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

Muhammad Sheraz Ahsan (), Ejaz Hussain, Zahir Ali, Jaap Zevenbergen, Salman Atif, Mila Koeva and Abdul Waheed
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Muhammad Sheraz Ahsan: Institute of Geographical Information Systems, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Ejaz Hussain: Institute of Geographical Information Systems, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Zahir Ali: National Centre for Remote Sensing and GIS, Institute of Space Technology, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Jaap Zevenbergen: Faculty of Geoinformation and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, 7522 NH Enschede, The Netherlands
Salman Atif: Institute of Geographical Information Systems, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Mila Koeva: Faculty of Geoinformation and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, 7522 NH Enschede, The Netherlands
Abdul Waheed: Institute of Geographical Information Systems, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-27

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.

Keywords: Board of Revenue Pakistan; UN FELA; deed registration; stakeholders’ opinion; urban cadastre; allotment system; UN GGIM; urban land record; real estate; LRMIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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