Urban Land Policy

Why this topic

Urban Land Policy is a very important topic for the instrumentation of spatial plans. ULP focuses on the process that runs from (strategic) acquisition of land and buildings, through redevelopment of sites to completion of new urban areas. The attention for this topic will further increase in the coming years, because in many countries a shift is taking place from traditional approaches to new cooperatives between public and private parties.

Aim / purpose of the working party

Exchange of information on urban land policy in various countries in order to learn from each other.

Target group

Organisations responsible for urban land policy at a national as well as on local and regional levels.

Brief overview of past activities / publications

In 1999, an important standard document was published by the Working Party: Urban Land Policy: Goals and Instruments (by Pekka V. Virtanen and Jan van ‘t Verlaat). This document contains a list of possible targets and instruments of ULP. This report is used as a basis for the development of certain themes or in certain cities / regions. The publication is for sale at the IFHP Secretariat.

Since 1993 meetings took place in:

• Helsinki (1993)
• Madrid (1994)
• Belfast (1995)
• Budapest (1996) -  seminar
• Lisboa (1998)
• Glasgow (1999)
• Ljubljana (2000) - seminar
• Rotterdam (2000)
• Barcelona (2001)
• Tallin (2003) - seminar
• Vienna (2003)
• Istanbul (2005) - seminar
• Krakow (2006) - seminar
• Copenhagen (2007).

Planned and future activities

The intention is to organise a meeting in Vilnius (in 2008 or 2009).

Language

English

Composition of group and how to contact

The Working Group consists of a mailing list of approximately 50 persons in different countries, with a focus on Europe. Contacts:

• Jan van ’t Verlaat (chair): This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Timo Härmälä (secretary): This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please contact the Secretariat for more details.

Last Updated @ Thursday, 13 March 2008