This is the summary of the UK Land Policy Forum meeting held on 2 July 2019

Land provides a host of ecosystem services, of which the provisioning services are often
considered paramount. As the demand for agricultural products multiplies, other ecosystem services
are being degraded or lost entirely. Finding a sustainable trade-off between food production and
one or more of other ecosystem services, given the variety of stakeholders, is a matter of optimizing
land use in a dynamic and complex socio-ecological system. Land degradation reduces our options

This article engages recent debates over gentrification and urban displacement in the global South. While researchers increasingly suggest that gentrification is becoming widespread in “Southern” cities, others argue that such analyses overlook important differences in empirical context and privilege EuroAmerican theoretical frameworks.

The fast-paced urbanization of recent decades entails that many regions are facing seemingly uncontrolled land-use changes (LUCs) that go hand in hand with a range of environmental and socio-economic challenges. In this paper, we use an integrated cellular automata–Markov chain (CA–MC) model to analyze and predict the urban expansion of and its impact on LUC in the city of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. To this end, the research marshals high-resolution Landsat images of 1991, 2002, 2011, and 2018.

This paper draws on research on the enforcement of the Land Act of 1979 in Lesotho. It seeks to show that illegal settlements occur under the shadow of formal state rules, from which social actors borrow selectively and in opportunistic ways to acquire urban property rights. This is possible because of inconsistencies and contradictions in state rules and enforcement methods.

Lesotho regularly features in the African and international media as a country blighted by drought, hunger and food insecurity. Much of the discussion about the causes and remedies for food insecurity, including within Lesotho itself, focuses on the rural population and the precipitous decline in domestic food production in recent decades. This report argues that the rural bias of both donors and government ignores the fact that poverty and food insecurity are increasingly important urban issues as well.

The formal private sector in Lesotho concentrates on housing at the very top of the market leaving the majority unserved by formal housing supply.

ABSTRACTED FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

In 2018, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) managed to designate a future prime minister, Heng Swee Keat. He is likely to take the place of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the next parliamentary elections, which have to take place at the latest by January 15, 2021. Heng is viewed as a safe choice, who has a long and balanced career in the ruling party. He will face many challenges as the first leader in the post-Lee era, such as increasing political demands, geopolitical changes and economic problems.

This paper outlines Singapore’s major sustainability challenges and its policy response in the areas of land use, transportation, waste management, water, and energy. We review the current and past Concept Plans from the perspective of sustainable land use and provide an overview of transportation policy in Singapore. We also examine Singapore’s policies to manage increasing wastes and review the four tap water management plan. Finally, we look at various initiatives by the government for sustainable use of energy.

Long-term planning and an efficient system of land administration and management have played a critical role in Singapore’s transformation from a colonial port to highly liveable global city.

Cities as we know them today are already dramatically changing. Our living environments are reshaping the way we live.

This new ‘urban age’ presents

a unique opportunity for us to remake and reinvent our cities. How well we plan and design our living environments will matter.

Designing our city looks at how Singapore is planned for long-term sustainability, encouraging us to think about how we can shape it and new ideas that can transform our future.