Addressing the World – an Address for Everyone

Home , House numbering, Joan Clos, Universal Postal Union

Universal Postal Union: “Addressing the World – An Address for Everyone” The white paper for everyone the world– An address Addressing The whiteThe paper First published in 2012 by the International Printed in Switzerland by: Bureau of the Universal Postal Union International Bureau Copyright © Universal Postal Union Universal Postal Union P.O. Box ISBN 978-92-95025-27-1 3000 BERNE 15 SWITZERLAND All rights reserved. Except as otherwise T +41 31 350 31 11 indicated, all intellectual property rights in E [email protected] this publication are owned by the Universal www.upu.int Postal Union. This publication shall not be reproduced in whole or in part or used For copies of this publication, please to make any derivative work without prior contact [email protected] or written authorization from the Universal order through the UPU website. Postal Union. In any case, this authorization shall not extend to materials identified in The Universal Postal Union shall not this publication as being the copyright of a be under any liability to any person or third party. Authorization to reproduce organization in respect of any loss or such third party materials must be obtained damage (including consequential loss from the copyright holders concerned. or damage), however caused, which may be incurred or which arises Publication coordination: directly or indirectly from reliance on Janine Lux and Patricia Vivas information in this publication. UPU Addressing Assistance Unit

Olivier Boussard UPU Executive Office

Editing: David McDonald UPU English Translation Services

Design by artbeat graphic design, Berne, Switzerland

Cover photograph: Didier Ruef

1 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

Table of contents

Part I Part II Study on the social Addressing policy and economic value of address as a nationwide effort infrastructure

Acknowledgments 4 Historical perspective 14 Case study: Tanzania Overcoming obstacles to addressing List of abbreviations 5 Regional trends 20 in Tanzania 44 Foreword 6 Address infrastructure Case study: Denmark as a global public good 22 Preface 7 Improving an addressing infrastructure: Addressing across policy dimensions 28 the Danish experience 50 Executive summary 9 Case study: Republic of Korea Korea’s new addressing system 55 Case study: Costa Rica Addressing and signage in Costa Rica 59 Case study: India The Aadhaar Number: a unique ID project 63

2 photo source: Wikimedia Commons – Merian

Map of Paris, France (1615)

Part III Partners in the initiative

UNESCO World Bank Institute References by section 105 Cooperation towards an open world Addressing the world – the World Message from Irina Bokova, Bank perspective 77 Director-General 68 United Nations Development Programme International Telecommunication Union Legal empowerment: linking Linking physical and electronic addresses addresses, identity, and land and Message from Dr Hamadoun Touré, property rights 86 Secretary-General 69 International Telecommunication Union UN-HABITAT Linkage between virtual and Addresses are critical for people and cities physical addresses 91 Message from Dr Joan Clos, International Organization for Executive Director 70 Standardization African Union Commission Standardization guidelines Ensuring a better quality of life in Africa for national address infrastructures, Message from Dr Elham M. A. Ibrahim, based on ISO 19160, Addressing 94 Commissioner 71 EURADIN Universal Postal Union The European experience 99 The “Addressing the world – An address for everyone” initiative 73

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Acknowledgments

Port Villa, Vanuatu

The UPU graciously thanks the many authors international partners, who have contrib- Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) Legal who contributed to this publication, including uted individual chapters to raise awareness Empowerment of the Poor, the International the UPU’s member countries, UN sister orga- about the challenges caused by the lack of Standards Organization (ISO), particularly nizations and other international partners. We address infrastructure. We thank the United Serena Coetzee, ISO 19160 Project Leader, is also thank our UPU colleagues for their close Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural deeply appreciated. Many thanks go to the collaboration and support. Organization (UNESCO), Director General European Address Forum/ European Addresses First, the UPU would like to recognize Irina Bokova and particularly Abel Caine, Infrastructure, especially to Maria Cabello, the five countries that provided case studies Programme Specialist in the Section for ICT European Projects Director, Chair of European presenting addressing as a nationwide effort. in Education, Science and Culture. The UPU Address Forum, TRACASA, and Andrés Thanks go to the United Republic of Tanzania, appreciates the support of the United Nations Valentín, Secretary of SITNA Coordination Denmark, Costa Rica, the Republic of Korea Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Commission, Secretary of European Address and India. We are grateful to Professor John and Executive Director Dr Joan Clos and his Forum, Government of Navarre. S. Nkoma, Director General of Tanzania’s team, in particular Roman Rollnick, Chief Finally, we would also like to acknowl- Communications Regulatory Authority, and Editor of the Information Services Section. edge the support of the UPU’s Consultative Rehema Makuburi, Director of Postal Affairs. We are also grateful for the contribution Committee. We thank Charles Prescott for Our gratitude extends to Morten Lind, from the International Telecommunication his helpful suggestions and comments on the Senior Adviser at the Danish Enterprise and Union’s (ITU) Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun publication draft. This report also benefited Construction Authority, and Geovanni Campos Touré, Malcolm Johnson, Telecommunication from useful inputs from Joe and Erika Lubenow Arce, Distribution Director of Correos of Costa Standardization Bureau Director, and Reinhard and Alex Pigot. Rica. Thanks also go to the Republic of Korea’s Scholl, Deputy to the Director of the ITU-T Special thanks go to our Special Ambassador, Ministry of Public Administration and Security Secretariat. The UPU also appreciates the sup- Professor Anna Tibaijuka, Tanzania’s Minister (MOPAS), Kyoung-ju Song, Division Director port of the African Union Commission (AUC), of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements of the Address Policy Division, and Jongsin particularly that of Dr Elham M.A. Ibrahim, Development. Go, Officer of the Address Policy Division, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, and Korea Post, particularly Sook-yeon Lee, and Christian Minoungou, Policy Officer for International Business Division, Korea Post. The Postal Sector Development. UPU would also like to recognize the contribu- The collaboration of the World Bank’s tions of Jashobanta Panda, Chief Postmaster Catherine Farvacque-Vitkovic, Programme General. Leader in the Urban Development Practice This publication could not have been of the World Bank Institute, Christina Hajdu, possible without the collaboration of several Policy Specialist, from the United Nations

4 Authors. Ms Colette Maritz and Mr Tobr Tenea

List of abbreviations

Mamelodi, Pretoria, South Africa

AFD French Development Agency GPS Global Positioning System PNVR Permanent National Voters’ Register (Tanzania) AfDB African Development Bank GSM Global System for Mobile Communications PPP Purchasing Power Parity AIMF International Association of Francophone ICT Information and Communication Technology Mayors PSI Public Sector Information INSPIRE Infrastructure for Spatial Information AU African Union in the European Community SDI Spatial Data Infrastructure

AUC African Union Commission IP Internet Protocol STORK Secure Identity Across Borders Linked

