Land Journal: January–February 2020

Land value and land value capture are moving up the sector’s agenda – and are the main talking points of this international issue, our first for 2020.

Far from home in Guyana, UK surveyors worked on a development project for many months in an environment where health and safety took on extra significance, and where traditional surveying methods were sometimes more useful than the latest technology.

Turning its attention to the USA, the issue looks at the links between governance, valuation and geospatial techniques in the context of smart cities. Across in Europe, another piece looks at urban expansion in Spain – a process managed by land readjustment – and argues that we can learn from this complex but egalitarian system of allocating rights and responsibilities to get development and infrastructure up and running.

In Kolkata, meanwhile, the charity Addressing the Unaddressed is offering a brighter future for slum dwellers by allocating them postal addresses. Far more than just a street name and number, an address offers opportunities for people’s health, education and welfare.

Rapid urbanisation is not unique to India, and thinking about the growth of cities around the world is at the heart of the UN report on worldwide sand and aggregate consumption. Surveyors can help by supporting better planning and more sustainable use of finite mineral resources as we construct our future.

RICS professionals around the world also have a key role to play in preventing the failure of tailings dams, which are used to store mining waste, with a combination of new technology, guidance and robust systems.

Coming back to the UK, other articles look at what can be done about equipment theft in the surveying profession, and explain how digital twins can boost the national economy.

As ever there are plenty more topics of discussion, so do have a look through the journal. We always welcome your feedback, and if you’re involved in any interesting projects that you would like us to cover, please drop me a line.

Email Sian