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Presentation on use of fiscal value of Unlocking the Fiscal Value of Urban Land:  Asset-Based Infrastructure Finances

Date: 29 January 2009

NIUA, New Delhi

Ms. Patricia Clarke Annez Urban Advisor, World Bank made a  presentation on,  Unlocking the Fiscal Value of Urban Land: Asset-Based Infrastructure  Finance at NIUA on January 29, 2009.

She said that land has been long  used as a  financing source for infrastructure in re-building of Paris under  Napoleon III,  trans-continental Railroads in US and New York City in 19th Century.  

Focus of her presentation was on land financing as implemented in  developed and  developing countries. She added that types of transactions can be in  terms of  benefit (value) capture, impact fees (cost recovery) and land asset  sales and  leasing.

She illustrated the transactions through examples from  Istanbul  (Turkey), Cairo (Egypt), Bangalore (India), Cape Town (South Africa) and  Bahir  Dar (Amhara). Several issues related with use of land for  infrastructure  financing are transaction risks, impacts of institutional  fragmentation, and  discipline in use of proceeds. For managing these risks, it is crucial  to go  for open and competitive bidding in transactions, ensuring resources are  spent  for priority infrastructure improvements, public land  inventories and  disposition strategies to ensure efficient balance sheet  restructuring, and  underpinning use of land transactions with sound land management  policies to  ensure efficient infrastructure expansion.

The meeting was chaired by Dr.  Isher  Ahluwalia, Chairperson, HPEC and attended by over 50 participants from  NIUA,  NIPFP, ICRIER, TNUDF, IPE, etc. There was extensive interaction  of the  participants with the resource persons.  

The meeting ended with thanks to the Chair and participants. For  more  information on related research work supported by PPIAF and the World  Bank,  please see http://www.ppiaf.org/documents/40-Unlocking_Land_Values.pdf