Innovation eases Indian land acquisition problems

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Land ◽  
Land Disputes ◽  
The City ◽  
Municipal Level

Subject Land acquisition in India. Significance As of October 2016, nearly 5,600 industrial and infrastructure projects worth over 178 billion dollars were stalled due to land acquisition problems, according to a recent report. Moreover, litigation has exploded and a quarter of India’s districts now face land disputes. This suggests that the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, far from easing tensions over the acquisition of land for infrastructure and industrial purposes, has exacerbated them. Impacts Solutions for tribal opposition to land acquisition by miners are not in the offing. Strategies for resolving land disputes are likely to emerge at the city municipal level. Partnership with land leasers in urban areas will prove an effective foil for land disputes.

Food networks and urban informality in Mumbai, India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeenat Kotval-K
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Food Retail ◽  
Urban Informality ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fresh Food ◽  
The City

PurposeTraditionally, urban informality has been discussed in terms of housing and markets, usually along the periphery of urban areas where there is disinvestment and decline. This article looks at urban informality through the lens of informal fresh food retail throughout the city of Mumbai, India. In India, fresh produce has traditionally been sold in informal street markets comprising vendors that operate through carts and make-shift stalls set-up on the streets. This article aims to assess the conditions surrounding fresh produce retail that fuel its informality.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed methods approach by spatially analyzing the location of informal fresh food vendors in ArcGIS, developing a qualitative analysis of the level of proliferation of this network through interviews conducted with vendors and conducting surveys of residents' access patterns and purchasing habits for fresh produce in the city.FindingsResults from this study indicate that the role of density, transportation systems, domestic/household structure, cultural traditions and a bureaucratic system rife with its own challenges have resulted in a distinct infrastructure of food retail networks that has harvested forms of inequalities and injustices that inherently fuel this informal economy.Originality/valueThere is no published study to date that has been done to spatially assess the informal food network in any dense city in India, let alone Mumbai to date. Urban informality, by its nature, is hard to capture, and yet this study takes a holistic view of the food systems in Mumbai, by addressing the location, supply (through vendor interviews) and demand factors (through resident surveys).

Congress will oppose Modi policy for political revival

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Sector ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Liberal Reform ◽  
Regional Elections ◽  
Bihar State

Subject Congress challenges. Significance Defeats in the 2014 general elections and a series of regional elections have left the Congress in disarray. On April 10, a crucial meeting of the central All India Congress Committee (AICC) will attempt to set a course for recovery. At issue is the leadership of the long-standing Nehru-Gandhi family, now personified by Rahul Gandhi, son of party president Sonia Gandhi and the Congress's vice-president. Impacts The Congress will oppose liberal reform in sensitive sectors such as land and retail, but endorse low-profile financial sector reforms. Continuing controversy over land acquisition will delay infrastructure projects. The BJP could lose Bihar state elections in December if all opposition parties join forces.

Solo travellers to city destinations: an exploratory study in Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Abbasian
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Tourism ◽  
The People ◽  
City Tourism ◽  
Travel Agencies ◽  
The City ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain more insight into the phenomenon of solo travel to city destinations and attain more knowledge on the topic.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a questionnaire consisting of qualitative and quantitative items. In all, 21 individuals (12 women, 9 men) responded.FindingsThe most important reason for solo travel was their own free choice and in some cases, difficulty finding companions. Their activities at the destinations were mostly visiting attractions followed by visiting friends, shopping, walking, eating at restaurants, learning the language, working, etc. They mostly mentioned advantages but also some disadvantages with solo travelling. Their experiences, especially with the people in the host destinations, have been positive and they show overall satisfaction with their visit. A predominant share of the interviewees showed a kind of loyalty to one or more specific city destinations and wished to revisit them again and again.Practical implicationsThe current study might have some implications for city tourism developers/destination developers, travel agencies, national or regional tourism boards and tour operators in major urban areas and cities. Especially, this study has a practical contribution to the city tourism practitioners and gives them more insight in what values, attitudes, perceptions, expectations and motivations the solo travellers might have before or while they visit their cities. The study also has implications for potential solo travellers seeking more knowledge and information on the issue.Originality/valueThe phenomenon of solo travel to city destinations is an unresearched topic in Sweden. This exploratory study is the first in Sweden to focus on solo travellers visiting city destinations.

