ABSTRACT
Public value capture is currently discussed in many countries due to the precarious financial situation of their municipalities. It is an essential method of responsible land management to improve the refinancing of public infrastructure to keep the necessary budget for important duties like education and healthcare. The following chapter gives a direction for a discussion about possible tools and the corresponding changes of legislation, if necessary. Generally, we can distinguish direct and indirect models for the absorption of the surplus value of developed land. The indirect models are based upon real estate taxes, while the direct models contain mandatory or voluntary proceedings to use the surplus value to refinance directly the costs of development.
In Africa, the public control of building rights and land uses should be preferred instead of public ownership of land, if the public authorities do not have the financial means for buying the land.
A key factor for the success of indirect models is the improvement of tax collection.
Major obstacles are missing legal requirements, deficient planning, unregulated population development, and deficient tax collection. However, changing minds is possible by increasing knowledge of public value capture, as well as implementation of a proper management system.
