Urban Land and Development Management in a Challenged Developing World: New Reflections

Dear Colleagues,

Research and practice evidence have long-established weaknesses in urban land and development management in the developing world. These weaknesses are reflected in low land registration rates; lack of compliance with development regulations; lack of access to land for development and insecure land and property rights for the marginalised, such as the poor and women; poor land records; weak institutional capacities and land valuation systems, poor housing conditions; and inadequate infrastructure and its funding regimes, among others. Indeed, evidence shows, for instance, two main growing urban forms in the developing world, the largest being unregulated urban form characterised by informal settlements where land rights are often insecure and there is a lack of adequate infrastructure and services, and new towns/gated communities/satellite cities, which are planned and provided with amenities. 

There are increasing concerns that the above adverse outcomes will worsen with rising levels of urbanisation, which are intense in the developing world, particularly Africa and Asia. Closely aligned to this is the threat to the existence of important historical heritage sites through the conversion of these sites into real estate development for private economic gains. Meanwhile, there are huge problems with proper leasehold planning and management, especially for colonial leasehold land agreements, which are beginning to expire vis-à-vis other leasehold land grants.

Since the end of the Cold War, new land reforms have continued to take place across many developing countries. These reforms predominantly focus on land governance and partly aim to improve access to land, tenure security, and promote socioeconomic progress by alleviating poverty, reducing inequality, increasing food security, and addressing climate change, among other things. The adoption of land-based financing arrangements to fund urban infrastructure development to reduce the existing deficit has also been strongly recommended. More recently, following the establishment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a New Urban Agenda (NUA) has also been formulated and adopted by the UN. Although some developing countries are undertaking programmes and projects to improve urban land and development management post the above initiatives and recommendations, there seems to be a dearth of evidence of work, both scholarly and practice-based, in the literature on efforts being made towards improvement—more so in a coordinated manner, with a collection of works across the developing world.

This Special Issue aims to bring together a systematic collection of works across the developing world providing insights into new efforts being made or that can be made to improve urban land and development management in the developing world. The similar but nuanced nature of the urban land and development management challenges in the developing world requires experiences to be shared and lessons to be learnt amongst constituent countries. It is, therefore, based on this foregoing rationale that this Special Issue is fashioned.

Topics for the Special Issue 

This Special Issue invites both conceptual and empirical submissions that investigate new and emerging initiatives, programmes, projects, etc. that border on improvement in urban land development management in the developing world through both theoretical and practical lenses. 

The contributions may address but are not limited to the following research topics: 

• Land tenure and governance;
• Land-based financing arrangements for urban infrastructure development;
• Land and real estate valuation systems; 
• Housing and informal land developments;
• Urban heritage sites management; and
• Land and real estate leasehold planning and management.

Dr. Kwasi Gyau Baffour Awuah
Dr. Raymond Abdulai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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