LECTURE 5

Sustainable Urban Development

Fifth Lecture: Sustainable Land Use and Economies
Instructors: Dr. Ayham Dalal, Christiane Banna, Mennatullah Hamdy, Yousra Malek

Land issues vary by country based on ownership laws and regulations.
Global South: Land-related issues often trace back to colonial mandates and inherited laws.
- Cairo: 30% state-owned land; 52% of this land is unplanned.
- Amman: 20% state-owned land.

Transition from “Commons” to “Private” due to modernism and neoliberal policies.
In medieval Britain, 1/3 of the land was held in common, managed locally.
Masha’: A land management system in the Levant where land is held collectively and periodically redistributed among community members.
- Mushaa’: Common land among villagers for agriculture, could not be privately owned.
- Introduced into the Ottoman Land Code (1858).

Periodic redistribution of agricultural plots based on soil and terrain qualities.
Encouraged equal access to fertile lands within the community.
Cultivation rights (haq al muzara’a) were shared.
Land partitioning was never permanent to ensure inclusivity for children in the community.
Strong emphasis on community relations and negotiation for boundary and plot redistribution.

Modern land development is often seen as a disaster for sustainability.
Mismanagement of land affects accessibility to food, water, and efforts to reduce GHG emissions.
- Vision of Sustainable Cities: Efficient land use, mixed housing and workplaces, avoidance of suburban sprawl.

Tenure Insecurity: 70% of the population lacks formal documentation for their land, leading to insecurity and exclusion from citizenship rights.
Land Grabbing: Large-scale acquisition of land by companies and governments driven by food crises and resource security.
Land Fragmentation: Related to land ownership and use attributes, exacerbated by population growth.
Gender Inequality: Women hold less than 15% of agricultural land globally; North Africa and Near East have the highest disparities.

Community Land Trust (CLT): Community-based NGOs own land to ensure affordability in housing and sustainable uses without high land rent.
Land Value Capture (LVC): Policy to recover increases in land values from public investments.
Land Banking: Government designs areas for future reuse and restores vacant structures.
Smart Growth: Urban planning focused on compact, walkable centers to prevent sprawl.
Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB): Limits on the spread of urban development to preserve natural spaces.

CLTs enhance community control over land and housing resources.
- Originated from indigenous land tenure systems around the world.
- Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI): Example of CLT in Boston that reclaimed a community through development without displacement.
- Ejido system in Mexico: Land access movement for landless peasants achieved significant land control.

Enables communities to invest in public places which subsequently increase land values.
Example: Manila metro line's economic impacts on surrounding properties.
Land use changes in Colombia resulted in increased land prices following a shift to urban zoning.

Discussions on urban planning and community engagement are critical to sustainable development and equitable resource distribution.