Paul B Akaabre

Paul is a Graduate Student Ambassador and PhD. Candidate in the School of Community and Regional Planning. He holds B.Sc. Planning and M.Phil. Planning degrees from Ghana, with specialization in Development Planning . 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 World Bank, African Union, Germany (DAAD, BMZ & GIZ) and other partners to strengthen land governance and policies in Africa. His research and/or scholarship is situated in "Sustainable Development Planning" with particular interest in: (i) Land-Use and Spatial Development Planning, Property Rights, and Housing (Re)development [within Institutional Economics], (ii) Smart, Just and Sustainable City Planning [including Informal, Vertical, Global and Eco-Cities]; (iii) Urban Inequality and Spatial Justice [including Urban Poverty, Livelihoods and Food Security]; (iv) Urban Development and Climate-induced Disaster Planning; (v) Project Planning and Implementation Management [i.e., Appraisal, Design, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Developmental Projects]. His approach to research involves mixed-methods and field randomized control/quasi experimental designs, drawing from pragmatism and transformative paradigms. He believes that governments and organizations need to dedicate "Urban Planning" to strengthening human and 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 socioeconomic insecurity in cities): i.e., 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 resilience measures (including housing). Besides, to realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals, rights to land, housing, and tenure security in cities have to be ensured. Hence, his doctoral dissertation aims to strengthen urban land governance, tenure security and property rights in developing countries by [employing field experimental design to] examining the efficacy of traditional leasehold models and practices [on land] in the urban area—and how they may be influencing housing investment and delivery [in terms of supply, quality, affordability, and the potential for redevelopment].