Customary land management systems and urban planning in peri-urban informal settlements

Herman Geyer

Urban Studies, 2025, vol. 62, issue 2, 310-327

Abstract: Customary land management systems are informal, community-driven land-use regulation systems that adapt zoning regulations and customary tenure to cooperatively self-regulate land-use management in multi-ethnic peri-urban settlements. The research uses an integrative literature review to critically re-evaluate the various concepts and practices of customary land management, their impact on the unique morphology of peri-urban areas and their relationship with urban planning. The research results indicate that customary land management systems are intrinsically linked to peri-urban settlements due to their polymorphic spatial structure and complex social groupings. It provides a simplified accessible and affordable land management system with multiple avenues for agency and a balance of power between different authorities. This generates a new set of social relations around neo-customary tenure. Customary land management systems are also linked to urban planning within a dual regulatory structure, combining formal policies and informal customs and providing alternatives for exploitative and exclusionary processes in weak and inefficient states.

Keywords: customary land management systems; informality; peri-urban settlements; urban planning; ä¹ æƒ¯åœŸåœ°ç®¡ç †åˆ¶åº¦; é žæ­£è§„æ€§; åŸŽéƒŠä½ åŒº; 城市规划 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:62:y:2025:i:2:p:310-327

DOI: 10.1177/00420980241253790

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