BBR Building and Dwelling Register ISO International Organization for SIDA Swedish International Development Agency Standardization BPL Below Poverty Line TCRA Tanzania Communications Regulatory ITS Issue Tracking System Authority CEB United Nations’ Chief Executives Board ITU International Telecommunication Union TOR Terms of Reference CEN European Committee for Standardization KYC Know Your Customer TPC Tanzania Posts Corporation CPR Danish Population Register LBS Location Based Service TVEOM Street System and Waste Tax CROSS SIS Cross Border Spatial Information System with High Added Value LEP Legal Empowerment of the Poor UDP2 Second Urban Development Project (Burkina Faso) CUN Metropolitan Government of Niamey MAE French Ministry of Foreign Affairs UIDAI Unique Identification Authority of India DECA Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority M2M Machine-To-Machine (Communications) UN United Nations EAF European Address Forum MDG Millennium Development Goal UNDP United Nations Development Programme EPOC Tanzanian Electronic and Postal MOPAS Ministry of Public Administration and Security Communications Act (Korea) UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Africa ESR Danish Property Assessment Register MoU Memorandum of Understanding UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and EU European Union NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development Cultural Organization EURADIN European Address Infrastructure NGN Next-Generation Network UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements EUROGI European Umbrella Organisation for NIDA National Identification Authority (Tanzania) Programme Geographic Information OASIS Organization for the Advancement of UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development FAC French Aid and Cooperation Fund Structured Information Standards Organization

FOSS/FLOSS Free/Libre And Open Source Software PAC Urban Development and Decentralization UPU Universal Postal Union Project (Senegal) GINIE Geographic Information Network in Europe WB World Bank PDUD Urban Development and Decentralization GIS Geographic Information System Project (Mali) GNI Gross National Income PIDA Programme for Infrastructure Development GPG Global Public Good in Africa

5 Addressing the world – An address for everyone © Keystone ©

Foreword

Anna Tibaijuka

When the Universal Postal Union (UPU) asked demonstrated unequivocally that it is almost cooperation with several UN organizations and UN-Habitat to participate in its 24th Congress impossible for individuals to be part of society other partners, supports the need for a better held in Geneva in 2008, it was clear to us, without a legal identity, and that establishing understanding of the role that addresses play in as urban planners, and particularly to me as such an identity often depends on having urban development. It may also help to create Executive Director at the time, that we must an official address. They also stressed that legitimacy for change; but more importantly, promote the value of address infrastructure in urban development, economic growth and it provides a focus for intervention. our societies. Our work with urban inhabitants the provision of basic services are inextrica- As the Minister of Lands, Housing and in developing countries that suffer from little or bly linked to the existence of sound address Human Settlements Development in Tanzania, no urban planning and housing, particularly in infrastructure, in urban and rural areas alike. I am particularly concerned about the problems informal settlements, has shown that the lack As a matter of fact, addresses appear to be a inflicted by poor land tenure, deficient housing of an address can also mean the lack of legal key element in aiding the delivery of policies and unsustainable human settlements. As an identity, equal opportunities for employment at national and international levels in support African woman living on the world’s fastest and social integration. of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), urbanizing continent, I am aware that we This century is witnessing a fundamental particularly with regard to governance, rule of need to persuade everyone, from presidents change in our way of life; for the first time law, poverty reduction, disease prevention and to ordinary policy-makers, of the urgency of in history, half of the world’s population lives the provision of basic services such as electricity, urban development issues. For this reason, I in towns and cities. Urban areas are growing sanitation and water. offer my full support to this initiative and I am faster in developing countries, mostly through Having served as a member of various honoured to serve as a special ambassador for informal settlements, and our responsibility commissions and professional associations this initiative. My hope is that the governments as local, national or international leaders is to that deal with the development and improve- of member states and other agencies world- make sure that nobody is left behind in this ment of infrastructures around the world, I am wide will commit themselves to this initiative new urban era. We must do this by supporting convinced that the implementation of address aimed at improving addressing infrastructures, urban development through all possible means infrastructure will result in improved public which in turn supports individual rights and in order to guarantee adequate living condi- services such as sanitation, hygiene and water sustainable cities. tions and poverty reduction. We need new supply coverage, and many more fundamental approaches for urban planning, management, services. Now is the time to act financing and service delivery to ensure that the Today, initiatives such as the UPU’s cities we create are socially inclusive. “Addressing the world – An address for Since the launch of the “Addressing the everyone” help to inform governments of the world – An address for everyone” initiative advantages of investing in a national address- in 2009, the UPU has organized two confer- ing infrastructure for the benefit of all. This Professor Anna Tibaijuka, ences on addressing in 2010 and participated white paper moves the initiative forward Minister of Lands, Housing and Human in a series of events that raised awareness of through an innovative analysis of the value of Settlements Development in Tanzania – Special ambassador to the value of address infrastructure as a key addresses through historical, economic and the “Addressing the world – infrastructure of countries. These activities practical perspectives. This paper, prepared in An address for everyone” initiative

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Preface

Edouard Dayan

What constitutes an address, and what does since 1999, especially in developing countries. (UN-Habitat), recognized in her message to the it mean to have one, or not to have one? Indeed, addressing is a key component of the 2008 UPU Congress. Addresses serve as one of the basic facilitators Union’s activities. However, addressing is not of communication between people, public only about home mail delivery. It goes far service institutions and businesses. Without beyond the postal sector and is essential for Access to services them, it is difficult to reach individuals. It is individuals, governments, the business sector There is no doubt that address infrastructure – difficult for governments and municipalities and international organizations – indeed, for the network of road names and house numbers to deliver public services, and for businesses all of society. – forms an important basis upon which society to operate effectively. can function. The exact benefits of a nation- In most industrialized countries, physical – wide address network are not easy to quantify, and, of course, electronic – addresses are part A basic human right but the value increases dramatically when the of everyday life. Just like roads, running water Today, an address is considered part of a network is considered as an infrastructure and health services, physical addresses are person’s identity, and not only in the UPU that enables access to other services. At the often taken for granted. Yet, in developing environment. According to the United Nations individual level, everyone needs an address to countries, physical addresses frequently exist Development Programme’s Commission on be recognized formally as a member of the only in major city centres. In such countries, the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, 4 billion community, to have access to property, to take many streets have no names and properties people are excluded from the rule of law on the rights and obligations attached to his or are not numbered. It is therefore difficult or because they do not have a legal identity. her social role, and to more easily participate impossible for public services and businesses This lack of identity is often a barrier to the in national and international markets. At the to reach their target customers. For the postal enjoyment of their rights as citizens. Setting up organizational level, local and national gov- business, an accurate and complete address an address infrastructure is one step towards ernments need addresses to help individuals is the key to providing quality service, so that tackling this issue. secure a legal identity, to facilitate the plan- correspondence, documents and goods reach Moreover, the last few decades have seen ning and implementation of public policies and their destination as quickly as possible. increasing population migration from rural services (like water and electricity), to respond The preamble to the Constitution of the to urban areas, resulting in an urban demo- effectively to natural disasters and diseases Universal Postal Union (UPU) states that the graphic explosion worldwide. This growth in by providing aid and emergency services, to UPU carries out its mission “with a view to both formal and informal urban settlements reinforce national and international security, developing communications between peoples has made it increasingly difficult to locate and to facilitate tax collection. Businesses also by the efficient operation of the postal services, people. An effective urban governance system need accurate addressing networks to locate and to contributing to the attainment of the is needed to ensure the social and environ- clients and providers, promote and facilitate noble aims of international collaboration in the mental sustainability of urban settlements. Put access to products and services, deliver goods, cultural, social and economic fields.” In keeping simply, rapid urbanization means that people send mail and develop new markets. with its mission, the UPU has been working need addresses, a point that Professor Anna to develop and improve national address- Tibaijuka, former Executive Director of the ing and postcode systems around the world United Nations Human Settlements Programme

