Land tenure and upgrading informal settlements in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract

It is estimated that 35% of South Asia's urban population reside in slums. Solving the challenges that South Asian slums pose will mean revising how land is managed and adopting ways of supporting tenure security short of wholesale land reform. This research from Colombo, Sri Lanka reinforces the value placed on tenure security and the importance of functional land markets. Residents in low-income settlements understand clearly the implications of tenure for their future well-being. Existing laws, such as the Condominium Law of 2003 can be used to improve service provision in settlements, which is not currently happening. For development gains to be made in urban Sri Lanka, the government should continue to emphasize de facto property rights and avoid the expense of full titling programmes wherever possible. Longer term, a metropolitan authority that groups all five municipalities would help to facilitate revenue collection and land management.

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