| Abstract: | Land pooling/readjustment (LP/R) is a technique for managing the planned development of urban-fringe lands, whereby a government agency consolidates a selected group of land parcels and then designs, services and subdivides them into a layout of streets, open spaces and serviced building plots, with the sale of some of the plots for cost recovery and the distribution of the remaining plots back to the landowners to develop or to sell for development. Widely used in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, LP/R is being adopted in Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia. The community benefits that the technique can provide in the Thailand situation of weak urban land-use controls and inadequate provision of urban network infrastructure are outlined. The landowner benefits the technique can provide that make it a fully acceptable and feasible technique are identified. Pilot LP/R projects should be undertaken to demonstrate and learn the technique in the Thai context. A draft scheme for one such project, to install distributor roads and utility lines in advance of private land development, is outlined. These pilot projects would also provide the local experience for designing a law, administration and procedures for the wide use of LP/R in Thailand. The main elements of such a national LP/R system are outlined. A similar approach is recommended for the adoption of LP/R by the other developing countries of Asia. |
