6th International Land Management Conference, 17-18 March 2027
Land and Cities
Conference Themes
The 2027 6th International Land Management Conference will examine how land management can help cities and areas around cities to grow, adapt and become more inclusive while building public trust. Across the three themes, contributions should consider whose financial, social, cultural and environmental values shape land decisions, and who benefits from them. The conference will look beyond land markets that primarily serve private development to explore public value and equity. It will also ask how integrity, transparency and action against corruption in land administration can strengthen confidence in public institutions and deliver fairer outcomes.
Theme 1 – Balancing competing interests in land development
In this topic we explore how can landholders, commercial and public sectors share the benefits from the uplift in land values generated by formal development. In some countries, the uplift in values can be substantial, especially in areas where land is held without formal tenure or rights. Many options for sharing the uplift in values exist. At the conference we will seek to understand which are the most effective and what are their strengths and limitations.
Theme 2 – Climate adaptation and resilience in cities
In this topic we explore to what extent can land management evolve as cities adapt to climate risk such as floods, heat and coastal risks while building public trust. This theme considers how risk management solutions impact on use, tenure and value of land, urban waters, green spaces and vulnerable neighbourhoods, including informal settlements. Contributions could examine who benefits from reduced risk, whose land or livelihoods may be affected by relocation, and how communities participate in those decisions. They could also consider how cities finance adaptation and public space, account for social and environmental value, and make land decisions transparently and with integrity.
Theme 3 – Data and technologies for managing growing and changing cities
In this theme we explore how data, digital technologies and spatial information can support more effective, transparent and inclusive urban planning and land management as cities grow and change. This theme considers how tools such as geomatics, Earth observation, digital twins and spatial mapping can inform planning decisions, support the enforcement of development regulations, and help protect cultural heritage and environmental assets. Contributions could examine how spatial data and valuation methods can guide decisions on urban growth, densification and urban development, balancing development pressures with planned and sustainable land uses. They could also consider how evidence on environmental, cultural and social values can be integrated into decision-making, and how the use of data and technology can strengthen accountability, improve governance and support more resilient and liveable cities.
Online Format
This year we are going back to the usual fully on-line format. Joining details will be shared in early March 2027.
Abstract Submission
6th International Land Management Conference – Abstract submission – Fill in form
The deadline for abstract submission is 3 January 2027.
By mid January 2027 we will let you know if your abstract has been accepted. We will expect you to submit an extended abstract of 1,000-1,500 words by 28 February 2027.
Registration
6th International Land Management Conference – Registration – Fill in form
The conference attendance is free.
Conference Agenda
Will be available in early March 2027.
Book of Abstracts
Will be available after the conference.
Presentations and Recordings
Will be available after the conference.
Organizing Committee
Prof. Jessica Lamond
Professor in Real Estate and Climate Risk, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Jessica is currently Professor in Real Estate and Climate Risk at the University of the West of England and co-Director of the centre for Architecture and Built Environment at UWE, Bristol. Her research interests include the fields of flood and climate risk management, real estate, land and property valuation and land management and she has recently led projects for a wide variety of funders including EPSRC, DFID, Defra, RICS and Flood Re. Jessica led the land planning and management of the DFID funded Urbanisation Research Nigeria research programme which spanned land planning and registration, climate resilience, municipal service delivery and valuation of urban development. At LINK Jessica is responsible for the Research stream. If you are interested, please e-mail jessica.lamond@uwe.ac.uk, visit Jessica’s UWE page or visit our Research page.
Dr Robin Bloch
Urban Development and Planning Specialist, Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Robin Bloch is an urban planner who specialises in spatial and land use planning and management at all territorial scales, in local economic and industrial development, and in environmental management, sustainability and urban resilience, with emphasis on flood risk management. He has a 35-year planning career with experience from over 30 countries across four continents, leading diverse teams for the majority of multilateral and bilateral development partners. These teams have worked with a wide range of counterparts and stakeholders at municipal, regional and national government levels, as well as those within the private and community sectors. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Dr Grazyna Wiejak-Roy
Associate Professor in Urban Economics and Real Estate, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Grazyna is an Associate Professor in Urban Economics and Real Estate at the School of Architecture and Environment at the University of the West of England. Her research is on investment strategies, transaction risk, real estate market idiosyncrasies and land management. She carries nearly 20 years of experience in real estate consultancy gained at EY, PwC, and KPMG in the UK, Europe and Australia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Valuation Surveyor, RICS assessor, member of the UK South West Regional Board and past member of RICS governing bodies in Poland and Australia, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Vice-President Europe of CASLE and Trustee of Aubrey Barker Fund. She holds PhD in Real Estate, MA in Economics, MSc in Property Appraisal and Management and PGCert in Academic Practice. At LINK Grazyna is responsible for the Education and Professional Development stream. If you are interested, please e-mail grazyna.wiejak-roy@uwe.ac.uk or visit our Education Page.
