Publication:
Regenerating Urban Land: A Practitioner's Guide to Leveraging Private Investment

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (8.92 MB)
22,240 downloads
Published
2016-06-01
ISSN
Date
2016-06-01
Author(s)
Amirtahmasebi, Rana
Orloff, Mariana
Altman, Andrew
Editor(s)
Abstract
Regenerating Urban Land draws on the experience of eight case studies from around the world. The case studies outline various policy and financial instruments to attract private sector investment in urban regeneration of underutilized and unutilized areas and the requisite infrastructure improvements. In particular, each case study details the project cycle, from the scoping phase and determination of the initial amount of public sector investment, to implementation and subsequent leveraged private-sector funds. This manual analyzes rates of return on the investments and long-term financial sustainability. Regenerating Urban Land guides local governments to systematically identify the sequence of steps and tasks needed to develop a regeneration policy framework, with the participation of the private sector. The manual also formulates specific policies and instruments for expanding private sector participation; structuring effective administrative and legal frameworks; utilizing land readjustment/assembly methods; determining duration of contracts, adequate phasing, and timeline; and balancing the distribution of risk and sustainability measures.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Amirtahmasebi, Rana; Orloff, Mariana; Wahba, Sameh; Altman, Andrew. 2016. Regenerating Urban Land: A Practitioner's Guide to Leveraging Private Investment. Urban Development;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24377 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Land and Urban Policies for Poverty Reduction : Proceedings of the Third International Urban Research Symposium Held in Brasilia, April 2005, Volume 2
    (World Bank, Brasilia, 2007) Freire, Mila; Lima, Ricardo; Cira, Dean; Ferguson, Bruce; Kessides, Christine; Mota, Jose Aroudo; Motta, Diana; Freire, Mila; Lima, Ricardo; Cira, Dean; Ferguson, Bruce; Kessides, Christine; Mota, Jose Aroudo; Motta, Diana
    The first paper of this section (Durand-Laserve) documents how increasing pressures on urban land and the 'commodification' of shelter and settlement has increased 'market evictions' of families holding intermediate tide to property, although international declarations and pressures have contributed to reducing 'forced evictions.' The second paper (Mooya and Cloete) uses the tools of the New Institutional Economics to analyze the argument in Hernando DeSoto's path-breaking book, The Mystery of Capital, that full legal tide is the key to turning 'dead capital' in the form of informal property held by many low-income families into an economic asset and to detonating broad-based economic growth. The paper concludes that intermediate forms of tenure can have the virtues of full legal tide if properly constructed, and then examines the case of Namibia in this context. The third paper (Fernandes) documents and assesses the recent efforts of the Brazilian federal Ministry of Cities to develop a comprehensive approach for regularizing title throughout that country. In the fourth paper, Abramo gives a structural and theoretical over-view of informal settlement in Brazil. The fifth paper (Rakodi) looks at traditional land delivery systems in five medium-sized Sub-Saharan African cities, and concludes that policies and programs can build on their strengths.
  • Publication
    Land and Urban Policies for Poverty Reduction : Proceedings of the Third International Urban Research Symposium Held in Brasilia, April 2005, Volume 1
    (World Bank, Washington, DC and Institute for Applied Economic Research, Brasilia, 2007) Freire, Mila; Lima, Ricardo; Cira, Dean; Ferguson, Bruce; Kessides, Christine; Mota, Jose Aroudo; Motta, Diana
    The first paper of this section (Durand-Laserve) documents how increasing pressures on urban land and the 'commodification' of shelter and settlement has increased 'market evictions' of families holding intermediate tide to property, although international declarations and pressures have contributed to reducing 'forced evictions.' The second paper (Mooya and Cloete) uses the tools of the New Institutional Economics to analyze the argument in Hernando DeSoto's path-breaking book, The Mystery of Capital, that full legal tide is the key to turning 'dead capital' in the form of informal property held by many low-income families into an economic asset and to detonating broad-based economic growth. The paper concludes that intermediate forms of tenure can have the virtues of full legal tide if properly constructed, and then examines the case of Namibia in this context. The third paper (Fernandes) documents and assesses the recent efforts of the Brazilian federal Ministry of Cities to develop a comprehensive approach for regularizing title throughout that country. In the fourth paper, Abramo gives a structural and theoretical over-view of informal settlement in Brazil. The fifth paper (Rakodi) looks at traditional land delivery systems in five medium-sized Sub-Saharan African cities, and concludes that policies and programs can build on their strengths.
  • Publication
    Land Policy Dialogues : Addressing Urban-Rural Synergies in World Bank Facilitated Dialogues in the Last Decade
    (Washington, DC, 2007-06-27) World Bank
    Land policy, administration and management are areas of strong client demand for technical advice and operational support. This review sought to help the Bank better position itself to present coherent advice on policy, institutional arrangements and practice. The potential implications are a lowering of reputational risk to the Bank; greater efficiency in the process including joint data gathering; and building of greater momentum and ownership of national land policy dialogues. The review found that dialogues are not as divergent as initially thought. Positions that are central to the Bank's message on tenure security, land market efficiencies, administrative integration, proactive and economically efficient land use management and encouragement of rental markets, all receive consonant reflection from the prescriptive policy advice generated by the Bank. The review notes that especially in democratic environments, policy prescriptions are to be judged in the dynamics of political economy and that land is one component where the bargaining becomes most contested. Finally the review suggests the need to go beyond the desk review that was possible in this undertaking and to use more extensive consultations with task team leaders and sector managers to convert the background paper produced under the current exercise into a position paper with a wider audience.
