Vice President Paul van der Molen receives RICS Michael
Barrett Award
London, United Kingdom, 13 December 2006
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Paul van der Molen receives RICS Michael Barrett 2007. |
Paul van der Molen and
Ken Hall FRICS.
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Prof. Paul van der Molen became the tenth recipient of the coveted
RICS Michael Barrett award for excellence in land law, administration
and registration and gave a very well received and in depth presentation to
a packed RICS Great George Street in late December 2006. The RICS Christmas
lecture has seen some very high profile speakers over the years, Prof. Peter Dale FRICS, Prof.
Holger Magel and Prof. Stig Enemark
HonRICS have all graced the stage in recent years. In receiving his solid
silver medal, Prof van der Molen became the first non UK recipient and gave
a wonderfully engaging and global lecture.
Prof. van der Molen presentation aimed to elaborate on the changing
concepts of land tenure and the changing design of land administration
systems, as an attempt to better serve poverty reduction and economic
growth. His presentation gave examples of the often difficult relationship
between indigenous systems of land ownership and property rights and imposed
systems. He also highlighted the real need to achieve land re-distribution
in South Africa and the political consequences of failure to establish land
rights in many developing countries. Lithuania was held up as an exemplar of
progress in the establishment of land rights and coherent
mapping/administrative systems post Soviet Bloc and even North Korea was
held up for examination, a rare insight into a closed society.
Prof. van der Molen's global tour was very much appreciated by the RICS
audience and the traditional festivities concluded in the bar with the full
international RICS geomatics faculty board and FIG delegation in attendance.
Paul van der Molen (56) has a degree in geodesy from Delft University
of Technology (NL). He is currently a director of the Netherlands Cadastre,
Land Registry and Mapping Agency, responsible for Kadaster International. He
is a professor at the International Institute for Geo-information Science
and Earth Observation ITC in Enschede (NL). He acted as a chair of FIG
Commission 7 2002-2006, and has been elected as Vice President if FIG
2007-2008. He acts as a director of the FIG International Bureau of Land
Records and Cadastre OICRF.
James Kavanagh
E-mail:
jkavanagh@rics.org |
