Making the most of urban land

As developing cities rapidly expand, the use of urban land is crucial to the functioning and financing of urban activity. As such, policies to encourage productive and livable urban land use play a key role in unlocking the potential for cities as engines of growth and prosperity. Efforts to increase the security, marketability and legal enforceability of land rights allow landholders the confidence and ability to put land to its more efficient use, whilst legal ownership enables governments to play a role in directing land use and in tapping into the rising value of this land. Capturing the value of urban land as it rises with population growth, income growth and urban investments can in turn enable policymakers to finance the investments that will shape a city’s future. Drawing on ongoing work with researchers, policymakers and practitioners working on urban policy in developing cities, the IGC’s Cities that Work initiative is presenting their work on policy towards urban land, looking at trade-offs and challenges associated with formalizing land rights, land use planning and land taxation for developing cities.

Chair

Marco Di Nunzio (LSE Cities – London School of Economics)

For more information please contact [email protected]