Guiding public policy in gray spaces: A meta-study on land ownership conflicts (1987–2022)

The rapid urbanization in the 21st century has led to the growth and expansion of cities, especially metropolises, resulting in increased demand for land and housing. This process often gives rise to informal or unplanned tenure patterns, commonly referred to as gray spaces. These transformations create the potential for conflicts over land ownership in cities, particularly in these gray areas, which are often complex and lead to diverse approaches, resulting in inconsistent development of urban spaces. Despite numerous studies on land tenure approaches, a significant gap persists in understanding and interpreting conflicts in these urban spaces. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the underlying issues related to land tenure and ownership patterns in gray spaces. The findings reveal that the conflict pattern in gray spaces has three dimensions: (1) land governance, (2) the pattern of real estate tenure and ownership, and (3) the pattern of land and housing supply and demand. Furthermore, based on the number of studies, conflicts in gray spaces can be categorized into four main groups: interest conflicts (28 %), power relation conflicts (51 %), legal framework conflicts (16 %), and normative conflicts (5 %). Considering these factors, it becomes evident that comprehensively explaining conflicts in gray spaces from various perspectives is crucial for achieving planned and guided urban development.