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UPU monument, Berne, Switzerland

A public good the necessary collaboration among stakehold- declaration that accompanies this paper. It is The absence of a complete, correct and unique ers at the national, regional and international only through the commitment of nations and national address infrastructure constitutes a levels to help countries implement national assistance from international and regional major socio-economic challenge for a number addressing projects and work together to find donors that we can achieve the goal of an of developing countries. A quality address solutions, fund projects and expand knowl- address for everyone. infrastructure must be considered as an essen- edge. In order to put addressing on the global tial part of a country’s socio-economic infra- development agenda, I presented the initiative structure, not only improving public services, to the United Nations System Chief Executives but also facilitating business, trade and, conse- Board in October 2009. The body endorsed quently, national development. In view of the the initiative, with the particular support of UN vast benefits it provides, address infrastructure Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. can be considered as a public good, alongside There is no doubt that the initiative’s success traffic lights and national security. Moreover, depends on the combined efforts of all our Edouard Dayan, the benefits extend beyond a country’s borders, partners. We need commitment at the national Director General, International Bureau, contributing to the global well-being. Where level, synergies at the international level and Universal Postal Union (UPU) addresses do not exist, therefore, governments private-sector support. Given the potential should make every effort to work with national, of addresses to improve people’s lives, I am regional and international stakeholders to convinced of the importance of raising govern- expand the address network. ments’ awareness of this global issue. This white paper is the result of recent efforts undertaken worldwide in the area of A global initiative addressing, involving partnerships at all levels. In June 2009, the UPU launched an initiative to Through case studies, this publication shows meet the global challenge of providing every- the significant role that addresses play in many one with an address. The initiative, “Addressing aspects of society and the economy. It also the world – An address for everyone”, aims provides valuable insights from major organiza- to create synergies between United Nations tions on the ways that addressing acts as a organizations, intergovernmental institutions driver of development. and other interested parties to emphasize the I sincerely hope that this white paper will value of addresses, identify problems related convince political leaders of the importance to not having an address and, above all, of addresses and encourage them to put in tackle the challenges associated with the lack place addressing policies that strengthen their of addresses. The final goal – to ensure that national infrastructure. I am asking all govern- every inhabitant has an address – is certainly ments to commit to implementing national ambitious, but the UPU is ready to facilitate addressing policies by endorsing the solemn

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Executive summary

Port Villa, Vanuatu

Address infrastructure is an essential public by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The good. Addresses facilitate the provision of aim is to create synergies between international public and private services, improving the stakeholders and tackle a myriad of addressing response of aid and emergency services in challenges. To ensure the success of this initia- tackling disease and natural disasters for tive, there is a need for commitment at the example, while fostering social and economic national level, synergies between countries and development in general. Benefits extend across organizations at the international level, and borders, contributing to the global well-being. public and private sector support. As such, address infrastructure can serve as This white paper aims to enlighten political a basic foundation for the attainment of the leaders on the importance of address networks. United Nations Millennium Development Goals It is accompanied by a solemn declaration that and other global aims. serves as a call to governments to endorse and When included as part of a nation’s infra- commit to the implementation of policies that structure, an address helps to provide social strengthen national address infrastructure. and legal identity. In its report Making the Law Prepared in cooperation with several UN orga- Work for Everyone, the Commission on the nizations and other partners, and featuring Legal Empowerment of the Poor identified that an innovative analysis of theory and practical four billion people are excluded from the rule perspectives, this paper supports the need for of law. The report claims that a large majority a better understanding of the role of address of these people cannot enjoy their full rights infrastructure in social and economic develop- as citizens because they often lack an identity. ment. It aims to help governments conceptual- As a person’s identity is often tied to having ize the addressing problem so that the goal of an address, various UN organizations and other an address for everyone can be achieved. international organizations support initiatives to strengthen national address infrastructures. Since 1999, the Universal Postal Union Address infrastructure as has assisted national authorities in assessing a global public good their addressing needs, including the design Societies are formed to ensure their common of specifications and address dissemination welfare, and the basis of this welfare is the methodologies, to enable interoperability provision of certain essential elements, or pub- at the international level. In 2009, the UPU lic goods. Two key characteristics distinguish launched an ambitious initiative, “Addressing public goods from private goods: their non-rival the world – An address for everyone”. This and non-excludable properties. Once provided, initiative received the full support of the United goods with non-rival and non-excludable Nations System Chief Executives Board, chaired properties allow individuals to utilize the goods

9 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

in question without reducing their availability from the local to the international level, as well Urban development and for others and without impeding their use by as providing businesses with access to markets. management others. All echelons of society should thus have equal Over the last few decades, developing countries Since the link between types of usage, access to address infrastructure in order to have witnessed an explosion in rural to urban benefits and supply cannot be clearly identi- capture the social and economic benefits at migration, posing a myriad of problems for fied, public goods have unclear property rights, the local, national and international levels. governments. The result has been the growth which represents a fundamental difference of informal settlements, which, according to between them and private goods. As a result, some estimates, comprise a third of urban the free market cannot ensure the efficient The practical benefits populations in developing countries. These supply of public goods, such as national peace of addresses areas house the urban poor, who are excluded and security. For example, a national security Addressing policies at the national level are from basic services like water and sanitation, system is a “pure public good” as it protects often pushed aside in favour of more immedi- and subject to weak infrastructure. Addresses all inhabitants of a nation, without exclusion, ate policy needs. However, by providing a fun- help to map areas that are often overlooked, and cannot be exhausted by the addition of damental knowledge base to inform decision while providing a platform for vital census data new inhabitants. Such is the case with address making and action, addresses help to develop, gathering and infrastructure planning. infrastructure. implement and support other critical national With the advent of globalization, public policies. Migration and social integration goods have increasingly acquired cross- In areas that suffer from isolation and exclu- border significance. These global goods are Governance sion, an address promotes peace and social determined through international coopera- Identifying citizens, reinforcing the rule of law, cohesion by fostering exchange between com- tion, consensus and convention, such as the expanding electoral participation and imple- munities and the government. Furthermore, Millennium Development Goals – for which menting e-government are features of good the identification of culturally important areas address infrastructure constitutes a significant governance, all of which are supported by an can generate community awareness of shared enabler. address infrastructure. Without an address, it culture, thereby ensuring their preservation. There is no doubt that addressing – the is harder for individuals to register as legal resi- More fundamentally, living in an area without network of road names and house numbers dents. They are excluded from access to public an address prejudices the procurement of – constitutes a key element of functioning soci- services and institutions, and denied the rights formal employment or quality education. In eties. While a single address in itself does not of citizenship. This includes access to democ- countries that lack address infrastructure, many constitute a public good, the national address racy. Addresses allow individuals to register businesses are unable to register themselves infrastructure, of which it forms a part, is an to vote and permit governments to map voter because they lack mandatory information, such essential public good, and through interoper- districts and populations, aiding appropriate as an address. As a result, they are forced to ability with international systems the totality policy development and transparency. remain informal and are barred from accessing of addressing networks can be determined as finance, banking, other supports and payment global public good. Address infrastructure proof duties. vides access to the rights and duties of citizens

