Developing cadastres to service complex property markets

SUMMARY Emerging demands on cadastral design suggest that cadastres as a functional component of land administration are being redesigned to respond to initiatives in technology, government needs and social drivers. The movements in the property market are demonstrating the need to take into account complex commodities. The surge in regulatory requirements affecting land use and building is part of the move to legalise almost all aspects of human behaviour but pose special problems for land administration. How cadastres respond to the multiplicity of regulatory interventions is an open question. This paper considers these issues in the context of building cadastral models. Four case studies are used to illustrate these issues.