IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v139y2024ics0264837724000176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Algiers master plan, land use and forced relocation: Monitoring change with a spatial decision support system

Author

Listed:
  • Serrai, Sihem Chourouk
  • Djiar, Kahina Amal

Abstract

Over the past two decades, Algerian authorities have made significant investments in the housing sector, leading to substantial changes in Algiers' urban landscape. The implementation of forced housing relocation programs, such as the Program for the Resorption of Precarious Housing (RHP), has been pivotal in transforming Algiers into the first African city without slums, recognized by the United Nations in 2016. However, the selection of receiving sites has presented challenges for the authorities, as the actual implementation deviated from the initial plans outlined in the PDAU master plan. This study focuses on examining the site selection process for relocation in Algiers and delineating the disparities between planned and implemented land mobilization. Using an integrated approach, the analysis targets an in-depth study of the PDAU documents. It draws on a comprehensive data collection process, complemented by interviews with all stakeholders which have been engaged in either in the relocation operations in Algiers or in the elaboration of the PDAU. Furthermore, the study is supported with by a large cartographic overlay of the PDAU investigated sites, which allows a better understanding of the subject. Similar studies conducted worldwide have shown that failures in master planning often result from difficulties in execution and compliance, which are common issues in developing countries. In Algiers, the slow process of land mobilization has compelled authorities to adopt unplanned alternative solutions, making land management a blind spot in the planning practice and hindering the implementation of the PDAU as well as limiting the monitoring of urban expansion and development. Additionally, the study shows that despite attempts to incorporate a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) within the PDAU, its execution was to a large extent clearly ineffective. The paper contends that failures in urban land management and data collection constitute weak links impeding spatial development. This has shed light on deficiencies in the cadastral system in Algiers, with ambiguities in the legal framework of land management. The study also shows that the strict adherence to master plans can be challenging when dealing with relocation operations due to various factors. Addressing these issues is crucial for the elaboration of more effective relocation programs. By learning from the gaps and weaknesses in the selection process and implementing improved strategies, Algerian authorities can optimize the outcomes of relocation projects and promote more sustainable urban development.