10 © United Nations Photo Library / Kibae Park

Karial slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Security ICT in three ways: (1) as an infrastructure the World Bank (WB)) and five countries Unidentified and inaccessible areas within the upon which to build other systems; (2) as a (Costa Rica, Denmark, India, Korea (Rep.) national territory provide a breeding ground for complementary information system; and (3) as and Tanzania) have contributed to this white crime, insecurity and violence, which contribute an alternative to hi-tech systems, which may paper by providing insights into the individual to the internationalization of organized crime, be unevenly distributed. challenges and opportunities they face in the affect both the national and global welfare. fulfilment of their activities with or without Spatial organization data, including addresses, Environmental sustainability and sound addressing systems. provides governments with the ability to risk and disaster management identify, locate and access marginalized areas As cities grow, efforts must be taken to make in order to incorporate them into the nation. them environmentally sustainable and resilient Conclusion to disasters. Cities that grow beyond their set Individuals, governments and businesses are Economy and commerce boundaries often infringe on fragile ecosys- all stakeholders of address infrastructure. When linked to governance, law, social poli- tems, increasing their vulnerability to disease Investing in address infrastructure is a funda- cies and planning, addresses help to ensure and natural disasters. Address infrastructure mental step in connecting people to public and protection of investments for individuals can support the mapping and appraisal of risk private services, and human rights. But beyond and the private sector. By creating a reliable areas and national resources, by identifying the individual significance, address infrastruc- environment for public and private sector and confirming the location of vulnerable ture enables the good of the nation and the transactions, a secure address infrastructure areas and populations. Additionally, correct global population by setting the foundation benefits the economy and commerce, by addressing provides for a system of clear routes, on which critical national policies can be built. improving the transfer of goods and services labelled streets and identifiable houses, which However, building this infrastructure requires from producers to consumers, nationally and facilitate the creation of practical strategies for a common awareness and action plan that is internationally. This is especially true for postal delivering goods and services when natural supported at the local, national and interna- businesses, which benefit immensely from the disasters or disease outbreaks strike. tional levels. Political willpower is the key to development of delivery points, increasing their guaranteeing that an address infrastructure is ability to reach more customers and provide developed for the benefit of all. truly universal service. Partners in the initiative Eight international organizations (African Information and technology Union (AU), EURopean ADdress INfrastructure The right of all people to access ICTs is a (EURADIN), International Organization Millennium Development Goal. However, bar- for Standardization (ISO), International riers to the access and expansion of networks Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations remain. In this respect, addresses continue to Development Programme (UNDP), United serve an important role as a universal means Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural of communication between individuals and Organization (UNESCO), United Nations governments. Address infrastructure supports Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and

11 12 Map of Paris, France (1645) Part I

Study on the social and economic photo source: Wikimedia Commons – Merian value of address infrastructure

13 Historical perspective

Descriptions that provide the means to locate need to provide street names for differentiation, especially in the face of new challenges to and reach destinations have always existed in occurred in the eighteenth century in Western governance, such as rapidly expanding urban one form or another. Since antiquity, descrip- Europe. centres. tive addresses have helped people to orient The simple identification and organization themselves through references to major roads, of a few principal streets in the colonial cities landmarks, marketplaces and religious build- of ancient Greece developed throughout the From antiquity ings, among others. The expansion and grow- Middle Ages and evolved into today’s underly- to the Middle Ages ing complexity of societies, however, created ing address infrastructure. This infrastructure From the time of the ancient Greeks, a combi- a growing need for clearer identifiers of place. is composed of a network of many unique nation of historical events and landmarks were The need for better territorial knowledge and physical addresses, each comprising a house used to describe locations (Mumford, 1987). the ability to precisely locate destinations number and street name that can be precisely References from 645 B.C.E. show that new resulted in the growing adoption of street identified and located. But although the seeds Greek colonial settlements were organized naming and house numbering. The origins and of street naming are rooted in ancient societies, by streets laid along a gridiron pattern, which development of these practices can provide at the time there existed no systematic way contained important public buildings where a valuable insight into the need for address of identifying specific locations. Thus, these wealthy citizens lived and did business (Gutkind, infrastructure today. societies cannot be considered as originators 1972). The Etruscans and the Romans also used The emergence of road infrastructure of address infrastructure, but rather a first step this type of regular street plan as part of an facilitated the organization of territory into towards building its foundations. early form of city planning. This street plan set governable entities and promoted commu- Europe and the United States during the the basis for a hierarchy of areas that could be nication and exchange. Road infrastructure eighteenth century were the first to provide a divided by their function and importance to played an essential role in connecting cities, systematic way to structure address networks, administer the territory (Nicholas, 1997). and enabled the fulfilment of a variety of building on past methods of road identifica- The emergence of road infrastructure functions, ranging from better management tion. Consistent street name identification also served to connect and consolidate larger of empires to improved methods of accessing throughout cities improved spatial organization territories, making road identifiers, such as populations. Roads and road infrastructure and contributed to a better basis for estab- names, an important means of establishing evolved throughout epochs and cultures, and lishing practical governing strategies, such as a communication network that linked remote became increasingly complex. This complexity the collection of taxes. Over the years, the destinations throughout empires. The Persian required the specific classification of roads into applications of address networks continued to Royal Road, for example, was built to unite the a hierarchy, based on size and function. One expand, stretching beyond the mere facilitation Persian Empire and to establish communication of the earliest examples of this systematic clas- of communication and organization to provide and exchange across its 23 provinces (satrapies) sification of streets into types, and subsequent the basis for social and economic development, (Global Security.org, 2011).

