Looking for innovation - Trajectories of land transaction and readjustment in West Africa

Transition in land use rights and tenure structures from agricultural to urban land constitutes the basis of urban growth in West African cities. A multitude of highly adapted forms of land transaction and readjustment have emerged to facilitate this transition. While these provide access to housing for the middle class as well as poor households, their complexity presents challenges to planning for sustainable urban development. We argue for a new perspective to better understand the various forms of land transaction and readjustment, one that bridges normative frameworks. Drawing on the concept of Ordinary Cities, we perceive these forms as innovations, both within and across cities. Specifically, we use the concept to analyze processes in the municipalities of AbomeyCalavi (Benin) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Through a qualitative approach, local cases of land transaction and readjustment are analyzed. Five trajectories of land delivery are identified that combine statutory and customary land use rights along with formal planning processes and informal practices. We then discuss practical issues in the analysis of planning systems. As well as providing a holistic view, this opens up the possibility of transnational learning across the Global South and North.