The purpose of this research was to theoretically and empirically explore the success factors in cadastral parcel boundary settlements. Our focus was to study the role of landowners in boundary settlements and dispute management. The issue of landowners’ involvement is highly topical and complex, as the number of disputes stemming from indeterminate landowners’ roles in managing cadastral boundaries and indeterminate roles of the land surveyor as the mediator are considerable. These disputes can be a heavy burden for the country and society as a whole. Our basic research question was very widely set so that the model of success factors of boundary settlements following land cadastre data would go beyond the geodetic and legal framework and would also cover socio-psychological factors. In the literature, this topic is still not addressed, although there are several scientific questions related to it, the focus being on the integration of sociological and psychological factors into the field of spatial management. In the empirical part of our research, we focused on the land administration system in Slovenia. Based on the opinions of licenced land surveyors and landowners, which participated in boundary hearings, we found for the case of Slovenia that the success of boundary settlement is, along with engineering and property aspects, also influenced by socio-psychological factors. The following factors were found to be essential: previously marked boundaries, preliminary analysis, clear explanation, surveyor’s expertise and communication skills, neighbourly relations between landowners, (psychological) attachment to the land, etc. Generally, it was found that the land surveyor and the cadastral procedure, particularly boundary hearing, are the most important success factors in boundary settlements, closely followed by the landowner character, while land characteristics (including cadastral data) are the least important. We also found that the land surveyor influences the landowner and how factors related to the landowner reflect upon the success of the boundary hearing. Our research proved that the land surveyor and the landowner are the most influential factors of success in cadastral parcel boundary settlements. Thus, this doctoral thesis introduces new knowledge that will contribute to the ongoing developments of participatory praxis to land boundary settlements.
|
