Land Tenure in Urban Environments

The pace of urbanization and the number of people living in urban settings has increased exponentially over the course of the past century, with more than half of the world’s population now living in urban areas. This brief examines key issues in land tenure and property rights that will likely be confronted by USAID’s growing urban portfolio. Secure land tenure and property rights are the gateway to achieving many of USAID’s development goals in urban areas.