in Indonesia: A Readiness Assessment
by Kusmiarto Kusmiarto, Trias Aditya, Djurdjani Djurdjani and Subaryono Subaryono
Land 2021, 10(2), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020120 - 27 Jan 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6667
Abstract
In 2020, digital transformation was a major theme to commemorate Indonesia’s main agrarian law’s anniversary. This theme is a reminder of the need to fully implement digital services to improve the quality of land registration products that are cheap, easy to operate, perform [...] Read more.
In 2020, digital transformation was a major theme to commemorate Indonesia’s main agrarian law’s anniversary. This theme is a reminder of the need to fully implement digital services to improve the quality of land registration products that are cheap, easy to operate, perform quickly, and are trusted by the community. However, no research has comprehensively assessed the readiness of the digital transformation of land services in Indonesia. This paper aims to evaluate the readiness of a land office to achieve digital transformation visions. Here, we apply the Digital Governance Assessment Framework (DGRA), adapted to the land service sector, as the basis for conducting this evaluation. The nine core indicators of the DGRA toolkit are used as a basis for assessment. Desk studies were conducted to identify formal legislation and to find the technical specifications. Direct observations and in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders to find user needs and evaluate the implementation of current regulations on the land service business process. Quality assessment was carried out on land registration data at the Land Office of Yogyakarta City as a sample. The quality assessment results indicate a problem with completeness, conformity, consistency, accuracy, duplication, and integrity. In conclusion, the readiness level still needs improvement, especially in the indicator related to Cyber Security, Privacy, and Resilience (1.0). Even though the Leadership and Governance, User-Centered Design, and Public Administration Reforms and Change Management sections shows a reasonably high score (≥2.0), other core sections, namely Technology Infrastructure (1.7), Legislation and Regulation (1.4), Data Infrastructure, Strategies, and Governance (1.8) are mediocre, and therefore they need improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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24 pages, 2897 KiB  
Article
Transformation of Local People’s Property Rights Induced by New Town Development (Case Studies in Peri-Urban Areas in Indonesia)
by Rahmat Aris Pratomo, D. Ary A. Samsura and Erwin van der Krabben
Land 2020, 9(7), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9070236 - 21 Jul 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5562
Abstract
New town development as a form of large-scale development is not a new phenomenon, particularly in developing countries. This development mainly takes place in peri-urban areas due to the high pressure caused by the growing population and the lack of facilities and infrastructure [...] Read more.
New town development as a form of large-scale development is not a new phenomenon, particularly in developing countries. This development mainly takes place in peri-urban areas due to the high pressure caused by the growing population and the lack of facilities and infrastructure in city centres. As an effect, local communities who originally occupied the land often lose their rights over the property their livelihood might have relied on. Property rights can be grouped differently, classified according to different bundles: appropriation, ownership, and formality of rights. This paper investigates to what extent new town development in Indonesia has affected the property rights of local communities, in terms of the transformation of rights and security level. Moreover, it examines to what extent this transformation has been affected by urbanisation pressure. Ample attention is paid to the transformation of various bundles of rights concerning different usage of property, both residential and cultivated land. A total of 252 questionnaires were distributed to three different locations of new towns in Indonesia. A before-after analysis was employed to identify the transformation of the property rights and their security level, followed by multiple linear regression analysis to observe the influence of the urbanisation pressure to the security level. The research reveals that the transformation of property rights of local residents mainly concerns the appropriation rights. The analysis also indicates that there is a tendency that the security level decreases. Statistically, this appears to be affected by urbanisation pressure variables: type of land, land use, and occupation. With this study, we offer on the one hand a conceptual framework for assessing property rights, while on the other hand, we provide empirical evidence regarding the effects of new town development on property rights transformation and its security level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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15 pages, 3887 KiB  
Article
Enclaves of Isolation and Neglect in Rural Areas. Evidence from North-Eastern Poland
by Alina Źróbek-Różańska
Land 2020, 9(7), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9070215 - 1 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2921
Abstract
This article focuses on the specificity of present enclave structures in rural areas that were created decades ago as a result of decisions to establish housing estates for employees, and which acquired negative features as a result of the liquidation of the monopolistic [...] Read more.
This article focuses on the specificity of present enclave structures in rural areas that were created decades ago as a result of decisions to establish housing estates for employees, and which acquired negative features as a result of the liquidation of the monopolistic employer. An attempt has been made to answer if workers' housing complexes can turn into permanent enclaves of isolation and neglect after the liquidation of a monopolistic workplace, especially if they are located in rural areas? The aim of the paper is to picture the process of social exclusion emergence in the rural areas, which results from the still unresolved socio-economic problem of the existence of such enclaves of isolation and neglect in Polish rural areas in the 21st century. Despite almost 30 years passing, the areas with spatially and socially isolated settlements have very high unemployment rates, a low level of technical and social infrastructure and a widespread sense of injustice among the people who live there. The empirical basis for the analysis was four cases. The presented stories took place against the historical background of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship and the socio-economic background. Studies were conducted in the selected villages with a free-form interview and photographic documentation was prepared. In the result, a close picture of the enclaves was drawn. The examples presented in this article proved that workers' settlements, located around large economic entities distant from existing settlement networks can develop into enclaves of isolation and neglect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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24 pages, 3149 KiB  
Article
Land Conversion for Tourism Development under Vietnam’s Ambiguous Property Rights over Land
by Mai T.T. Duong, D. Ary A. Samsura and Erwin van der Krabben
Land 2020, 9(6), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9060204 - 22 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5397
Abstract
The paper aims to explore the process of land conversion for tourism development in Vietnam, under the present ambiguous and insecure property rights system. Four case studies in different geographical areas were selected to analyse land conversion and land compensation for tourism projects [...] Read more.
