An Evaluation of Shortfalls in Managing Public Urban Lands in Developing Countries: A study of Burundi

Abstract

Public urban land management has been a challenge in developing countries despite efforts engaged by governments and development partners. Taking Burundi's case study, this paper identified shortfalls observed in public urban land management for developing countries. A qualitative research approach in data collection and analysis was applied. The desk review of different reports and policy documents was used and interviews with local leaders and influential people were conducted in the case study to collect participants' views and perceptions. Furthermore, a Key Informants Interview (KII) with high-rank authorities was prepared to confirm the interview and desk review findings. Then, data were analysed through the content analysis technique. The findings revealed that four shortfalls in public urban lands management include the legacies of colonialism in ownership of and access to land and politicisation of land management; the existence of a hidden hand in all land deals; laissez-faire in land management by top leaders to create a chaotic situation in land management; and lack of partnership between public and private partners in land management. The paper recommends that the Government of Burundi collaborate with stakeholders to afford the application of new approaches and technologies in public urban lands management.