Suggested Citation

  • Serrai, Sihem Chourouk & Djiar, Kahina Amal, 2024. "Algiers master plan, land use and forced relocation: Monitoring change with a spatial decision support system," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:139:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000176
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107065
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837724000176
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107065?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mathias Spaliviero & Luc Boerboom & Montserrat Gibert & Giovannni Spaliviero & Manka Bajaj, 2019. "The Spatial Development Framework to facilitate urban management in countries with weak planning systems," International Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3-4), pages 235-254, October.
    2. Jennifer Robinson, 2016. "Comparative Urbanism: New Geographies and Cultures of Theorizing the Urban," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 187-199, January.
    3. Ferretti, Valentina & Montibeller, Gilberto, 2016. "Key challenges and meta-choices in designing and applying multi-criteria spatial decision support systems," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65368, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Susan Parnell & Edgar Pieterse, 2016. "Translational Global Praxis: Rethinking Methods and Modes of African Urban Research," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 236-246, January.
    5. Vincent Roquet & Luciano Bornholdt & Karen Sirker & Jelena Lukic, 2017. "Urban Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 26070.
    6. Mohamed Hocine, 2014. "Impact de la mobilité spatiale sur la durabilité de l'urbanisation au sud de la Méditerranée : cas de l'agglomération algéroise et sa région," Revue d'économie régionale et urbaine, Armand Colin, vol. 0(4), pages 739-762.
    7. Somayeh Ahani & Hashem Dadashpoor, 2021. "Land conflict management measures in peri-urban areas: a meta-synthesis review," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 64(11), pages 1909-1939, July.
    8. Christiane Bohner, 2006. "Decision-support systems for sustainable urban planning," International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 6(1/2), pages 193-205.
    9. Yao Fang & Yu Yuan & Min Yin & Shenglu Zhou & Jihua Xu & Kaidi Liu, 2022. "Site Selection of Affordable Housing in Direct Management Area under Jiangbei’s New District in Nanjing," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, August.
    10. Hadj Ali, Célia & Roy, Damien & Amireche, Louisa & Antoni, Jean-Philipe, 2023. "Development of a Cellular Automata-based model approach for sustainable planning of affordable housing projects: an application case study in Algiers," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    11. Mithat Zeydan & Bülent Bostancı & Burcu Oralhan, 2018. "A New Hybrid Decision Making Approach for Housing Suitability Mapping of an Urban Area," Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-13, October.
    12. Anele Horn, 2019. "The history of urban growth management in South Africa: tracking the origin and current status of urban edge policies in three metropolitan municipalities," Planning Perspectives, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(6), pages 959-977, November.
    13. Yongchun Yang & Deli Zhang & Qingmin Meng & Corrin McCarn, 2015. "Urban Residential Land Use Reconstruction under Dual-Track Mechanism of Market Socialism in China: A Case Study of Chengdu," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(12), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Guan Li & Liping Wang & Cifang Wu & Zhongguo Xu & Yuefei Zhuo & Xiaoqiang Shen, 2022. "Spatial Planning Implementation Effectiveness: Review and Research Prospects," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, August.
    15. Hocine, Mohamed, 2021. "Proposing SMaR²T-ATi, an assessment tool for urban sustainable development and experimentation on Eucalyptus municipal territory, Algiers province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Allen J. Scott, 2022. "The constitution of the city and the critique of critical urban theory," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(6), pages 1105-1129, May.
    2. Å ukasz Stanek, 2022. "Socialist worldmaking: The political economy of urban comparison in the Global Cold War," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1575-1596, June.
    3. Wood, Astrid & Kębłowski, Wojciech & Tuvikene, Tauri, 2020. "Decolonial approaches to urban transport geographies: Introduction to the special issue," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Stefan Ivanov, 2022. "Factors Influencing The Investment Policy Of Resorts On The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast," INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE "CONSTRUCTION ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND REAL PROPERTY", University of Economics - Varna, issue 1, pages 210-219.
    5. Dragomir Stefanov & Maria Dimitrova, 2022. "Study Of Labor Productivity In The Construction Sector In Bulgaria During 2007-2021 Period," INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE "CONSTRUCTION ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND REAL PROPERTY", University of Economics - Varna, issue 1, pages 79-88.
    6. Kevin Ward & Timothy Bunnell, 2021. "Reflections on five years of the Summer Institute in Urban Studies," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(4), pages 863-878, March.
    7. Tom Gillespie, 2020. "The Real Estate Frontier," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 599-616, July.
    8. Mohsen Alizadeh & Esmaeil Alizadeh & Sara Asadollahpour Kotenaee & Himan Shahabi & Amin Beiranvand Pour & Mahdi Panahi & Baharin Bin Ahmad & Lee Saro, 2018. "Social Vulnerability Assessment Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Model for Earthquake Hazard in Tabriz City, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-23, September.
    9. Isabelle Desportes & Dorothea Hilhorst, 2020. "Disaster Governance in Conflict-Affected Authoritarian Contexts: The Cases of Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 343-354.
    10. Michelle A. Ruíz & Yazmin L. Mack-Vergara, 2023. "Resilient and Sustainable Housing Models against Climate Change: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.
    11. Georgios K. Vasios & Andreas Y. Troumbis & Yiannis Zevgolis & Maria N. Hatziantoniou & Marios F. Balis, 2019. "Environmental choices in the era of ecological modernization: siting of common interest facilities as a multi-alternative decision field problem in insular setups," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 49-64, March.
    12. Benedikter Roland & Tsedze William Mensa & Unterkircher Kathrin, 2020. "Africa, Go Green! A New Initiative for the Continent’s Youth to Become Leaders in the Global Environment Needs to Combine Activism with Knowledge, Research and Policy," New Global Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 83-93, April.
    13. Jay Simon, 2020. "Weight Approximation for Spatial Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-18, July.
    14. Tsvetomir Manolov, 2022. "Influence Of The Crises On The Working Capital Of The Construction Companies In Varna Region," INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE "CONSTRUCTION ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND REAL PROPERTY", University of Economics - Varna, issue 1, pages 145-151.
    15. Ferretti, V., 2021. "Framing territorial regeneration decisions: Purpose, perspective and scope," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Murtah Shannon & Kei Otsuki & Annelies Zoomers & Mayke Kaag, 2018. "Sustainable Urbanization on Occupied Land? The Politics of Infrastructure Development and Resettlement in Beira City, Mozambique," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.
    17. Małgorzata Blaszke & Iwona Foryś & Maciej J. Nowak & Bartosz Mickiewicz, 2022. "Selected Characteristics of Municipalities as Determinants of Enactment in Municipal Spatial Plans for Renewable Energy Sources—The Case of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-16, October.
    18. Fox, Sean & Wolf, Levi John, 2022. "What makes a place urban?," SocArXiv qfvry, Center for Open Science.
    19. Murphy James T., 2022. "Urban-economic geographies beyond production: Nairobi’s sociotechnical system and the challenge of generative urbanization," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 66(1), pages 18-35, May.
    20. Aubert, Alice H. & Esculier, Fabien & Lienert, Judit, 2020. "Recommendations for online elicitation of swing weights from citizens in environmental decision-making," Operations Research Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 7(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:139:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.