The economic growth and development of urban areas are closely linked to their revenue sufficiency and fiscal prospects. This research seminar offers a forum for new academic work on the interaction of these two fields. It provides an opportunity for specialists in each area to become better acquainted with recent developments and to explore their potential implications for synergy.

The National Conference of State Tax Judges meets annually to review recent state tax decisions, consider methods of dealing with complex tax and valuation disputes, and share experiences in case management. This meeting provides an opportunity for judges to hear and question academic experts in law, valuation, finance, and economics, and to exchange views on current legal issues facing tax courts in different states. This year’s program includes sessions on managing self-represented litigants, taxation of Indians and Indian country, and qualitative, quantitative, and sales adjustments in appraisals.

In recent years, vacant land has developed a great influence within the realm of defining land policies. Housing programs require vacant land, yet with the increase in demand and the resulting increase in value of land, these programs become unfeasible. This course, offered in Spanish, aims to present alternatives for vacant land management during the creation of land policies, focusing on housing for low-income populations, on social facilities, on public space, and on large urban projects.

This course presents students with the fundamental concepts and tools of economic theory needed to form a critical analysis of the factors that influence land prices in both formal and informal markets. Students will examine the origins of land prices along with the foundations of urban economics in order to better analyze the effects that the regulation of real-estate markets has on land prices.

The video classes are multimedia treatments of diverse topics related to urban land policy. Developed to support both moderated and self-paced courses of the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean’s distance education, they are also well suited to generate discussion in neighborhood associations, professional associations, public entities and other groups interested in these topics. Videos are presented primarily in Spanish.

In recent years, vacant land has acquired great importance in the definition of land policies. Housing programs need vacant land and an increased demand for its purchase ends up in land value increments that often make programs unfeasible. This course, offered in Spanish, aims to present alternatives for the management of vacant land in the definition of land policies.

In recent years, the idea of vacant land has acquired great importance within the definition land policy. As housing programs require the use of vacant land, the demand for such land grows, resulting in elevated values that often make these programs unfeasible. This course, offered in Spanish, takes a closer look at alternatives for vacant land management in land policy.

Proper alignment of real estate valuation or assessments with its market value is central to achieving equity in the distribution of tax burdens. Understanding valuation methods allows one to maximize skills, minimize limitations, and identify the most appropriate tools and techniques for each case. This course addresses the issues related to mass appraisal of real estate with emphasis on fiscal uses. Elements needed to build a system that can support cadastral appraisals in a fair and efficient way are presented and discussed. Specific requirements: Participants must have knowledge of property valuation methods and mastery of general statistics (measures of central tendency, dispersion analysis, linear regression).

Proper alignment of real estate valuation or assessments with market value is central to achieving equity in the distribution of tax burdens. Understanding valuation methods allows one to maximize skills, minimize the limitations and identify the most appropriate tools and techniques for each case. The course, offered in Spanish, addresses issues related to mass appraisal of real estate, with emphasis on fiscal uses. Material is presented and discussed including the elements necessary to build a system that can support cadastral appraisals in a fair and efficient way.

Specific requirements: Participants must have knowledge of property valuation methods and mastery of general statistics (measures of central tendency, dispersion analysis, linear regression).

This course is especially designed to provide an understanding about current urban issues in Latin American cities and their roots in land and urban policies to a journalism audience. Mass media and journalism professionals have great potential to inform the public regarding cities and their problems as well as influence urban and land policy. The course will cover the fundamentals of land markets (land use and price determination), the nature and limits of property rights in Latin American legislation, and alternative land-based tools for financing urban (re)development. Special attention will be given to new urban planning instruments currently being applied in the region, including value capture, inclusionary zoning, and regularization of informal settlements.