The paper aims to explore the process of land conversion for tourism development in Vietnam, under the present ambiguous and insecure property rights system. Four case studies in different geographical areas were selected to analyse land conversion and land compensation for tourism projects before and after the implementation of the new land law in 2013. The findings of this study show that, in the present legal system of land and property rights, the rights of local people are not sufficiently guaranteed due to the decisive role of the State not only in defining compensation prices for land in the case of compulsory land acquisition but also in determining whether tourism projects are in the public’s interest or not (thus deciding the appropriate land conversion approach as well as affecting price negotiations). The research also found that, although a voluntary land conversion approach (when the project is not in the public’s interest), based on the 2013 Land Law, offers land users a better negotiation position and a higher compensation payment, possibly reducing land-related conflicts between the State and land users, ambiguity over property rights in fact increased due to the government’s substantial discretion to choose between ‘public purpose’ and ‘economic purpose.’ The paper concludes with questioning whether the present legal basis for compulsory land acquisition is future proof since urbanisation pressure is likely to increase, which may lead to even more land conflicts in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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15 pages, 532 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation Framework for Urban Cadastral System Policy in Ethiopia
by Solomon Dargie Chekole, Walter Timo de Vries and Gebeyehu Belay Shibeshi
Land 2020, 9(2), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9020060 - 24 Feb 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6337
Abstract
Land is the most vital resource on earth from which people derive their basic needs. In order to administer and manage this vital resource in a sustainable way, there are several mechanisms, of which the cadastral system is the prime one. Literature documents [...] Read more.
Land is the most vital resource on earth from which people derive their basic needs. In order to administer and manage this vital resource in a sustainable way, there are several mechanisms, of which the cadastral system is the prime one. Literature documents that the performance measurement methods of cadastral systems are not appropriate. In most developing countries, systematic performance evaluation mechanisms for cadastral systems are very inadequate. For example, Ethiopia has no systematic evaluation framework to measure and evaluate the state of cadastral systems. This article aims to develop an evaluation framework to measure and evaluate the performance of urban cadastral systems in Ethiopia based on the methods that have proven successful in developed countries. The goal is furthermore to present a set of good practices and a set of indicators that can provide an objective basis to support a systematic evaluation of urban cadastral systems in Ethiopia. The study employs a desk review research strategy and a qualitative analytical approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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19 pages, 2702 KiB  
Article
An Evolutionary Approach to Technology Innovation of Cadastre for Smart Land Management Policy
by Hae Ok Choi
Land 2020, 9(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9020050 - 11 Feb 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4747
Abstract
In this study, we attempted to quantitatively determine the characteristics of keyword networks in the cadastre field using major contents of research drawn from international academic papers. Furthermore, we investigated the macroscopic evolution of cadastral research and examined its keyword network in detail [...] Read more.
In this study, we attempted to quantitatively determine the characteristics of keyword networks in the cadastre field using major contents of research drawn from international academic papers. Furthermore, we investigated the macroscopic evolution of cadastral research and examined its keyword network in detail (at a global scale) using semantic analysis. The analysis was carried out based on cadastral-research-related publications extracted from “Scopus” for 1987 to 2019. It was found that cadastre research has closely followed the recent trend of a growing interest in research on geospatial information and standardization. The results showed the advancement of technology innovation within the field of cadastres, as highlighted in the combination of relevant keywords (mostly from those related to spatial information technology and participation of civilians). These new issues are expected to drive the evolution of the academic scope in the future through synthesis with other fields for smart land management policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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Review

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22 pages, 4103 KiB  
Review
Toward Smart Land Management: Land Acquisition and the Associated Challenges in Ghana. A Look into a Blockchain Digital Land Registry for Prospects
by Prince Donkor Ameyaw and Walter Timo de Vries
Land 2021, 10(3), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030239 - 1 Mar 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 10588
Abstract
Land acquisition in Ghana is fraught with challenges of multiple sales, numerous unofficial charges, unnecessary bureaucracies, intrusion of unqualified middlemen, and lack of transparency among others. Studies have suggested digitization as a way forward to improve Ghana’s land management system and to address [...] Read more.
Land acquisition in Ghana is fraught with challenges of multiple sales, numerous unofficial charges, unnecessary bureaucracies, intrusion of unqualified middlemen, and lack of transparency among others. Studies have suggested digitization as a way forward to improve Ghana’s land management system and to address these acquisition challenges. However, none of these studies have specifically provided a clear conceptual digital framework for land acquisition. Most contemporary land literature globally appraise blockchain technology as a potential solution to these challenges in Ghana’s land acquisition process. This article applies an integrative review, mixed with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, and deductive lessons from a digital land registry concept to develop a blockchain-based smart land acquisition framework solution in view of Ghana’s land acquisition challenges. However, it is identified that threats of sabotage of this framework exist among some customary land owners, land officials, and private blockchain-based land experts for various reasons. Among others, a legal basis for a public–private partnership is recommended particularly to discourage sabotage from private blockchain-based land experts. We recommend future research works to delve into establishing a framework that can be used as a guide to assess the readiness of land management and land administration systems for blockchain consideration in sub-Sahara Africa, particularly Ghana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsible and Smart Land Management)
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