Enabling Good Housing Policies Informed by Evidence-Based Research

Regional Forum on Adequate Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean

Jane Katz and Cesar Bouillon September, 2012

The housing policy environment is the set of government interventions that have a critical and measurable effect on the performance of the housing sector. Shlomo Angel, Housing Policy Matters

What is GHI?
An extensive excel-based assessment tool Provides a holistic approach to assessing the five major pillars of housing policy Uses a standardized methodology to compare cities across the globe Implemented by local consultants

How is GHI used?

To inform and influence government officials Provide city-specific analysis of housing policy Analyze and compare the policy environment across topics, countries, cities, regions Equip advocates and the public with factual research & data

Where is GHI?
Latin America & Caribbean
Tegucigalpa, Honduras Santiago, Chile Mexico City, Mexico Recife, Brazil Kingston, Jamaica Buenos Aires, Argentina Cochabamba, Bolivia Bogota, Colombia

Africa & Middle East

Kampala, Uganda Maputo, Mozambique Abidjan, Ivory Coast Beirut, Lebanon Amman, Jordan Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Europe & Central Asia

Yerevan, Armenia Budapest, Hungary Skopje, Macedonia Kyiv, Ukraine

Asia-Pacific
Muntinlupa, Philippines Dhaka, Bangladesh Jakarta, Indonesia Tarlac, Philippines Kathmandu, Nepal

How is GHI organized?

How is GHI organized?

Question P1 Barriers to land ownership are removed. Score 1.00 The Jamaica Constitution guarantees property rights and women in Jamaica can legally own and inherit land. Source: For the following six questions, please USAID Country Profile: Property Rights and Resource consult a person familiar with property law. Governance available at http://usaidlandtenure.net Women in Jamaica can inherit land from parents and Please indicate whether this includes husband. Jamaican law provides the surviving wife with the inheritance from parents, husband, or both right to inheritance - Section 6 of the Family Property (Rights in the comment section. of Spouses) Act. Section 10 of the Family Property (Rights of Spouses) Act permits spouses (married and unmarried) to enter into If the answer is yes, please comment agreements which affect the current and future ownership whether this occurs in practice. and division of property. Approximately 30% of land in Jamaica is held in "family land", a form of freehold tenure where rights are jointly shared among an entire kinship group. Rights in family land are informal. Because family land is jointly owned the land is difficult to register, which can be a problem for households seeking to finance home construction, including those applying for government housing programs that require proof of land ownership. Source: see P1.1 There are no restrictions on foreigners owning land in Jamaica. Individuals and entities can lease land for residential use. Lease terms vary in length, but the maximum period for lease of state land is 49 years. This primarily occurs on agricultural land. Source: see P1.1 Instructions Comments P1.1 Can women legally own or inherit land? (Yes=1/No=0) 1

P1.2

In practice, do women own or inherit land? (Yes=1/No=0)

P1.3

Can land be jointly owned by husband and wife? (Yes=1/No=0)

P1.4

Does the law recognize the customary or tribal land rights of indigenous people? (Yes=1/No=0 or 100 if no indigenous people) Are immigrants, refugees and non-citizens allowed to own land? (Yes=1/No=0)

P1.5

P1.6

Is it common for residents to hold land through a long-term lease? (Yes=1/No=0) All residential land has registered titles

If yes, please describe in comments section. If the answer is no, please indicate whether this constitutes a large portion of the population. Please describe the method of holding land in the comment section - i.e. is land owned collectively, is land leased short or long-term, or can be owned individually?

Property Rights
Regulations Property Rights

Estimated percentage properties in the metropolitan areas that have titles properly registered (%)

Infrastructure

Finance

Subsidies

Is there an operating national program to register property titles?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

How GHI Influences Policy

Indicators Working Group
World Urban Campaign

World Urban Forum

LAC Regional Housing Forum September 2012 Housing Research and Advocacy

www.GlobalHousingIndicators.org
A one-stop portal for data, discussions, debates, and dissemination. Provides resources for housing policy advocates and researchers across the globe. Launched with IDB and the WUC in June 2012.

Need to harmonize the universe of chaotic Data

1. Housing indicators and the working group 2. Expanding universe of data 3. Persistent gaps in connectivity and access 4. A platform and your collaboration

Working group members to date

For more information on the GHI, please contact: Jane Katz Jkatz@Habitat.org
For more information on the GHI, Latin America and the Caribbean Region, please contact: Maria Luisa Zanelli Mzanelli@Habitat.org

IDB Work: Combine Household survey data with city data on prices and regulations

Cesar Patricio Bouillon Buendia CESARB@iadb.org