This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Pamuk, A. Articles by Dowall, D. E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Price of Land for Housing in Trinidad: The Role of Regulatory Constraints and Implications for Affordability

University of Virginia, Campbell Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA, pamuk{at}virginia.edu.

David E. Dowall

University of Virginia, Campbell Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA, dowall{at}ced.berkeley.edu.

Institutional and regulatory environments have a profound impact on land markets and prices. This paper argues that affordability of land and housing ownership in less developed countries is largely affected by cumbersome land transfer processes and an uncertain building permit approval process. It examines the impact of these constraints on land markets and affordability in Trinidad. By using Dowall's land market assessment methodology, the paper examines land price changes and land conversion patterns in the East-West Corridor region of Trinidad between 1989 and 1993. While prices of fully registered and serviced land have remained stable during this period (unlike many cases of 'skyrocketing' land prices reported in the literature), an examination of institutional and regulatory constraints suggests that land prices are likely to increase in the future when demand conditions become more favourable. These constraints have certainly played a significant role in the expansion of unauthorised housing settlements as documented by household survey results.

Urban Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2, 285-299 (1998)
DOI: 10.1080/0042098984989


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?