14 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure photo source: Gallica source: photo

Berne, Switzerland

Road names emerged as a practical tool for administrative districts were further required consistency and formalization of street identifying main transport ways, and became divided into neighbourhood associations naming and house numbering. the symbols of unity throughout empires. based on streets. Streets were named Unlike their Roman predecessors, the For example, road names contributed to the after important families, buildings or after European cities of the Middle Ages differed spatial organization of the Roman Empire and their functions, and were the site of family greatly in their use of urban space. The end of reinforced Roman rule. New Roman roads with feuds (Nicholas, 1990). the Roman Empire brought population decline Roman names and characteristics replaced and increasing migration from urban to rural those of other civilizations, and led directly to Despite the early use of road naming to areas. This population shift and the break up Rome (Witcher, 1998). Associating road names identify important thoroughfares, these of the Empire affected the importance of long- with Roman culture was meant to generate examples from antiquity did not constitute distance trade routes. Poor maintenance and a sense of affiliation with the Empire. Great address networks. Although a few principal administration resulted in the deterioration of highways, such as the Via Triana, which crossed streets and houses were named, no method- roads, which became unreliable and at times the eastern part of the Roman Empire, played ological system existed for naming at the city dangerous. Trade with the Far East was greatly a critical role in the colonization of the Balkan or nationwide level. For the most part, streets reduced and in its place local markets and fairs lands (Gutkind, 1972). Moreover, Romans remained nameless and houses numberless. sprang up. The rise of local markets reshaped also used the main streets within their cities In fact, the first official denomination of city urban layouts (Nicholas, 1997). Street names in to divide urban areas into quarters, in order to streets by name did not become commonplace cities at this time were largely unwritten, unof- organize their citizenry, facilitate the defence of until the eighteenth century in Western Europe, ficial, and reflected the functions of different their cities, levy taxes and enable commercial and although some house names were used to sections of a city, such as a marketplace, or the transactions. These streets not only divided the locate an exact site, house numbering was only location of an important building on a street, city, but in major urban centres were paved undertaken in the early nineteenth century. such as a church. These names helped to locate and constituted a public good, provided by In general, street names developed from relatively important public areas within the city the Empire (Ibid.). informal references to landmarks to formalized and provided better access to markets. names. Naming increasingly followed a pattern Towards the high Middle Ages, the secu- The Etruscans and the Romans both that organized urban space into neighbour- rity offered by city walls once again began designed city plans with two streets hoods and later included the designation of to attract populations to cities, where streets intersecting at a centrally located forum, house numbers. The changing concept of were used as an embryonic form of city plan- one going east to west and one north to public space, a shifting perception of what ning, establishing a more or less fixed city plan south. This division separated the city constituted government responsibility, and the that can still be seen today (Westfall, 1974). A into quarters on which administrative expanding needs of the newly formed state prime example is the layout of London, which districts were formally assigned. Roman between 830 and 1000 C.E. experienced a

15 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

significant urban migration of people seeking well-planned areas close to the city centre, the the marketplace. The twelfth to thirteenth the protection of city walls, and whose settle- primary area of activity. The rest of the popula- centuries witnessed a revival in long-distance ment mostly fixed the permanent city plan tion was located in residential areas that grew trade as merchant associations were formed (Nicholas, 1997). spontaneously on the outskirts. As in Europe, to secure routes. However, the activities of While Europe in the Middle Ages suffered these areas were reserved for poorer sectors of these tradesman and their locations became from a decrease in economic activity, the Islamic the population, who resided in separate areas an issue of strict government control. Many world experienced a golden age and grew that were less central, less planned and largely governments established regulatory policies more prosperous. The distinct circumstances unidentified (Nicholas, 1997). for merchants and the marketplace. Southern that these regions faced shaped the spatial In the pre-Columbian Americas the major- France was especially strict in its separation development of their societies and influenced ity of cities did not follow a strict orthogonal of craftsmen and trades by quarters (Ibid.). urban policies. Different geography, climate, pattern, but nevertheless seemed to have a Greater regulation and identification of the history, cultural values and economic prosperity predetermined layout. The majority of Central population contributed to the development

Map of London, England (1560) Map of Baghdad, Iraq (between 767 and 912 AD) Teotihuacan, Mexico

were all influential in the development of urban American and especially Mayan cities concen- of the nascent concept of citizenship as a basis areas. Cities were forced to conform to topo- trated around a central area surrounded by for rights and responsibilities. While communal graphical limitations and to take advantage public buildings (Smith, 2008). Most promi- birth records and “correct” religious affiliation of available resources, while also observing nently, the city of Teotihuacan had a central would often grant citizenship, place of resi- cultural preferences of religion and space. avenue, the “Street of the Dead”, which dence began to play a larger role in assigning In general, Islamic cities were larger and branched into other major avenues laid out citizenship based on the payment of city taxes more diverse than their European counterparts in relation to the cardinal directions (Hendrick, tied to property ownership (Ibid.). and followed a different layout. In contrast 1999). This pattern also divided the city into to the rectangular plans of European cities distinct sections similar to Roman quarters By the thirteenth century certain goods established during the Middle Ages, Islamic and Islamic concentric circle plans. In South began to fall under the jurisdiction of cities were constructed on a circular design. America, the Incan town of Ollantaytambo, the community, or the city. Goods and Concentric circles divided the city into areas among others, followed a regular grid pattern services including tax collection and by function, with public buildings in the centre with transversal streets that ran parallel to one street maintenance passed from the and residential areas farther out. Roads were another (Protzen, 2008). This pattern is seen responsibility of private individuals under also divided into a hierarchy based on impor- across cultures, especially during colonization, a feudal system to that of a public entity, tance. Baghdad, founded in 762, illustrates as a means to organize an otherwise chaotic usually a city government. As early as this typology, with a radial road network cat- urban area (Gutkind, 1972). 1300, lords in Germany handed over the egorized by road type (avenue, major streets, For the cities of Europe, the tenth century responsibility of street repair to the city smaller streets and alleys), reflecting an early brought population growth, division of land government (Nicholas, 1990). identification of street hierarchy (Nooraddin, plots, and the naming of streets based on trades 2004). Within each area of the city, the lead- practised in them (Nicholas, 1997). Europe’s Governments across Eastern and Western ers of each subdivision administered important urban population continued to increase Europe saw the identification and security governmental roles. Religious leaders and rapidly throughout the eleventh and twelfth of property rights as a national priority for markets were located in the centre of the city, centuries, leading to the appearance of mass securing a tax base (Gutkind, 1972). However, reflecting the priority of religion and commerce urban housing and the alteration of streets confusion over property rights plagued many within the city. The elite were also located in to improve identification and accessibility to cities, including Vyza’ma, Russia – a situation

