Strategic Land Use Planning, Land Tenure and Property Rights, and Housing Supply in Delhi

This article discusses the challenges faced in strategic land use planning, land tenure and property rights, and housing supply in Delhi. It critiques the policies and implementation of these plans and provides recommendations for improvement.

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Article 1: Strategic Land use planning: Eperiments in legislation and government
Introduction
Strategic land use and planning has been at the heart of land use in South Australia. Over the
last 50 years, Australia has seen promulgation of legislations for strategic use of land
especially in major states and cities. The planning statutes of South Australia which were
legislated in 1967 called the planning and Development Act was reintroduced in the year
2004 as a Bill. The Bill discusses major policy instruments and measures of arrangements in
administration for the statutes put in place and the change in governance over the years.
Although most of this statutes in strategic land use have been successful in regional and city
level, there are so many challenges faced in drafting effective and appropriate statutes that
remain (Freestone, and Hutchings, 1993).
Summary
The reason for critiquing this article is to show that due to changing times, the approach in
the changing and drafting legislations should focus on changing dynamics of land use in
rapidly growing cities and a population burst.
Land planning and use has been highly focused since the inception of the land use Act in
1967. Although most of the legislations have been effective in strategic planning, some have
not been necessarily effective. Strategic planning has not been effective in practice. The
development and planning Act of 1967 placed gave too much power to the chiefs and
generals as statutory office holders as the highest levels of bureaucracy as they got more
powers in provision of urban services.

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In strategic planning, there should be a structured chain of command. However, the Act
caused unusual and considerable challenges due to similar powers being given to high office
holders. This caused considerable bureaucratic challenges for ministers in implementation of
the strategic plan.
Critique
In policy implementation has seen a divergence in land management legislation and
environmental policies with mainstream planning legislation. There has been confusion in
policy theorists and planning practitioners for example in infrastructure and transport and
environment. They have separated and then come together in policy implementations.
Various regional plans have been subsumed into a single development plan of the Act due to
the centralized legislation policy leading to overarching strategies in planning. In reality, the
implementation has achieved a negative effect due to the plans varying form one council to
another.
Conclusion
Land use strategy should be unified so that local planning authorities and states can work
together in comprehensive and fundamental planning in land use. There should be an intrinsic
coordination in program integration and operational decision making. The conflicting
challenges should be solved when the command chain is streamlined to avoid role duplication
in states and local government. An impressive decision by the South Australia state to adapt
the strategic plan so as to guide all activities of government and provide a long term solution.
Article 2: Land tenure and property rights

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Introduction
Due to changes in land tenure systems and their subsequent placement into housing market
and local land context, a robust land tenure and property rights have been introduced. One of
the key feature in this research is a framework in typology that enables land and property
policy makers to change the distribution and range of customary, statutory and informal
tenures in a city. The distinction between the policy objectives in land tenure and property
rights should also be identified. Policy tenure role includes inhibiting or facilitating rights and
security for special groups such vulnerable groups like tenants and women. Although land
remains one of the most valuable assets to acquire, diminishing rights of land tenure and
property remains a privilege of the rich and the people who can afford (Payne, G., 2001).
Summary
One of the most important wealth is land and property. The transition to market relations in
the field of land use is associated with the formation of an economic mechanism designed to
combine the interests of the economy and the rational, efficient use of land resources.
However, the problem of land management in general is rather poorly lit, despite its
relevance and importance. This is especially true of municipal land administration. Land
management in the territory of the settlement includes the adoption of legal acts in the form
of decisions, programs, rules, and disclosed through the implemented measures. In
accordance with this, local governments can actively influence the formation and
development of the land market, while the federal and regional regulatory frameworks are the
basis for the general regulation of land and property relations.
Critique

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It is obvious that municipal property, especially land resources, constitutes the economic
basis of local self-government as a source of financing for the local budget. Therefore, the
municipality must implement a land management strategy that would ensure a steady flow of
constantly increasing income from land use (Payne, 2001).
The local authorities in most regions have no money for this procedure and therefore these
costs are borne by the citizens themselves. The essential issue in the provision of a free plot
is: for what means will poor citizens carry out the construction of a house on the provided
free plot of land?
Conclusion
Fourthly, from the practice of free provision of land plots to property, many municipalities
face such a problem as providing the specified land plots with infrastructure facilities in
accordance with the parameters of the planned construction of engineering and technical
support systems provided for by the territory planning projects within the specified land plots.
These problems are connected with the lack of funds for these types of work in the municipal
budget. Another problem with the free provision of land in the ownership of citizens was the
preparation of territorial planning documents.
Article 3: Housing supply in Delhi
Introduction
New Delhi is experiencing one of the highest growth rates in major cities around the world.
In fact, it has the highest population growth rate in India, a country that is the second most
populous country in the world at 1.4 Billion people. It is projected that Delhi will have a

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population of 27 million in 3 years. The effect in this growth is seen in the socio-economic
pattern that has led to strain in all resources. The most affected is the shortage of houses
especially for the low–income and poor population. Half of this population lives in poverty
leading to mushrooming of slums and overcrowded hutment (Sivam, 2003). This is a
reflection of the inappropriate and poor planning system in the city. Delhi lacks public
investment of houses and restriction of housing market and formal land. Just like all other
major cities in India, Delhi will have a major challenge in restructuring of their urban plan
due to the high population growth. They may achieve this or not.
Summary
The research paper shows multiple sectorial approaches are required in improving the
delivery system of housing in Delhi. By improving essential infrastructure, the study
demonstrates that informal housing can be transformed into quality formal houses. However,
this will require political goodwill, an improved housing policy and availability or resources
for upgrading the infrastructure.
Formal housing delivery may not be achieved. This are some of the reason why it is hard to
achieve this fete. There is a poorly developed system for provision of finance. Only Housing
Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) provides loans to individuals. National Housing
Bank has selected way of providing loans which is poorly structured. Due to this the interest
are prohibitively high for example in 1998, the interest stood at 16% .The poor population
has no resources to finance a housing project. Many are struggling to survive and a formal
house ownership would be secondary (Sivam, 2003).
Critique

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The stages in housing supply are long and bureaucratic. The stages include; planning,
assembly of land, implementation of the project and disposal of the completed house. This
may take time for the whole process to be completed due to bureaucratic processes from
Delhi Development Authority, ministry or Urban Development and other bodies. The Land
Acquisition Act of 1894 may require amendment to shorten the land Acquisition.
Compensation of rightful owners may also take years due to legal processes and court
injunctions.
Conclusions
Although housing supply in Delhi is an ambitious and noble project, various high level
challenges may cause significant delay in implementation of the program. Financial
constraints, poor coordination of programs among agencies involved and high regulations and
control of existing laws and policies are the most notable challenges.

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References
Freestone, R. and Hutchings, A., 1993. Planning history in Australia: the state of the
art. Planning Perspective, 8(1), pp.72-91.
Payne, G., 2001. Urban land tenure policy options: Titles or rights?. Habitat
international, 25(3), pp.415-429.
Sivam, A., 2003. Housing supply in Delhi. Cities, 20(2), pp.135-141.