Urban Planning for City Leaders - Cities Alliance

How to address informalityCoordinating the release of land withhousing programmes and infrastructureprovision can make space for lower incomegroups. To make a beneficial impact onthese groups, policies need to be based ona deep understanding of socio-economicconditions. The timely release of land can beencouraged, for instance, by making developer’sinfrastructure contributions payable over anextended period of time or providing incentivesfor more efficient infrastructure delivery.Charges to discourage withholding of landcould include the imposition of urban rates fordevelopment sites that have not been releasedand developed within a time period specified bythe development plan. Charges for the releaseof land out of sequence would offset theadditional costs of providing infrastructure.Create opportunities forthe informal sectorGood practice in land managementcontributes to greater housing affordability.This means avoiding the following: complexor lengthy planning assessment processes;bottlenecks or surges in residential landavailability; location imbalance with too muchland available in one district; gaps in landsupply sequences (long-term as opposed toshort-term); and excessive or uncertain fees andcharges associated with planning approval.Street market, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia© Flickr/A. DaveyKejetia, a large open air market in Kumasi, Ghana© Flickr/Adam Jones91