Page 38 - Enhancing innovation and participation in smart sustainable cities
P. 38
United for Smart Sustainable Cities
Enhancing Innovation and Participation
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
A system for recording land ownership, land values, land use and other land-related data is an indispensable tool
for the market economy to work properly for sustainable management of land resources and secure land tenure.
All industrialized nations with a market economy maintain some sort of land register system that fulfils the above
requirements. In general one uses the term “land” to refer to the objects to which mortgages and other data are
to be connected. In practice a land registration system can incorporate various basic objects or units, with land
parcels being the most common. Many countries also allow buildings or parts of buildings to be registered as
separate real estates, as well as structures under or above the surface. The latter are referred to as properties in
strata. Defining the basic units is a major element in the design of any land information system.
1.2 Challenge and response
Many publications support the fact that a land registry is integral to the basic infrastructure of a country. The book
by Hernando de Soto “The mystery of capital” is well-known in this respect. In this book the author explains the
role of land tenure and security of land title (including ownership, use rights, usufruct). Based on the findings in
this book, a good land registry system will:
guarantee ownership and security of tenure;
support land and property taxation;
provide security for credit;
develop and monitor land markets;
protect State lands;
reduce land disputes;
facilitate land reform and land reallocation;
improve urban planning and infrastructure development;
support environmental management; and
produce statistical data.
In view of the above, this case study aims to further explore the vision on land tenure in certain African countries.
It will also explore how to implement cadastre and land register projects.
1.3 Countries involved
The Fit for Purpose land register system examined in this case study, is a key component of the land administration
success in the following countries: Namibia, Rwanda and Lesotho. What these countries had in common was the
strong determination to set up an optimal land register, backed up by the highest ranking authorities with limited
investments in terms of time and finances.
2 The project(s)
2.1 Vision and content
The main challenge is to implement land registry and cadastral systems in an efficient way in view of the following
factors:
acceptable costs;
reduced construction time; and
suitability for use.
These goals can be achieved by implementing the concept of “Fit-For-Purpose”. This concept requires a simple
indication of properties and boundaries, and is often adequate to meet basic land administration needs as
opposed to developing and enforcing rigid regulations and demanding spatial accuracy of objects and boundaries,
which are time consuming and not affordable. Therefore, the approach used for building land administration
systems in less developed countries should be flexible and focused on citizens’ needs, such as providing security
of tenure and control of land use, rather than focusing on top-end technical solutions and high accuracy surveys.
36 U4SSC series
