Tenure security, home improvement and access to basic services: Does property titling matter? Evidence from informal settlements in Lahore

This multiple-case study looks at perceived tenure security in three informal settlements in Lahore and the effects of provincial government-driven tenure regularization program on perceived tenure security. It investigates the constituents of tenure security in the three settlements and the links between tenure security, home improvement, access to basic services and residents' capacity to utilize the economic benefits of their homes. Evidence suggests that tenure security is based on several factors that work in tandem, such as the historical evolution of the settlement, the presence of a de facto leader, and the presence of basic services. Tenure security, however, is not clearly related to the timing of home improvements, nor to whether residents are able to realize the economic value of their home. The economic means residents have available and the socio-political and spatial attributes of the settlement in which they live, are more important determinants of the economic benefits of property titling in these cases.