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Decisions over tenure – who gets access to land, fisheries, and forests, for how long, and under what conditions – have important implications for people’s livelihoods. Spatial planning procedures can have a considerable impact on the legitimate tenure rights of the respective rights holders and, in the long term, can affect livelihoods.

This technical guide on regulated spatial planning and tenure acknowledges this link and provides guidance on the importance of recognizing legitimate tenure rights in spatial planning processes. Strengthening civic spaces in spatial planning processes focuses on the practical challenges of implementing spatial planning objectives and considering peoples’ tenure over land, fisheries, and forests. Given the focus on vulnerable and marginalized communities in the Guidelines, a human-rights based approach to spatial planning is required which sees individuals and communities as rights holders, and the state as a duty bearer that has committed to uphold human rights. Access to information, meaningful participation, accountability, and access to justice are essential elements in a human rights-based approach to spatial planning and are pivotal for spatial planning processes that are in line with the principles of the Guidelines. Therefore, the strategies presented in this technical guide seek to strengthen these elements.

See here more Governance of tenure technical guides