Assessing the Status and Challenges of Urban Land Administration Systems Using Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA): A Case Study in Pak

Full research paper link is here https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081560

Abstract:

The urban land administration system (LAS) of any country serves as a key pillar for good governance, resource planning, service delivery, infrastructure development, and revenue collection. To reform their LASs, countries need a thorough understanding of their existing context and global relevance. The goal of this paper is to examine the status and challenges of urban LASs in Pakistan using the United Nations Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA). The exploratory case study method used in the paper employs a mixed approach, which includes FELA-based questionnaire surveys, group discussions, and desk reviews. A total of 525 urban LAS stakeholders, including owner-buyers, real estate agents, bankers, lawyers, and LAS organizations, participated in the activity. The results show that more than half of the stakeholders are not satisfied with existing urban LASs, their governance and accountability, laws, and policies. Corruption is prevalent mostly in government organizations. Fraud and joint ownership are the most common sources of dispute, with 67 percent of the respondents stating that the cases take more than two years to resolve in court. The financial aspect of urban LASs is suffering due to property undervaluation and low revenue collection. Manual data and record keeping in LASs further complicate the system, with 87 percent of all respondents interested in innovating the urban LAS using modern technologies. Furthermore, 92 percent of all respondents expressed the need to standardize the existing LASs. There is a lack of capacity and skills, and 89 percent of organizations’ respondents believe that human resources skilled in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) can improve the efficiency of urban LASs. There is a lack of partnership among LAS organizations and a gap in the accessibility of LAS-related quality information. The country’s vision of building smart cities can be realized through LAS standardization and 3D and GIS innovation.

Conclusion

The guidelines provided in the FELA proved very effective in assessing the status and challenges of urban LASs. For Pakistan, there are greater challenges ahead in terms of obsolete record management, maintenance, and inclusion of vertical urban development in the existing manual system. It is recommended to establish a centralized land registry system by developing a standardized LADM country profile. Strengthening existing laws through substantial amendments and rigorous enforcement is crucial to avoid fraud, delays, and corruption in LASs. The existing challenges require the innovation, standardization, and capacity building of existing LASs. Both long- and short-term policy initiatives, with strong political, social, and financial support, are recommended for the development of responsible LASs. Stakeholders’ confidence in the existing LASs is low, especially for the organizations who deal with a large portion of urban LASs, namely DAs and the BoR. It is of paramount importance to ensure transparency and accountability within the organizations to strengthen LASs and improve land tenure security. The management of land records is decentralized among multiple organizations, lacking real-time updates and efficient tracking of records. To address disputes, cumbersome registries spanning hundreds of years of manual papers are necessary, resulting in delayed justice. The use of modern technologies in LASs is imperative to avoid delays and disputes. It is worth mentioning that while the government assumes the responsibility of registering sale deeds, it does not bear the liability to authenticate the accuracy of the records. A clear and conclusive land and property title system does not exist; instead, revenue records serve as de facto titles for properties, and manual deed registries only validate property sale-purchase agreements. The feedback received from stakeholders regarding the current urban LASs is predominantly negative. A significant majority of respondents expressed a preference for the implementation of technological innovations to address existing challenges and to foster a transformation towards a transparent and equitable system. This feedback underscores the importance of embracing technological advancements to improve the efficiency, accountability, and fairness of the urban LAS. The country is facing serious challenges of tenure insecurity, economic losses due to inefficient land valuation, manual data and processes, lack of innovation and LAS standards, and serious issues of communication, awareness, and partnership gaps among LAS stakeholders. These challenges need immediate attention from the government and policy makers to introduce fundamental reforms in the system. It is of utmost importance for existing LASs to comply with the FELA guidelines to achieve LAS-related SDGs.

A systematic framework is essential to scale up the efforts to standardize and computerize manual LASs into a conclusive and reliable system in the country. The country’s future vision of urban land record computerization and smart cities development necessitates the innovative use of ICT, GNSS, RS, GIS, and 3D technology to modernize its urban LAS and avoid malpractices and corruption. The concept of the smart city in the country will flourish whenever standardized baseline 3D urban LAS data are made available and institutional workflows are sufficiently trained to systematically capture the required LAS data and maintain digital records. To establish efficient LASs, critical considerations include ensuring a fair and gender-unbiased people-to-land relationship and implementing stable laws and policies. The study recommends future investigation into operational aspects of urban LASs, their standardization, and the implementation of the 3D aspect to manage vertical urban development.