Geoffrey Payne and Associates (GPA) was established in 1995 and has since undertaken consultancy, training and research assignments throughout the world. Clients include national governments, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), UN-HABITAT, SIDA, the World Bank, Cities Alliance and various NGOs and universities. A range of materials, from books, articles, media packs and documentary films have been produced and can be found under the publications link.
The main focus of GPA activities is to improve options for the urban poor in developing countries to obtain access to land, housing, services and credit on terms appropriate and affordable to the poor. Climate change and non-renewable resources are presenting even affluent societies with major challenges. For the 1 billion people presently living in slums and informal settlements around the world, and UN projections that this will double to 2 billion by 2030 unless radical action is taken, the challenge is even greater. The aim of GPA is to contribute to addressing this challenge.
Recent and current activities include:
- Evaluations of land titling programmes.
- Innovative approaches to improving tenure security for the urban poor.
- Reviews of regulatory guidelines for affordable legal shelter.
- Public-private partnerships in land for housing and innovative approaches to the provision of secure tenure for the urban poor.
- Participatory urban development projects in Lesotho, Cuba and elsewhere.
- Contributing to the Development From Disasters Network (DFDN).
- Contributing to the work of the Building and Social Housing Foundation.