Land Value Capture for Social Benefits: Comparing Toronto and São Paulo

Land value capture (LVC) is popular around the world as a way to pay for public infrastructure. LVCs can also be used for social benefits. IMFG Post-Doctoral Fellow Abigail Friendly compared the use of LVC in two cities –  São Paulo and Toronto – with a focus on acquiring local benefits and services such as park improvements, childcare and recreational facilities, and social housing. São Paulo’s outorga onerosa do direito de construir (OODC) is a bureaucratized approach, compared to the politicized process in Toronto’s Section 37 legislation. These contrasting policies offer an opportunity to think about how to improve the experience in both places.