16 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure

exacerbated by chaotic streets, intersections of the population seemed inconsequential to restrictions. Ample police presence was and undefined plots. This made it difficult to the consciousness of the city (Westfall, 1974). required to monitor compliance with these establish rights and provoked conflicts over The development of street names in the Middle regulations and street naming became a means land claims, as well as making the organization Ages focused on government buildings, reli- of aiding enforcement efforts (Pred, 1990). of public services difficult (Ibid.). Many differ- gious institutions and the elite (Nicholas, 1997). The numbered grid pattern, implemented in ent initiatives were attempted in response to The elite lived mostly on named, principal Mannheim in 1606 by Frederic IV, was one this challenge, especially for regulating streets. streets, while the rest of the population was of many government efforts to structure and In the 1300s, for example, many houses in relegated to its own quarters and streets or fortify towns (Badariotti, 2002). Other cities Romania were built to line a main road, forming villages, their identification and administration followed suit. In France, lack of government a “street village”, which aided in the manage- likely of a lower priority. In this way, physical regulation on the naming of city streets did ment of village life. The Turks and Austrians, location preserved the social structure (Sjoberg, not prevent members of the fire brigade and who colonized villages in Romania, were also 1960). the police from naming each street distinctly to enable them to more efficiently undertake their tasks (Badariotti, 2002). In Moscow, new From the Middle Ages weapons and defence strategies gave rise to to the modern era the systematized concentric network of roads The Middle Ages left behind no great develop- that still exists today (Gutkind, 1972). ments in street naming; however, the decisions made as early as the thirteenth century in rela- In Paris, the first streets were named on tion to urban planning and spatial distribution the initiative of the Lieutenant General largely influenced the subsequent development of the Police, Rene Herault, who ordered of modern European cities, including the struc- that signs be placed at the corner of each ture of land possession and population distribu- street in 1728. Map of Manhattan, New York, USA (1842) tion (Nicholas, 1997). The transition from the high Middle Ages to the Renaissance brought In addition to growing perceptions of the changes in the perception of the value of streets need to ensure public security from crime and to city planning. The emergence of the baroque fire, the late 1700s brought a heightened focus city between 1600 and 1750 prioritized urban on measures against internal revolt. In Russia, known to employ gridiron plans to improve space. Streets that once sprawled haphazardly Catherine the Great (1762–1796) expanded the their ability to govern new territories (Ibid.). throughout cities were considered inferior to Empire’s territory and rebuilt newly colonized Sixteenth-century Europe was character- the systematic street system that facilitated cities along a systematic orthogonal pattern, ized by government initiatives that began to social organization, and long avenues, radial as a means of ensuring the security of newly introduce street plans to better administer ter- street networks and public places, seen in cities obtained territories. Street naming was also a ritory. Although many unsigned and unofficial such as Versailles, Paris and Washington D.C. tool for collecting public information. In France, street names remained as a result of popular (Gutkind, 1972). As part of this change, the the collection of statistics and demographic usage (Badariotti, 2002), some Middle Age cit- seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw a information linked to the individual’s place ies, such as Munich, did possess a few official re-conceptualization of public space, as new of residence bolstered information about street names, which were mentioned in com- ideas about the modern state and public population distribution. This project was munal property and tax records. Descriptive administration altered perceptions of the role spearheaded by a Frenchman, Guillaute, who addresses including a street name, but not of government (Rutgers, 2000). Street naming in 1749 proposed numbering houses to sup- a house number, such as the “corner house in Europe was widespread during this period port the enforcement and expansion of fiscal on the Sendlinger Gasse” (Friedrichs, 1995), and names were often assigned by royal decree, administration (Vincent, 2000). Official house exemplify the type of information recorded in frequently after members of royal families as a numbering would develop later, but the ten- official property registrations. means of reinforcing legitimacy and national dency to name streets for security and fiscal Other independent and isolated examples pride (Badariotti, 2002). Many street names reasons was already prevalent in Europe. In of addressing occurred at this time, includ- evolved to include other names, such as those 1763, in Stockholm, a royal decree ordered that ing an attempt to number the houses built of important buildings, houses or homeowners. the city’s main streets be officially designated on the Notre Dame bridge in Paris in 1512 Governments considered the systematiza- by street signs (Pred, 1990). Two years later an (Farvacque-Vitkovic, et al., 2005). Although tion of street naming a means of granting English bill proposed that the signing of streets principal streets or market areas were named in streets official character and securing govern- and the numbering of houses be delegated to some cities, as shown by a 1551 map of Borgo ment administration of territory. Governing local councils (Miles, 1973). (a historical district of Rome), the majority of strategies included more extensive regulation The numbering of houses progressed in streets were left unidentified, and many places of social behaviour, such as prohibiting public the cities of Berlin (1797), Vienna (1803) and remained nameless. As a result, many sections drunkenness and implementing transportation Paris (1806), as an important next step in street

17 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

identification (Azaryahu, 1996). The motivation The Netherlands experienced a growth was realized that new practical measures were behind many of these naming and numbering in neighbourhoods during the mid- essential to organize the population, especially initiatives was to clearly identify populations in nineteenth century. As a result, local the working classes, in order to preserve the order to provide a better response to the pos- governments sought to implement “infor- city’s stability and security (Ibid.). Denmark’s sibility of revolt or chaos – a fear encouraged mation systems” based on community streets also underwent a progressive frame- by the pervasive discontent prior to and during registrations. Registers were expected work for identifying areas. Between 1850 the times of the American and French revolu- to include names and residences, thereby and 1900, the government implemented an tions (Pred, 1990). Street naming was seen as making street names increasingly useful. address network based upon the systematic a means to link identification information with The number of foreigners and visitors in numbering of buildings and properties along the location of specific citizens, thereby improv- Dutch cities also increased, creating a every road. The system was established first ing the ability of security forces to respond to larger demand for street names that fol- in Copenhagen then rolled out to other major rebellion and public disturbances. lowed a logical structure (Kooloos, 2010). cities (Lind, 2008). At around the same time Beyond serving as a security tool, street naming played a role in the creation of the In 1807, Manhattan’s roads, initially infor- city’s social consciousness, as well as becom- mally named, were formalized into streets, ing an important symbol of a government’s avenues and squares. These paved the way for legitimacy. Prior to the French Revolution, for the city’s future growth, and the reorganization example, streets were named in honour of the was deemed an activity of “local and national royal family, whereas names on post-revolution importance” (Ibid.). This planning activity signage evoked revolutionary values (Badariotti, soon became a matter of national and even 2002). Municipal councils were charged with international interest as other cities followed the responsibility for naming streets and were New York’s example. This style of street layout instructed to incorporate community culture became popular worldwide, and the new city into the naming process. During Napoleon’s plan of Sofia, Bulgaria, evoked “American Map of Utrecht, Netherlands (1649) empire, street names were replaced once again, fashion” streets, referring to the rectangular this time with classical names that harkened street network used in American town plan- back to Roman times in an attempt to create ning (Gutkind, 1972). The grid pattern was a symbolic connection with the greatness and seen as having a primarily commercial motiva- legitimacy of the Roman Empire. This approach tion, especially in American cities such as New in the Netherlands, informally named streets, to formalizing street naming formed an impor- York and Boston, as it facilitated the subdivision previously designated by street builders, were tant part of government policy for nation build- and sale of land. renamed using a methodological approach ing and citizen integration. Establishing public order across policy (Kooloos, 2010). In the late nineteenth century, the need for dimensions also became important for cities street naming and house numbering expanded such as Paris, London and Berlin, which used In the 1830s, J.G. Kohl, a German across government sectors. Beginning in 1804, the planning and naming of streets to over- traveller, remarked on the layout of St. the Parisian police announced a goal of creat- see population mobility and the movement Petersburg’s three principal streets: the ing a population census of citizens and proofs of goods, and to monitor the hygiene and Neva Perspective, the Peas Street and of identity. These proofs helped to usher in a beautification of cities (Pred, 1990). In 1878, the Resurrection Perspective. “It is said change in the perception of unique identity Stockholm authorities implemented a register that these principal streets meet at the as identity was expanded to include first and system, which recorded essential identifica- foot of Admiralty Tower, [and] a man, last names, profession and place of residence. tion information, such as name, address and taking his position at this central point, Addresses gradually gained ground as an asset health status, in order to manage the growing may look down them, and with the aid beyond the realm of national identity, forming population (Ibid.). This information was then of a good telescope, see what is going on part of an individual’s identity. Addresses were shared across public sectors, including identity in the most remote quarters of the city.” increasingly linked to emerging government and fiscal registers and police enforcement, as This layout helped provide government policies on property ownership, citizen registra- a response to the massive changes occurring oversight of the growing city. (Gutkind, tion, health status, commercial exchange and in urban life. 1972: 394). urban improvement. For instance, in North Beyond these rudimentary forms of city America, the newly independent cities of the planning, within the context of rapid urban The fifteenth to twentieth centuries saw United States were planned along a numbered development, Europe experienced the devel- European urban organization reproduced grid, which facilitated the acquisition and regu- opment of increasingly complex address net- worldwide as the concepts of population man- lation of property (Feirstein, 2001). works. In 1885, Stockholm’s street names were agement and security enforcement reached revised in response to a chaotic event that left colonial cities. Rectangular street plans, in 19 dead and 100 injured in the city centre. It particular, were employed in new colonies