Peri-urban territories and rural water community governance in Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Duarte Vera ◽  
Julien Vanhulst ◽  
Eduardo Antonio Letelier Araya
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Community Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Urban Territories ◽  
The City

PurposeRural drinking water services in Chile are managed by Rural Drinking Water Associations (RDWAs) with a community governance model. However, urban growth and a neoliberal institutional setting tend to favor market-style governance, both in terms of territorial planning and drinking water supply, placing stress on the community governance model of RDWA. The authors seek to understand these processes and identify the position of RDWA actors facing socio-territorial and environmental transformations experienced in peri-urban sectors of the city of Talca (Chile).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used georeferenced data, participant and non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews. With these data, the authors analyzed the positions and discourses of water governance actors in relation to socio-territorial transformations in the peri-urban areas of the city, as well as for tensions between community and market governance.FindingsThe authors identified a growth tendency of RDWA users around the city of Talca due to a sharp drinking water demand increase in peri-urban territories. As such, the authors describe and contrast RWDA managers and governmental regulators' discourses regarding environmental and socio-territorial transformations. In these discourses, the authors found three critical topics: (1) land liberalization blurring urban territory borders; (2) Law #20998, a poorly financed reform which raises the specter of RDWA privatization, jeopardizing historic community drinking water management; and (3) the consequences of declining community commitment to RDWAs.Practical implicationsOne key implication of these findings is the need to modify RDWA pricing policies to deal with new rural inhabitant lifestyles and drinking water demands and to fulfill water basic needs of rural families, avoiding privatization risks. This change could help not only dealing with growing scarcity during global climate change, but could also provide financial resources to face new technical and administrative requirements of SSR Law.Originality/valueThe originality of the study comes from using a framework of governance tensions applied to water governance in peri-urban areas in a neoliberal institutional setting.

scholarly journals Investigation into the causes of delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in developing countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 552-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Olusola Babatunde ◽  
Onaopepo Adeniyi ◽  
Oluwaseyi Alabi Awodele
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private Investors

Purpose The land is a critical resource for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure development. However, acquisition of land for PPP infrastructure projects implementation increasingly becomes problematic in developing countries. Yet, effort at investigating the factors causing a delay in land acquisition for PPP infrastructure projects through an empirical method in developing countries received scant attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify and critically assess the factors predisposing PPP projects implementation to land acquisition delay in Nigeria using an empirical approach. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted literature review and questionnaire survey. For instance, literature review was used to identify the factors causing delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in developing countries, which was used to design the questionnaire survey culminating in data analysis. To capture a broad perception, the questionnaires were administered to three different primary stakeholder groups comprised public sector authorities (i.e. ministries, department, agencies), concessionaires and lenders/banks involved in PPP projects implementation in Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using mean score, Kruskal–Wallis test and factor analysis. Findings The study revealed the mean score ranking of 22 identified factors causing a delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in Nigeria. The result of factor analysis grouped the 22 identified factors into 4 principal factors, namely, resettlement issues with political interference; non-availability of land with a higher cost of land transactions; weak planning institutions; and rehabilitation issues with extensive legal delays. Practical implications These study findings have implications for both policymakers considering PPP projects and private investors seeking to finance a PPP project in developing countries. Also, the study findings would be useful for the governments in Nigeria and other developing countries to formulate clear policies framework that facilitates the smooth acquisition of land for PPP projects. Originality/value The study will be beneficial to the potential local and foreign private investors and governments by broadening their awareness on impediments in land acquisition for PPP projects in Nigeria and developing countries at large. These study findings are crucial, as not many empirical studies have been conducted in Nigeria and many other developing countries.

Conceptualizing citizen participation in open data use at the city level

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Hivon ◽  
Ryad Titah
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Team ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Data Portal ◽  
The City ◽  
Municipal Level

Purpose Open data initiatives represent a critical pillar of smart cities’ strategies but remain insufficiently and poorly understood. This paper aims to advance a conceptualization of citizen participation and investigates its effect on open data use at the municipal level. Design/methodology/approach Based on 14 semi-structured interviews with citizens involved in open data projects within the city of Montréal (Canada), the paper develops a research model linking the multidimensional construct of citizen participation with initial use of open data in municipalities. Findings The study shows that citizen participation is a key contributor to the use of open data through four distinct categories of participation, namely, hands-on activities, greater responsibility, better communication and improved relations between citizens and the open data portal development team. While electronic government research often views open data implementation as a top-down project, the current study demonstrates that citizens are central to the success of open data initiatives and shows how their role can be effectively leveraged across various dimensions of participation. Originality/value This paper proposes a conceptualization of citizen participation on open data use at the municipal level. Citizen participation is a found to be a key contributor to the use of open data through four distinct categories of participation, namely, hands-on activities, greater responsibility, better communication and improved relations between citizens and the open data portal development team. This paper demonstrates the critical role of citizen participation in open government.

