In 2007 Urban LandMark undertook a series of consultations as part of the Voices of the Poor project. Four workshops were held in the centres listed above. The workshops were attended mostly by civil society organisations as well as NGOs. In all, 105 participants from more than 30 different civil society organisations participated. This case study presents the perspectives and experiences of civil society organisations with regard to access to urban land by the poor as derived from the consultations. These perspectives are fairly representative of urban community organisations as a whole.

This case study draws on research that investigated how urban land is claimed, used or divided and the various land use management (LUM) practices that exist around these various and sometimes competing land uses. This case study is based on a research study undertaken by Colin Marx and Margot Rubin with Progressus Research and Development, commissioned by Urban LandMark. An introduction to the case study is given below. You can do these activities on your own or in groups, as appropriate for your learning session.

This case study draws on research that sought to understand the process of urban land development in practice, from the perspectives of developers and municipalities. The research was undertaken by the Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria, commissioned by Urban LandMark. The resource includes some learning and reflection activities based on the case study. These activities can be done individually or in groups, as appropriate for the learning session.

This case study is based on research undertaken into the experiences of a poor community in accessing land through formal channels in peri-urban South Africa. The research was conducted by a team of researchers pulled together by the World Bank. The work was the result of a request by Mogale City Municipality for technical assistance on the design and implementation of integrated housing and agriculture projects.  The document presents the story of Ethembalethu.

This case study draws on research that investigated how people access, trade and hold land in poorer and less formal parts of three metropolitan areas. It is based on a research study undertaken by the Isandla Institute, Stephen Berrisford Consulting and Progressus Research and Development, commissioned by Urban LandMark. Learning and reflection activities based on the case study are provided, and activities can be done individually or in groups.

This case study examines specific examples of localised and informal land registration practices in South Africa. Such informal land registration often arises where people do not have access to the formal state system of land registration. But as the desire and need to gain access to urban land, to secure rights in relation to that land and also to trade land, a localised registration system that meets these needs tends to emerge.

This case study draws on research into some of the processes through which people access, hold, and trade land in poorer areas of towns and cities. The research was commissioned by Urban LandMark and undertaken by the Isandla Institute, Stephen Berrisford Consulting and Progressus Research and Development. 

El trabajo parte de la reflexión sobre los vínculos entre capitalismo global y urbanización, específicamente de las transformaciones producidas en los territorios metropolitanos en las últimas dos décadas. En particular, se observa la difusión de urbanizaciones cerradas de tipo polderizado -UCP-, nuevas formas de producción de ámbitos residenciales en los bordes del aglomerado metropolitano de Buenos Aires, cuyo despliegue supone una demanda extensiva de suelo sobre áreas de gran valor patrimonial y fragilidad ambiental, como los humedales de la cuenca baja del Río Luján.

This case study draws on research that investigated the perspectives and experiences of civil society organisations with regard to access to urban land by the poor. The research was conducted by Warren Smit, commissioned by Urban LandMark. An introduction to the case study is given below. On the back of this sheet some learning and reflection activities are provided. You can do these activities on your own or in groups, as appropriate for your learning session. Look carefully at these activities before you begin so you know what to look for while you are reading.

Much of São Paulo’s urban expansion is driven by the development of informal settlements on its periphery, which includes the catchment areas that provide important environmental services such as open space and catchments for drinking water reservoirs. In such areas, governance of land, water services and water resources, traditionally administered separately, are in fact interdependent.