18 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure

in Africa and Latin America (Gutkind, 1972). consciousness, unifying citizens and creating spatial organization. The identification and These plans were easily replicated and helped stability within diverse segments of the nation recognition of certain areas through the nam- to ensure the accessibility and administration (Azaryahu, 1996). ing of streets has created new opportunities for of the newly conquered cities or countries, in In the twentieth century, some states uni- public administration and served as a basis for addition to facilitating commerce and trade. fied around a common identity, while many development. Although much of the history of In the case of Spanish colonial cities in the others in the developing world experienced addresses is taken from a European perspective, Americas, rules codified in the 1573 Law of the transformation of their cities. Changes in other forms of identification and strategies for the Indies specified and standardized the population distribution and greater intercon- administration can be seen worldwide. construction of a grid pattern with a central nectedness with other nations were major fac- The following section on regional trends plaza. Viceroys were instructed to adhere to tors. In 1914, in Baghdad, for example, a new surveys the current state of address develop- city plans that mapped out city centres, hous- system saw streets expanded to cut through ment and implementation in different regions. ing and trade areas. In Africa, old colonial the middle of the city. The large roads became Address development worldwide has been centres patterned after European cities still remain as part of present day urban layouts, in many cases including some form of addressing (Farvacque-Vitkovic, et al., 2005). Notably, in the case of French occupation, the roads and squares of many colonial cities were widened to facilitate troop movements, similar to the approach used to restructure Parisian streets. Frederick the Great employed a similar tactic of using standardized grid patterns when coloniz- ing the newly acquired eastern parts of Prussia (Gutkind, 1972). Such patterns, however, often Map of Quito, Ecuador (1786) Map of Annaba (Bône), Algeria (1900s) changed post-independence or as a result of rapid expansion beyond the original fixed urban space.

In 1830, Algiers became a colony of France important transversals, which encouraged diverse and has taken different forms. In many and its city structure vastly changed. The the naming of main throughways (Nooraddin, nations, parallels can be drawn between the pre-colonial Casbah, the traditional com- 2004). Later, in 1965, the city was modernized historical development of addresses and the mercial centre, became an urban centre and transformed through the participation of current challenges of urbanization, security, influenced by French architecture and famous architects, such as Le Corbusier, Wright, identity and nation building. organization. The closed residential Sert, Gropius, Aalto and Gio Ponti, and the quarters of the city, the dead-end streets, creation of a number of large streets used to and the small alleys were all altered into connect and develop trade and improve the a system of secondary streets, which city’s development potential. allowed for better access to the Casbah. A web of streets and squares connected new developments with the old city as Conclusion a security measure to ensure access to Present day addresses play an underlying role all parts of the urban area (Osmani and as infrastructure in most developed societies. Osmani, 2004). Despite this important role, the history of address creation is mostly taken for granted, Towards the late nineteenth century, many as many citizens in western countries have an countries in Europe and the Americas under- address and use it unconsciously in everyday went a period of nation building. Street naming life. What is often overlooked is that the need was an integral part of this process, and street for street naming and house numbering is names became a form of cultural production the result of an evolving historical process, and much more than a way to identify a citizen’s responding to the needs of different societies residence or personal identity. The highlighting at different times. The progress and develop- of certain historical or cultural events helped to ment of security, access to property, commerce, shape greater awareness and collective identity. organization and administration, culture, and Names became a means to create a national health have all benefited from an improved

19 Addressing the world – An address for everyone © Didier Ruef

Regional trends

Expo 2010 Shanghai, China

Different environments, governance systems Eastern Europe technologies playing an increasingly important and historical circumstances around the world Towns and cities developed as a function of role. Despite these developments, obstacles have shaped the development and intricacy their relationship with different empires. Urban to the use of GIS remain, on account of a lack of address networks. These networks have plans characterized by winding and discreet of standardized databases and of a complete emerged in a variety of ways in different ter- streets were transformed into rigid layouts, spatial data infrastructure. ritories, with no uniform development in the intended to maximize security and vigilance majority of cases, although similarities can and improve communication and transporta- North America be seen within regions. By considering the tion routes. The Soviet central planning had a The creation of addresses was a key stage in the development of addressing through regional great influence in the mid-twentieth century. early development of North American nations, trends, it is possible to provide an overview of From the post-communist era, sound address playing an essential role in the regulation of ter- the status of the addressing scene throughout and postcode systems have developed, char- ritory, nation building and securing of property the world. acterized by a high percentage of standard- rights. In the United States, streets today are ized addressing across countries and by the mostly defined along an alpha-numeric grid Western Europe existence and use of postcodes nationwide. and are either named or numbered. Addressing Street names and house numbers became For nations seeking entry to the EU, certain policies are determined by individual states, commonplace in major cities in the nineteenth conditions such as the requirement to have each of which is responsible for developing century; however, rural addresses only became a nationwide address infrastructure remain a addressing standards. In Canada, the prov- the norm in the second part of the twentieth prerequisite. inces also have their own addressing policies. century. Most countries have completed the However, coordination at the national level naming and numbering of streets and houses Russia was formalized in the 1950s and 1960s with and have charged specific agencies with col- In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a view to reinforcing national boundaries. The lecting and maintaining address information, the Russian Empire charged its urban planners Canadian address system uses a numbered which is often stored in databases. In 2007, with transforming cities by regularizing urban pattern to identify streets. the European Union (EU) adopted a direc- space into a radial street system, converging tive to establish an Infrastructure for Spatial to a single point. In the mid-twentieth century, Central America Information in the European Community this system was superseded by the rigid designs While the Spanish colonial planning model ini- (INSPIRE). Through this, the EU seeks to of Soviet central planning, which emphasized tially influenced the layout of Central American improve address information interoperability a methodical organization of public space, cities, many streets do not currently follow a and databases via the inclusion of road names, orderly streets and large buildings. Today, systematic pattern, and many remain unnamed. house numbers and postal codes as spatial Russia is experiencing a radical change in urban In recent years, the proximity to the United data. layout with transportation planning and GIS States and the use of GIS have resulted in

