MAKING IN-CITY RESETTLEMENT POSSIBLE: ADDRESSING LAND CONSTRAINTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

Yan Zhang, Sr. Urban Economist, World BankFolay Eleazar, LGi ConsultantsRuby Haddad, Homeless People’s Federation Philippines Inc.

Land and Poverty ConferenceMarch 24, 2015

ROADMAP

• The Challenge• Magnitude of informal settlers in Metro Manila• Immediate challenges of affordable shelter solutions for Informal Settler Families

(ISFs) living along the waterways• conventional off-city approach failed• In-city faced with “land constraints”

• The Approach• Supply side:

• Demonstrate how Local Government Unit (LGU) can do it, if there is political will

• Support SHFC to change its way of doing business• Demand side:

• City-wide participatory shelter planning and development programing

• Some Initial Results

1990

URBAN GROWTH AND DENSIFICATION OF METRO MANILA

2000 2014

CHALLENGE

• The Shelter Challenge in Metro Manila• 12 million people; 1 in 4 residents is living in slums• 104,000 Informal Settler Families (ISFs), or 5% of the population, live in

hazardous areas, needing to move to safer locations• Conventional off-city approach failed• Aquino Administration’s Oplan Likas Program supporting “people’s plan”:

• In-city relocation faced with “land constraints”

Abandoned off-city relocation site

ISFs living along waterways

ISFs protest against off-city relocation

1. Pasig River (1,434)

5. Maricaban Creek (1,637)

Priority Waterway (No. of ISFs)

7. Estero deSunog Apog

(170)

4. Manggahan Floodway

(2,997)

2. San Juan River (4,217)

6. Estero Tripa de Gallina

(3,887)

8. Estero de Maypajo (1,415)

3. Tullahan River (3,683)

8 PRIORITY WATERWAYS UNDER THE OPLAN LIKAS PROGRAM (P50BN)

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

Supply Side Constraints

• Land information is limited, inaccurate, and fragmented

• Limited actions by Local Government Units (LGUs) to• Maintain active inventories and transfer forfeited properties in their name• Acquire idle lands to support Community Associations in accessing loans for direct

purchase and development of properties

• Restricted planning and design standards that limit the options for affordable housing development

• Limited financing options and lengthy process of loan appraisal by SHFC• Stringent requirements • Reactive rather than proactive

Supply Side Solutions (near- to medium-term)

• LGU Pilot to demonstrate what’s possible within the institutional and policy constraints.

• SHFC changes its way of doing business• Began streamlining procedures for loan evaluations

• Created a new product line for 2-5 story buildings; re-financing

possible

• Began land banking

• Accepting alternative tenure

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

QUEZON CITY – INITIAL FINDINGS Land is available in city!

IDLE LANDS:

• Vacant lots and no payment of RPT for a number of years

• 3,199 parcels covering 240 hectares

• There are adjoining idle parcels for consolidation to 6,000 sq m

FORFEITED LANDS:

• Parcels which have been auctioned for failure to pay RPT

• 1,697 forfeited parcels, 180 hectares

• Requires LGU to effect transfer of properties under its name

VACANT LANDS:

• There are potential areas for land banking

Recommendations

1. Improve Land Administration and Management Systems

• Adopt protocols for land records validation and regular sharing between LGUs, LRA/RoD, DENR and NHA to ensure reliability and up to date land information

• LGUs to strengthen relationships and land data sharing among Departments• LGUs to undertake a rigorous land inventory and share information with

Community Associations/NGOs; participatory land validation process• transfer forfeited properties in their name, • acquire idle lands, consolidate, and support CAs in accessing loans

• SHFC to streamline procedures for loan evaluations by ISF CAs

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

2. Adopt more flexible standards and incorporate spaces for ISF in Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs)

• Issue separate IRR/Law for ISF settlements• Develop ISF settlements within framework of urban development/renewal• Allocate land for ISF in CLUPs; embed in urban development strategy; align

with Zoning Ordinance

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

3. Develop innovative ways to secure tenure rights for ISF• Adopt systematic land and housing tenure improvement programs through

incremental approach; • Adopt interim tenure; strengthen usufruct as option to secure tenure• Pilot innovative ways of providing tenure security (housing coops, CLT, etc.)• Access Government Lands Occupied by ISF:

(i) DENR and LRA/RoD to provide LGUs, inventory and records of government lands (ii) LGUs to conduct inventory of government lands occupied by ISF(iii) LGUs and DENR to issue IRR of Special Patents(iv) Provide funding to implement IRR of Special Patent

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

4. Strengthen capacities of institutions and actors• LGU – on land management; more inclusive urban development strategies;

set up One Stop Shops for socialized housing; land tenure improvement planning and management

• HOAs/CAs – on land administration and management procedures; greater participation in city development and planning; improved access to data of LGUs; community mapping and tenure security improvement strategies; community based assessment of land viability for housing

• NGOs/International Organizations – testing of innovative tenure instruments; bottom up tenure security improvement planning

• NGAs – make records more accessible; streamline procedures

APPROACH: ADDRESSING SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

PARTICIPATORY SHELTER PLANNING

Objective: to address the informal settlement issue at scale by adopting a programmatic and highly participatory shelter planning and development programming approach.

Demand-Side Issues

Supply-Side Issues

Land

Financing

Institutions

ad hoc proposals

Centralized project-based

approach

APPROACH: ADDRESSING DEMAND SIDE CONSTRAINTS

Key Features of Participatory Shelter Planning1. Citywide: Target all informal settlements in the city, not just some

specific settlements, to achieve scale quickly.

2. LGU orchestrated process: Rather than national key shelter agencies implementing each project, LGUs orchestrate the whole process while communities drive the process.

3. Community-driven project planning & implementation: Communities drive the planning and implementation of actual projects, with the help of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and in close collaboration with the LGU.

4. A broad partnership: Develop a platform where multiple stakeholders come together to holistically address the housing problem and beyond.

APPROACH: ADDRESSING DEMAND SIDE CONSTRAINTS

What is to be expected?

1. Updated mapping and basic socio-economic data on all the ISF communities within a city.

2. Inventory of available land with categorization of land ownership.

3. Digitized GIS map that consolidates all the data collected with prioritization managed by LGUs and accessible to public.

4. Updated citywide shelter development plan.

5. Housing projects for priority communities – to be developed in collaboration with Key Shelter Agencies.

APPROACH: ADDRESSING DEMAND SIDE CONSTRAINTS

INITIAL RESULTS

Participatory shelter planning

Participatory city-wide shelter planningIn Muntinlupa

Jointly supported by TAMPEI,HPFPI Muntinlupa City chapter, Muntinlupa Development Foundation

Participatory city-wide shelter planningIn Muntinlupa

Jointly supported by TAMPEI,HPFPI Muntinlupa City chapter, Muntinlupa Development Foundation

538 ISFs along Tullahan RiverBarangay T. De Leon

In-city relocation of 1440 ISFs in Valenzuela

523 ISFs along Tullahan River

389 ISFs from transmission line

Barangay Ugong

Initial Results

Supported by: Kilos Maralita (National Federation of ISF Peoples’ Organization)

Financed by: Social Housing Finance Corporation

Thank You