This research aims to examine the effects of the urban land acquisition and allocation programme by the government in Iran on the rate of increase of the prices of urban land and affordablity of housing prices for different income groups in the urban areas of the country during the period 1979 to 1988 which was on the basis of the enactment of three Urban Land Laws after the 1979 revolution. The implementation of these laws limited private ownership of vacant urban land in the country to about 1,000 to 1,500 square metres, depending on the size of the city, with the excess land being acquired by the government. In this respect the Urban Land Organisation under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development was able to acquire 36,000 hectares through confiscation from the excess of private ownership, 8,258 hectares of private land in return for payment of compensation, and a further 41,272 hectares of land which already belonged to the various public organisations was transferred to its authority. Thereby a total of 85,557 hectares was assembled under the authority of the urban land organisation (ULO). As part of the land policy, the ULO then proceeded to allocate some 10,790 hectares or 12.6 percent of the total assembled land to eligible applicants including private households, housing cooperatives and public and private housing developers for housing construction. This was in addition to the 3,313 hectares or 3.9 percent of the total assembled land which was allocated for the purposes urban services and commercial buildings. In any case, while only 12.6 percent of the assembled land was allocated by the ULO it comprised about 32 percent of the number and 34 percent of the area of land plots for new starts of housing construction during the period 1979 to 1988. The hypothesis of the thesis with regard to the effect of government acquisition and allocation of urban land on the situation of urban land prices and housing in Iran is that between 1979 to 1988 this programme and the resultant activities has on the one hand led to a reduction of the rate of increase of the price of urban land in the market and, on the other, has contributed to the provision of affordable housing units for low and middle income households. The thesis has tested the first part of its hypothesis by collecting and analyzing the trend of development of urban land prices for a 15 year period between 1974 to 1988. The second part of the hypothesis has been tested by calculating the price of housing on ULO allocated and privately owned land and then comparing them with the effective demand of different income groups in the urban areas of the country. The evidence of the analysis for the first part of the hypothesis shows that during the period 1979 to 1988 the average price of one square metre of privately owned land was about 13 times higher than ULO allocated land. More importantly, however, is the trend of development of the price of privately owned land between 1974 to 1988 which shows that after the 1979 revolution average prices of privately owned land always kept below the 1976 figure prior to the revolution and from 1985 on wards the actual increase at constant prices was actually negative. Moreover, with the base year of 1974, the index of the average price of privately owned land for the period 1979 to 1988 was between 58.7 and 207.5 which was much lower than the consumer price index which was between 196.3 and 974.1 for the same period. The index of the average price of urban land for 1975 and 1976 prior to the 1979 revolution, however, is 125.3 and 170.5 which is higher than the consumer price index for the same period which was 109.9 and 128.1. consequently, it can be stated that the evidence from the analysis for the first part of the hypothesis supports its proposition in that the enactment and implementation of the aforementioned urban land policy after the 1979 revolution has led to a reduction of the rate of increase of urban land prices in the market between the period 1979 to 1988. The result of the analysis for the second part of the hypothesis on the other hand shows that on the basis of the recommended floor area of 75 square metre for housing units built on ULO allocated land, which was recommended by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, such units were in the main affordable to all income categories including all those in the low income groups. The units built on privately owned land were in the main only affordable to income groups 8-10 which comprised the high income groups and in 1987 and 1988 even income groups 8-9 of the high income groups were excluded from these units. More importantly, however, the analysis shows that even with bigger floor areas including the actual average floor area of urban housing units for the period 1979 to 1988, which ranged between 132 to 162 square metres during the stated period, the units built on ULO allocated land were still much more affordable to the low and middle income groups than the units built on privately owned land which would still be in the main unaf fordable to the low income groups. This difference in affordablity also applies to small units 50-75 square metres built on the two different categories of land. The result of the analysis for the second part of the hypothesis, therefore, also supports its proposition in that the enactment and implementation of the aforementioned urban land policy after the 1979 revolution has contributed to the provision of affordable housing units for low and middle income households in the period 1979 to 1988.

This thesis is concerned with distributive politics arising from land development and territorial changes in reform China. It adopts a historical institutionalist approach in examining the evolution of rural institutions, with a specific focus on the rural shareholding cooperative and the village joint stock company. It argues that despite the move towards the market in the reform era, core elements of the state socialist redistributive economy imposed upon rural society in the Maoist era have been sustained and reproduced in the two reform-era institutions. The re-collectivisation of the village through the shareholding reform has provided the institutional foundations for the continued deployment of redistributive power and the reproduction of paternalistic relations that generate expectations of the fulfilment of an implicit social contract. This thesis argues that while the reforms have helped to hold the village together in the midst of drastic territorial change, the very operation of the institutions may be generating endogenous pressures for change as they heighten propensity of power abuse and produce unequal distributive outcomes. These internal contradictions were exacerbated by the checun gaizhi reform, which abolished grassroots organisations of self-governance and created semi-private entities, which by their straddled nature were not subjected to any effective mechanisms of checks and balances. This privatisation of rural governance has profound implications on rural outcomes. By comparing and contrasting the divergent trajectories undertaken by three villages that shared similar characteristics, this thesis sheds light on some of the deeply problematic aspects of rural governance in contemporary China.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin. / Mimeograph. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 95-103.

The government land development corporation model works at ‘arm’s length’ from the public sector to manage development of public land assets. With the potential to create uplift in value and shape the built environment to achieve City objectives, many municipalities have established this model, yet there is a lack of study on their impact to the municipal planning and development process. This research presents a case study, including key informant interviews, of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation’s (CMLC) management of the redevelopment of the East Village to identify lessons that may be application in other development projects. A list of themes for success and weakness informs discussion on how a government land development model can impact municipal planning policy, development process and standards. Half way into the project timeline, CMLC has achieved many of its objectives through a coordinated approach grounded in a strong vision set in a Master Plan. Active marketing and infrastructure upgrades that focused on connections established a renewed sense of place to a blighted neighborhood. CMLC benefits from being able to act in a nimble manner outside of the often-extended municipal decision-making structure. A broad mandate, control over budget decision, land ownership and authority to manage phasing provides efficiency in operations and confidence to investors, however public accountability remains a concern. CMLC introduces new avenues of collaboration and brings multiple disciplines together for risk sharing facilitating innovation in planning policy, practice and standards, that otherwise may have been lost in negotiation. Positioned at the interface between public and private, CMLC has found success in balancing interests and tensions through combining the strengths of each sector. / February 2017

This investigation is concerned with perceived detrimental aspects of land use and the desirability of extending government participation in land use goals. Interviews with 179 persons were conducted. The data reveal a possible direct relationship between social class and the acceptance of land use and economic controls. The project endorses the following proposals: Local regulations should require housing developers to provide the streets and utilities and to dedicate land for parks and schools. Taxation should be used as a regulatory tool for the attainment of public policy objectives. A federal commission is needed to encourage comprehensive land management programs. It is also suggested that future land management questionnaires should use random samples and ask questions about specific land use problems.

Thesis (L.L.M. (Law)) - Rhodes University, 2008

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2008. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Sept. 16, 2009). Thesis advisor: Patricia Freeland. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.