As urbanization progresses at a remarkable pace, policy makers and analysts come to understand and agree on key features that will make this process more efficient and inclusive, leading to gains in the welfare of citizens. Drawing on insights from economic geography and two centuries of experience in developed countries, the World Bank’s World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography emphasizes key aspects that are fundamental to ensuring an efficient rural-urban transformation. Critical among these are land, as the most important resource, and well-functioning land markets. Regardless of the stage of urbanization, flexible and forward-looking institu- ons that help the efficient functioning of land markets are the bedrock of succe- ful urbanization strategies. In particular, institutional arrangements for allocating land rights and for managing and regulating land use have significant implica- ons for how cities deliver agglomeration economies and improve the welfare of their residents. Property rights, well-functioning land markets, and the management and servicing of land required to accommodate urban expansion and provide trunk infrastructure are all topics that arise as regions progress from incipient urbani- tion to medium and high density.

This book proposes a new approach for a systemic and dynamic analysis of urban and peri-urban land markets in West Africa and applies it to Bamako, Mali. Based on a description of 'land delivery' processes, it sheds light on the challenges faced by the urban poor in accessing secure land.

In Urban Land Rent, Anne Haila uses Singapore as a case study to develop an original theory of urban land rent with important implications for urban studies and urban theory. Provides a comprehensive analysis of land, rent theory, and the modern city Examines the question of land from a variety of perspectives: as a resource, ideologies, interventions in the land market, actors in the land market, the global scope of land markets, and investments in land Details the Asian development state model, historical and contemporary land regimes, public housing models, and the development industry for Singapore and several other cities Incorporates discussion of the modern real estate market, with reference to real estate investment trusts, sovereign wealth funds investing in real estate, and the fusion between sophisticated financial instruments and real estate

Originally published in 1993, Urban Land and Property Markets in the Netherlands provides a detailed explanation of how the land and property markets of the Netherlands work. This book describes the scene extensively and goes deeper to explain the situation in the Netherlands, with commercial real estate being regarded internationally as mature, and offering good safe investment prospects while other aspects of the land and property markets are unique to that country. The constitutional, economic and social contexts are described and current public policies are explained as they affect property development.

This up-to-date, highly-accessible book presents a unique combination of both economic theory and real estate applications, providing readers with the tools and techniques needed to understand the operation of urban real estate markets. It examines residential and non-residential real estate markets--from the perspectives of both macro- and micro-economics--as well as the role of government in real estate markets.

Originally published in 1993, Urban Land and Property Markets in Germany describes the complex network of regulations and practices governing the operation of the German markets. The book outlines the constitutional structure and framework of the social, economic and geographical context in which the markets operate. The main sections of the book address the legal structures of property, planning, and tax, the registration procedures and transaction charges, market processes, who does what, and what professional titles or other actors in the process to look out for. The book also looks at the development of land and property markets, as one of the most intractable problems faced by post-communist regimes of eastern Europe.