  • Publication
    Untying the Land Knot : Making Equitable, Efficient, and Sustainable Use of Industrial and Commercial Land
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012-05-24) Shen, Xiaofang; Sun, Xiaolun; Shen, Xiaofang; Sun, Xiaolun
    A decade ago in Mozambique, a stakeholder workshop where the need to improve access to industrial and commercial land as a means to encourage investment was a topic of discussion, a government official came up to. In order to create new jobs, generate more income, and modernize the economy, many countries see an urgent need to encourage industrial and commercial investment, both domestic and foreign. However, investment in many sectors cannot take place unless land, along with other basic factors of production, is available. This book written from the point of view of investors, and focusing on industrial and commercial land, presents what the authors have learned from the developing world through years of first-hand observation and empirical research. Amid endless stories of land policy failures, we chose to look at encouraging cases, accompanied by a set of technical discussion papers, to provide a fresh look into how some pilot reforms were tested, and to various extents succeeded, in a range of countries. The experiences and lessons learned support the argument that land policy and institutional reforms, difficult as they are politically, institutionally, and technically, are necessary if development goals are to be achieved. They further support the argument that reform is possible, even in some of the most difficult environments. Finally, they suggest that an incremental approach aimed at addressing a bottleneck issue can be helpful so long as the government keeps the long-term objectives in sight. The materials presented in this book make clear that well-designed and well-implemented reforms can make business access to land equitable, efficient, and transparent, encouraging more and sustainable investment while bringing significant benefits to all citizens.
  • Publication
    Harnessing Urbanization to End Poverty and Boost Prosperity in Africa
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-09) World Bank
    Urbanization is the single most important transformation that the African continent will undergo this century. More than half of Africa's population will live in its cities by 2040. In the face of rapid urbanization, there is a narrow window of opportunity to harness the potential of cities as engines of economic growth, and use this as a powerful leverage to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction. Despite its rapid urban growth, Africa is less than halfway through the urbanization process and in some countries, a large number of people reside in rural areas. Rapid urbanization, if well managed, can curb urban sprawl, deteriorating access to services, greater inequality, and increased crime. The concentration of people in cities also elevates the risks and costs associated with extreme weather and natural disasters resulting from climate change. The World Bank Group's (WBGs) support will focus on three key areas: metropolitan areas and large cities; secondary and tertiary cities; and informal settlements. This will include both multi-sectoral investment programs that integrate a basket of services (for example, upgrading of electricity, water, sanitation, roads, drains in unplanned settlements); and sector specific projects (for example, in urban water, solid waste, and transport) to improve the effectiveness of service delivery. This paper is organized in following chapters: chapter one discusses why is it urgent to get Africa's urbanization right?; chapter two gives the vision for efficient, inclusive, and sustainable urbanization; chapter three presents priorities for Africa's policymakers; and chapter four deals with working with Africa to support efficient, inclusive, and sustainable cities.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    From Risk to Resilience: Helping People and Firms Adapt in South Asia
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-03) Lang, Megan; Rexer, Jonah; Sharma, Siddharth; Triyana, Margaret
    South Asia is the most climate-vulnerable region among emerging market and developing economies. With governments having limited room to act due to fiscal constraints, the burden of climate adaptation will fall primarily on households and firms. Awareness of climate risks is high; more than three-quarters of households and firms expect a weather shock in the next 10 years. Climate adaptation is widespread, with 63 percent of firms and 80 percent of households having taken action. However, most rely on basic, low-cost solutions rather than leveraging advanced technologies and public infrastructure. Market imperfections and income constraints limit access to information, finance, and technologies needed for more effective adaptation. If these obstacles were removed, private sector adaptation could offset about one-third of the potential damage from rising global temperatures on South Asian economies. The policy priority for governments is therefore to facilitate private sector adaptation through a comprehensive policy package. The package includes climate-specific measures such as improving weather information access, promoting resilient technologies and weather insurance, and investing in protective infrastructure in a targeted manner. Equally important are broader developmental initiatives with resilience co-benefits: in other words, policies that generate double dividends. These include strengthening core public goods like transportation, water systems, and healthcare; addressing barriers to accessing markets, inputs, and finance without causing unintended responses that increase vulnerabilities; and supporting vulnerable groups through shock-responsive social protection.
  • Publication
    State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10) World Bank
    This report provides an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national and subnational initiatives. It also investigates trends surrounding the development and implementation of carbon pricing instruments. Specifically, this includes the use of carbon taxes, emissions trading systems and crediting mechanisms.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, June 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10) World Bank
    The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.
  • Publication
    Forging Viet Nam's Semiconductor Future: Talent and Innovation Leading the Way
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-09-10) World Bank
    Vietnam has prioritized semiconductors as one of ten critical technologies and set explicit goals of becoming a global semiconductor talent hub by 2030, moving up the value chain toward higher value-added segments, and developing a complete semiconductor value chain by 2045. Delivering on that pledge hinges on strategic and urgent investment in top talent, science, and innovation. This report concentrates on the most urgent gap – cultivating a cadre of scientists and engineers (S&E). and, to the extent possible, tech entrepreneurs, to support Vietnam’s semiconductor and high-tech ambitions. The analysis and interventions focus on the highly skilled workforce and frontier talent development, and cover research, innovation, and university-industry linkages in relation to the talent challenges. The report recognizes that to unlock its semiconductor potential, Viet Nam must address other binding constraints, notably: weak linkages between FDI and domestic firms, emerging infrastructure gaps (e.g., energy and logistics), and intellectual property rights regulations, amid evolving geoeconomics conditions.
  • Publication
    World Bank Annual Report 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-25) World Bank
    This annual report, which covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, has been prepared by the Executive Directors of both the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)—collectively known as the World Bank—in accordance with the respective bylaws of the two institutions. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, has submitted this report, together with the accompanying administrative budgets and audited financial statements, to the Board of Governors.