Leveraging Land: Land-based finance in building cities for all

Large segments of populations are often missed due to lack of services or lack of recognized land rights. The more people are provided with the security of tenure, including marginalised groups such as women and youth, the more they can become part of an inclusive urban development process. GLTN’s land-based finance approach is therefore based on an inclusive concept of land tenure security, backed up by innovative land tools designed to facilitate this.

UN-Habitat and the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) have developed a training package for land-based finance for local governments. This three-hour interactive session will focus on the practical application of land-based financing methods in support of the New Urban Agenda in building cities for all. Premised on land being a key factor of production and an important source of financing for urban development, including infrastructure, social housing and basic services, land-based finance methods hold considerable potential for linking the value of urban development with public revenue generation in growing urban areas.

Participants will consider key questions such as:
• Land-based financing has huge potential as a revenue source for development. Why are more local governments not using it effectively?
• What are the necessary preconditions for effective land-based finance?
• How would land-based financing simultaneously serve both a pro-poor approach and sustainable urban development?
• What are the key land-based finance tools available, and how does one decide which are best to apply in a specific context?