Paul B Akaabre

Paul is a UBC Graduate Student Ambassador and PhD. Student. He has a B.Sc. Planning from the University for Development Studies and an M.Phil. Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Prior to his UBC journey, he was an instructor at the Department of Planning of the University for Development Studies and a scholar of the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)—established by the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) in cooperation with the African Union, World Bank, Germany (DAAD, BMZ & GIZ) and other partners to strengthen land governance and policies in Africa. His training and/or scholarship is situated in Development Planning and Management, with particular interest in: (i) Land-Use Planning, Land Governance, and Property Rights; (ii) Urban Planning and Sustainable Cities [Informal,Smart, Vertical, Global and Eco-Cities]; (iii) Urban Inequality and Spatial Justice [including Urban Poverty, Livelihoods and Food Security]; (iv) Project Planning & Management [Appraisal, Design, Monitoring and Evaluation]; and (v) Climate Change/Disaster related Planning and Management. He believes that governments and international organizations need to dedicate urban planning to strengthening human/property rights in cities instead of maximizing profit. This is based on the premise that property rights and tenure security are essential elements in building resilience and addressing urban inequalities (and/or economic insecurity): if the governing structure is potent and people enjoy secure land tenure and property rights, they are more likely to plan ahead and invest in housing and resilience measures. Besides, to realize the SDGs, rights to land, housing, and tenure in cities have to be ensured. Hence, his doctoral dissertation aims to strengthen urban land governance, tenure security and property rights by examining the efficacy of traditional leasehold models and practices in the urban area—and how they influence housing investment and delivery in terms of supply, quality, affordability, and the potential for redevelopment.