Public agencies responsible at central, regional and local level for the management of expanding urban areas in developing economies face a challenge without precedent in human history. Never before have so many people concentrated in such small areas of the planet over such a small period of time – and often with such hopes for a better life. The pressure on scarce financial, technical and human resources is immense and increasing. The central theme of GPA work in this area is to build local capacity for implementing a range of measures from reviewing the regulatory framework within which urban areas are managed to a identifying a range of public-private partnerships in land for housing which can benefit land-owners, local authorities and the poor themselves.

The practice has extensive research and consultancy experience in countries as diverse as Albania, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Lesotho, Macedonia, Maldives, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Turkey. It has also reviewed European Community funded urban projects (with Marie Therese-Manchotte) and contributed sections on urban land development to the European Urban Strategy Paper and the UK Target Strategy Paper 'Meeting the challenge of poverty in urban areas'. Papers on land development have been presented at numerous international conferences and published in academic journals. A number of books have also been published over the last few years. These include:-

‘Land, Rights and Innovation: Improving tenure security for the urban poor’ (G.Payne Ed.) Intermediate Technology Publications, 2002.
‘Urban Projects Manual’ Liverpool University Press, (1983) (co-edited with Forbes Davidson), second edition, 2000. (This drew on the experience of planning new affordable and appropriate urban areas in Ismailia, Egypt).
'Making Common Ground: Public-private partnerships in land' Intermediate Technology Publications, 1999.

(For details of these and other publications and how to obtain copies, see the Publications link in the navigation bar).

2011
Albania – City Development Strategy
Contributing to the preparation of a City Development Strategy for the capital, Tirana.

2010
India – Housing and Urban Development policy workshop
Invited by the World Bank Institute to contribute to a housing and urban development policy workshop hosted by the Government of India.

2009
UK
Called as an expert witness to a session of the inquiry into Cities in Development held during 2009. The report was published in October 2009.

2005
Peru – Review of the regulatory framework
Commissioned by the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank to undertake a review of the regulatory framework relating to urban planning and construction in Lima, Peru. The assignment seeks to identify and remove constraints to inward investment in the Lima economy. It will be undertaken in two stages from 10 April-17 May and 05-30 June.

2004
UK
Commissioned to review the draft 2005 World Bank Development report chapter on Security and Stability.

2003 – 2005
UK
Founder member of the ‘Framework Arrangement for Architectural, Physical Planning and Urban Development Advice’ for the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (IUDD), DFID, coordinated by the Development Planning Unit (DPU), University College London.

2003
USA - World Bank Urban Research Symposium
Invited to present a paper ‘Getting ahead of the game: A twin-track approach to urban development’ to be presented in Washington DC in December.

2003 – 2004
South Africa – Towards developing a Programme of Support on Land Issues in South Africa
Advising the UK Department for International Development (DFID) – South Africa on options for supporting government policy on urban land management in ways which benefit the urban poor.

2001 – 2003
Maldives –Land management, housing and urban development
Team leader of international team and adviser on housing and urban development for World Bank funded project to provide capacity building for the Maldives Housing and Urban Development Board.

2000 - 2004
Bolivia, India, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania and Turkey - Regulatory Guidelines for Affordable Shelter
Research project commissioned by UK Department for International Development (DFID) to review existing barriers to legal shelter by the urban poor and options for removing them.

1998 - 2000
Cuba - Participatory urban development project
Preparing detailed proposals for a socially and economically sustainable urban development and housing project in Matanzas in collaboration with the municipality and the Instituto Superior Politecnico Jose Antonio Echeverria, Havana. The project is funded by the British Government.

2000
DFID Strategy Paper 'Meeting the challenge of urban poverty'
Contributed to the preparation of this paper which forms the basis for UK priorities for reducing global poverty

1998
Lesotho - Lesotho Institution Link project
Advising on the preparation of a participatory urban land development pilot project involving central and local government agencies, local residents and chiefs and the private sector. Sub-consultant to Ordnance Survey International on project funded by the UK government Department for International Development (DFID).

1999
European Union
Contributed section on land policy to the EU Urban Strategy Paper for assistance to developing countries.

1996 - 1999
Public-Private sector partnerships in land for housing
International comparative review for DFID. The project focused on examples in Egypt, India, Pakistan and South Africa with commissioned studies on examples in Bulgaria, Cameroon, Mexico, Thailand, Russia and UK, etc.