Thermal comfort and pedestrian behaviors in urban public spaces in cities with warm and dry climates

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hocine Boumaraf ◽  
Louisa Amireche
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to move beyond the stage of analysis of exclusively physical microclimatic phenomena and extending ourselves to the study of the impact of the microclimate environment on the user behavior in public spaces. This paper will open up new opportunities for the development of urban open spaces and facilitate the decision-making for urban decision-makers, city managers and planners to make the right urban planning decision. Design/methodology/approach The methodology for identifying the links between microclimatic quality of urban routes and behaviors was developed on the basis of the results obtained from field surveys carried out in nine public urban areas of the city of Biskra, three urban space are located in a traditional urban fabric (the medina) and the other five in new urban areas, in the two climatic seasons (winter, summer) of 2019. For this exploratory research, two types of instruments were used to collect data from environmental and human monitoring. Findings Improving microclimatic conditions in urban spaces can allow people to spend more time outside, with the possibility of increasing their social cohesion. The overall objective of this research is to better understand the impact of microclimatic characteristics on pedestrian behavior of nine selected public urban spaces in the city of Biskra, Algeria. To characterize this impact, the authors developed an approach based on crossing data of field surveys, including structured interviews with a questionnaire and observations of human activities (video recordings), as well as microclimate monitoring, conducted during the two climatic seasons (winter, summer) 2019. The analysis of the results allowed to verify the impact of the two climatic seasons (winter, summer) on the variation in the density of occupancy of the different urban areas studied and the duration of the user stations. The authors also illustrated that the number of individuals higher in the traditional urban spaces of the city of Biskra or the conditions of climate comfort are more comfortable than the urban spaces in the new urban areas of the city of Biskra during the summer, which is the season most problematic. Originality/value In recent years, there has been a proliferation of scientific studies on the subject of control of microclimatic characteristics and, in particular, on the consideration of the thermal comfort of persons by qualitative analysis, prediction and representation of the perception of external environments. Improving microclimatic conditions in urban spaces can allow people to spend more time outside, with the possibility of increasing their social cohesion. This study highlights the importance of climate-conscious urban design and design flexibility. Urban environments can be modified in summer and winter to provide a better outdoor thermal environment for users. In addition, this study also shows the importance of harmony between microclimate and urban design. Such harmony can be achieved by including requirements for a climate-conscious urban design in the planning regulations for cities in arid zones.

Jokowi's five-year infrastructure plan is unrealistic

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
Toll Roads ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Framework ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Food Inflation

Subject Outlook for infrastructure development. Significance President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has pledged to build 5,000 kilometres (km) of railway, 2,600 km of roads, 1,000 km of toll-roads and 49 dams over the next five years. To that end, his administration on March 20 issued a new regulation aimed at facilitating public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure projects. The new regulation seeks to strengthen the legal, regulatory and financial framework for such projects. Impacts Land acquisition problems will be the hardest to resolve, given the lack of proper records. Tighter checks on malfeasance promise longer-term gains in transparency, but near-term they will slow disbursement. Reducing food inflation will be difficult as long as the infrastructure deficit persists.

Land complaints could test Myanmar government

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Families ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Land Disputes ◽  
The Government ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Industrial Zones ◽  
Agriculture Development

Subject Land controversies in Myanmar. Significance Hundreds of farmers began street protests in Mandalay last month in a bid to convince the government to return lands seized under the previous regime and halt prosecutions of rural families who are seeking to regain property. The government has returned some small parcels of land in repsonse, but attempts to develop new urban areas and industrial zones complicate the issue. Impacts Increasing the law courts’ capacity could bolster public faith in their ability to adjudicate land disputes. Land protests could undermine the government’s agriculture development agenda. Construction firms will need to undertake due diligence and corporate social responsibility policies to mitigate land disputes.

scholarly journals Sustainable Urban Land Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Ashima Banker
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Land Acquisition ◽  
World Population ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Financial Pressure ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The City

Rapid Urbanisation trends worldwide has resulted in 54% of the world population living in urban areas, in 2014 from 39%, in 1980. As per 2014 Revision of World Population Prospects, UN, 2014, India & China are expected to be the largest contributors to the estimated increase in urban population till 2050. Most of the grunt of the population growth is going to be seen on big cities or mega-cities, with Asia to struggle most with estimated 60% of the megacities by 2025, most of them across India and China (13th annual edition of DemographiaWorld Urban Areas, 2017).Amongst the various challenges faced by these megacities, providing developed land (i.e. land with access toinfrastructure facilities) for future developments and city infrastructure within the limited funds available with the city & state governments, is a major one. Indian cities, due to limited funds often face delays in infrastructure development (due to high costs of land acquisition) resulting in haphazard development.Land acquisition for industrial, urban and infrastructure development has always been a contentious subject. For land development – land acquisition and land pooling are the two methods adopted in land acquisition process. Land acquisition is carried out under act (LAA), while land pooling is carried out using the provision of related town planning schemes like in the Gujarat. A public private partnership mode plays an important role in the land acquisition and in development of Land.This study attempts to analyse the mechanisms followed under the two methods and the benefits of each. It also recommends mechanism to provide for larger pockets of developed land to be used by the Urban Local Bodies for public purposes, generate revenue and provide for additional development provisions for the developers (for larger public good). The suggested tools & recommendations will in addition to cutting the cost of acquiring land will fetch capital to the project that would make the project self financed and self sustaining, releasing the financial pressure from the Urban Local Body.

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