James Kavanagh
Director of Land and Resources, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
James, MRICS C.Geog is a Chartered Surveyor & Chartered Geographer. James is head of Land & Resources with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. James is chair of the International Land Standard (ILMS) Coalition, Secretary General of CASLE (Commonwealth Association of Surveyors and Land Economists) and vice chair of FIG Commission 9. James is working on further research, insight, and standards on issues of valuation within informal settlements, on customary land issues, land acquisition and compensation, and the process of land and property rights formalisation.
Esther Obaikol
Land Governance Advisor, Land Facility Decision Support Unit
A Ugandan lawyer with over thirty years of accumulated work experience in with twenty years in leadership positions at national, regional, and global levels. Esther has close to thirty experience in land governance, over twenty years in piloting innovations in gender, land, and tenure security, close to twenty years’ experience in organizational development & management, partnership, and network building; and over five years’ experience in environmental governance focusing on legal and social research, monitoring and evaluation, and policy advocacy. Esther currently works as the Deputy Team Leader/Gender and Institutional reform Specialist for Land Equity International’s Land and Gender Project in Maseru Lesotho as well as the Gender and Land Lead in the FCDO’s Decision Support Unit to the Land Facility.
Geoffrey Payne
Geoffrey Payne & Associates, UK
Geoffrey Payne is a housing and urban development consultant with five decades of experience covering all regions of the world. After an academic career between 1970-95, he founded Geoffrey Payne and Associates (GPA) in 1995 and has since undertaken research and consultancy assignments on housing policy, land management and property rights for the UK government, World Bank, UN and EU development agencies and academic institutions, published widely and contributed to numerous international conferences. GPA has focused throughout on improving land tenure and property rights for the urban poor. He drafted the 2004 UN-Habitat report ‘Urban Land for All’ and is the co-author of the 2019 UN-Habitat report ‘The Role of Land in Achieving Adequate and Affordable Housing and his latest book is ‘Somewhere to Live: Rising to the global urban land and housing challenge’ Practical Action Publishing, 2022.
Prof. Chryssy Potsiou
Professor , National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Dr Chryssy Potsiou is a Professor teaching Cadastre and Land Management, Property Valuation, and BIM at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Having served the International Federation of Surveyors as Commission Chair(2007-2019), Vice President (2011-2014), and President (2015-2018), she is now an Honorary President of the organization. Until recently she has been a bureau member of UNECE/Working Party on Land Administration and UNECEWPLA Vice-Chair. She cooperated as a consultant with the World Bank and the Norwegian Mapping Agency for the compilation of research on Land Administration and on the formalization of informal settlements in the UNECE region. She served as a member of the board of directors at the Hellenic Mapping and Cadastre Organization and the agency responsible for the implementation of the Hellenic Cadastre, Hellenic Association of Rural and Surveying Engineers, and the Hellenic Societies for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and for Geographic Information Systems. She currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the UN GGIM Academic Network (2023-2024). To learn more about Chryssy see: : http://users.ntua.gr/cpotsiou/
Shantanu Raut
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow, University of Bologna, Italy
Shantanu Raut is an urban development professional from India and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow at the University of Bologna, Italy. He has a background in architecture and international cooperation in urban development. His work spans housing, land governance, and the energy transition, with professional and research experience across Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has contributed to international development projects addressing urban land markets, land tenure, housing, and urban planning, including work associated with the World Bank, UN-Habitat, and GIZ. His current doctoral research focuses on energy renovation in the European housing sector, examining how financial, institutional, technical, and behavioural barriers shape renovation decisions and implementation in multi-unit housing. He is particularly interested in user-centered approaches that connect collective decision-making, affordability, and equitable urban transitions.
