The theme of urban regeneration has played a strategic role during the last two decades in European and national urban building policies. Current addresses, also defined in Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities in 2007, indentify the necessity to invest in requalification of degraded residential assets and not in new developments, individuating in urban regeneration the main tool for development of contemporary city. Public neighborhoods have developed, historically, a wide set of common problems.

With the increasing concentration of population and economic activities in metropolitan regions, dwelling shortages and housing quality have become critical issues in urban management. Town plans considering social, economic, political, and cultural features of local communities have been developed with the aim of supporting housing, especially in emerging economies. In Iran, the ‘Mehr Housing’ Plan has been considered as one of the most relevant strategies for social housing since the 2000s.

This Country Profile (CP) of the Republic of Armenia is the nineteenth in the series and the second review done for the country. The first was prepared in 2004 and the analyses covered only the housing sector. This CP is an in-depth analyses of the housing, urban development and land management sectors of the Republic of Armenia. It provides policy recommendations on these sectors, while focusing on specific challenges and achievements.

In 2015 the global community committed itself to an ambitious programme of reform. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the resolutions of the Paris climate conference require that great efforts are made – including those of a financial nature. Many states will have to ensure that untapped or barely used sources of income are developed. Sub-national units such as provinces, departments, districts, and cities will play an increasing role in the mobilisation of public revenues.

Countries in South-East Asia are experiencing rapid urbanisation and Land Readjustment is one of the potential methods of land development that could help solve some of the urban problems such as urban sprawl and inadequate infrastructure. While Land Readjustment is beneficial, it is often very complex particularly for developing countries to undertake due to the weak institutional system and also lack of technology.

This study looks into the implementation of Brunei’s Master Plan proposal for compact strategy of developments within the designated Urban Footprint zone. Although the Master Plan lacks regulatory support, this study found that private housing developments have been mainly concentrated within the Urban Footprint zone and a more compact urban form through infill and higher density developments is being realized. This may be due to government administrative processes, housing trend and market demand.

This paper has been compiled by Ndifuna Ukwazi following extensive consultation with practitioners and experts in housing finance, architecture, social housing, city planning, urban design, and local and provincial government.