Property Rights, Land Values and Urban Development

Li Tian, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

• Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Nature of Land Rent and Land Value Capture 3. Studying Betterment and Compensation from the Perspective of Property Rights 4. Assessing and Addressing Betterment and Compensation: International Experiences 5. Urban Land Reform and the Evolution of Land Market in China 6. Betterment and Compensation Schemes under the LURs System 7. Assessing and Addressing Betterment and Compensation in Guangzhou: Empirical Evidence 8. Institutional Evolution in the Land Market of Guangzhou 9. Conclusions Bibliography Index

‘The Chinese leadership anticipates that one hundred million people will move from rural areas to China’s cities between 2014 and 2020 - perhaps the greatest migration in human history. Property ownership and use rights, compensation for when rural land is taken for urban development, and who should receive the increment in value (betterment) are among the most contentious policy issues facing China today. Property rights in China vary from place to place, are often ambiguous, and are changing rapidly. In this remarkable book Tongji University professor Li Tian provides a comprehensive description of China’s property rights, betterment, and compensation landscape. Tian reviews Western property rights, betterment and compensation theory and practice and offers her own synthesis and policy recommendations. This is a must-read book for land economists, urban planners, policy makers, and anyone interested in China’s development.’