Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 1A Summary of Issues and Recommendations: Kabul has experienced massive population growth since the late 1990s. Between 1999 and 2002 the city's population grew at 15% per year and was estimated at approximately 3 million in 2004. Growth will remain at about 5% (about 3% natural growth plus 2% migration) for the next few years. This represents a yearly increase of about 150,000 people or about 20,000 households that will require access to land and services. The key spatial and visual impact of this growth has been the informal development of land and housing.
Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 2Why and how should Kabul upgrade its informal settlements? Informal settlements shelter about 80% of Kabul's population (2.44 million people), cover 69% of the city's residential land, and represent a fixed private capital investment of US$2.5 billion (not including land value). The size, scale, and contribution to the economy of informal settlements force the policy discussion on the topic to start by accepting the fact that informal settlements are here to stay. This policy note describes and analyzes the role of informal settlements in Kabul and recommends pursuing policies of infrastructure upgrading and regularization of tenure rather than debating whether they should exist.
Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 3Should Kabul grow by expanding to a new town or building up its existing suburbs? Kabul has grown at a rate of approximately 15% per year since 1999 and its projected growth is 5% (2% migrants and 3% natural growth), representing 150,000 new people per year (including 30,000 migrants). This burgeoning growth has raised debates on how to accommodate the city's expansion and also how to develop the existing city In the short term, infill of the existing built-up area could accommodate 300,000 people and in the medium term, development on the east plateau could accommodate an additional 1 million people. In the long term, expansion on the plateau to the north of the mountains is the only feasible alternative for expansion, providing a water source is identified for the area. The city's topography reinforces the centrality of the business district and makes essential transit-related investments such as traffic management measures, a good public transportation system, and a ring road. But equally important to development is the adoption of more innovative tools for planning, including a development plan, expedited land development, and zoning and building regulations based on existing patterns of development.
Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 4What are the sources of conflict in urban land tenure? Formal property disputes in Kabul are numerous, but not as numerous as expected. Most formal conflicts pertain to high value properties on private lands, and it is value rather than volume that gives the conflicts issue a high profile. Nevertheless, the potential for significant conflict remains, and it arises from the insecurity of tenure and fear of bulldozing faced by 2.44 million people in the large and expanding sector of informal settlements. However, insecurity differs depending on the kind of title a settler holds. Settlers on unplanned lands typically have customary deeds, some of which have been regularized or benefit from the “blind eye” of the government. Settlers living on grabbed lands (termed illegal) are the majority; they do not have any titles and are more vulnerable to eviction.
Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 5Will formal documents of title and the courts resolve all land disputes? Land disputes in Kabul vary according to the type and location of property (formal or informal) and the corresponding documentation of title (legal or customary). The formal resolution system based on the Special Land Disputes Court resolves disputes over formal properties, which most often pertain to wealthier individuals and represent a minority of all land holds. However, Kabul has about 2.4 million informal settlers who often resort to informal community-based dispute resolution.
Kabul Urban Policy Notes Series N. 6Conflicts over property rights and resolution of disputes in Kabul: This note presents policy recommendations on mechanisms to address land tenure and land dispute resolution in urban Afghanistan Currently, formal disputes are numerous but they are not as numerous as could be expected. Nevertheless, the potential for significant conflict over property, particularly during a regularization policy, remains mainly due to the chronic insecurity of tenure and corresponding fear of bulldozing endured by Kabul's informal settles. Supporting a pro poor strategy and proceeding to regularization is the most promising way forward. Both formal and informal mechanisms have an essential role to play in land disputes resolution.
Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund
The multilateral Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) was set up in May 2002 to provide support to Afghanistan.
World Bank Program
Website maintained by the World Bank Office in Kabul, a launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in the country (strategy, projects, publications, etc.)
Development Data
A wide range of social and economic measures on Afghanistan, including links to the World Bank's most important online development databases.
Analysis and Research
Compilation of all the World Bank's publications on Afghanistan, with 'search' options and links to analysis and research on other South Asian countries.
World Bank Program in South Asia
Launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
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