20 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure

addressing methodologies that combine the Africa to administrative areas rather than individual colonial model (street naming) and the alpha- Under the influence of colonial models, buildings, comprising three main elements: numeric grid (street numbering). addresses were allocated in city centres, while the administrative district, the geographical street numbers alone were used in many area name and numbers (parcel/plot number). Caribbean suburbs, and fewer, if any, address networks Over time, the division and consolidation of Formal and informal attempts to map Caribbean existed in rural areas. After independence, this parcels has resulted in systems that can at cities have been undertaken, but no official colonial system fell into disuse, and it was not times be inconsistent and illogical. Efforts have regulation exists as of yet. Addresses in this until the 1980s that addressing policies began been made, especially in dense urban areas region are often incomplete or not standard- to develop progressively based on systems that and large-scale developments, to change or ized. Although few addressing policies have identify throughways and house numbers. rationalize this system to one based on building emerged, the demands of tourism and business While Africa’s rural areas have traditionally numbers. are now a driving factor in their development. faced political and physical isolation, they The Chinese address system follows its Typically, street names exist primarily in parts are now becoming increasingly integrated own logical scheme and incorporates specific of main cities. House names and plot numbers into national addressing plans that aim to cultural values, natural elements and cardinal are the norm, and house numbers are not com- improve communication and services, and directions. Within cities, streets are divided into monly used. Notable exceptions include Cuba, enhance national integration. Overall, a new sections pertaining to the cardinal direction. Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. wave of consciousness about the importance Long streets can be divided into three parts of addresses is sweeping African nations. referring to the eastern, central and western South America Infrastructure improvement, including address part of the street, and can even change names In South America, addressing policies are infrastructure, has become a priority in most within a large city. modelled on a gridiron street pattern, centred African countries, and for the African Union on a square or a church, generally following Commission, which is supporting the creation Southeast Asia colonial Portuguese and Spanish models. of guidelines for its members with reference European colonialism has influenced the Overall, major cities have sound addressing to harmonizing addressing policies. character of address systems in the region. policies that identify the majority of streets After independence, countries developed and house numbers. However, in rural areas Australia, New Zealand their own systems based on previous colonial and informal settlements addressing becomes Both Australia and New Zealand have trends, while preserving their own national scattered. In recent decades, addressing has developed addressing policies along a well- and cultural characteristics. Today, addressing been implemented in many countries, with organized urban plan, and there is coherency policies vary between countries, but they are the support of geo-location technology, as between addressing policies at the state and in constant development, following a standard- a means of improving public administration, national levels. Addresses have existed in New ized process towards a complete policy with communication and business. Zealand’s urban areas since at least the 1870s, identifiable elements. when mail began to be delivered to homes, Middle East requiring local authorities to introduce more Systematic mapping is not traditional in regular street numbering.1) However, addresses the Middle East, and main city streets were in rural areas developed later in both Australia originally narrow and curved. The climate and and New Zealand in the late 1980s and early religious values of Islam promoted a layout 1990s. Currently, both nations are seeking and street pattern that still prevail, dividing the to use location identifiers (such as a physical urban area into the inner city, the shahristan address) to support new technologies, includ- or madina, the suburbs, the rabads, and the ing spatial data infrastructure (SDI).2) bazaars. Modern times have seen the development of addressing policies to open up cities Oceania and absorb the growing population. There has been little address development In the Arab Gulf, addresses are mostly in Oceania and there is a lack of a concrete identified by blocks of buildings, while the policy. It is not certain whether this absence of thoroughfare is considered of secondary addresses stems from a lack of interest or the importance. In recent years, address systems small and scattered population of these areas. that replace traditional thoroughfares with GIS-housed coordinates have been developed East Asia to provide a location address. This region is characterized by address systems that have developed in isolation from the influ- 1) New Zealand Post Office website: ences of other countries or colonial powers. http://www.nzpost.co.nz/ Typically, address systems in this region refer 2) Pers. Comm., Richard Murcott 27 July 2011, e-mail.

21 Address infrastructure as a global public good

Individuals form societies to ensure their com- as a global public good. This analysis considers result, public goods have unclear property mon welfare. The basis of this welfare is the the properties and benefits of a global public rights. This makes it difficult to assign owner- provision of certain essential elements that can good to ascertain whether these are pres- ship or enforce a user fee. These unclear prop- be called public goods. Public goods have two ent in address infrastructure. Above all, the erty rights underpin a fundamental difference underlying properties: they are non-rival and analysis aims to highlight the important role between public goods and private goods and non-excludable. Non-rival goods can be used played by address infrastructure in locating explain why investors are often unwilling to by some individuals without impeding their use and accessing individuals and places, and its invest in public goods. Once implemented, by others. Non-excludable goods are accessible significant impacts on diverse policy sectors goods like national security systems can be without reference to gender, status or age. across borders in the context of development. used by all regardless of their willingness to Goods with these properties provide societ- This analysis is preceded by an explanatory pay, thus creating a disincentive for market ies with a foundation of stability and security, discussion of public goods and global public actors.2) This reluctance to invest means that which contributes to the prosperity and pro- goods, their properties and their benefits. the market cannot ensure the efficient supply ductivity of their citizens. Public goods can be of public goods. Consequently, public goods abstract in character (e.g. national defence, law tend to suffer from underprovision. enforcement) or practical and concrete (e.g. Public goods This underprovision is exacerbated by the streetlights, lighthouses). Traditionally, public goods are defined by their presence of externalities. This means that the State involvement in the supply of these non-rival and non-excludable properties, which costs and benefits of a good cannot be limited types of goods has grown throughout history. describe the ways in which a good can be to the investor. Externalities are either positive The number of goods and services defined consumed (Cowen, 2008). Non-rival means or negative depending on whether a third per- as public goods has progressively increased that consumption by one individual does son, uninvolved in the transaction, benefits or and has further evolved in recent decades in not affect consumption by another (e.g. one faces a cost. Someone who invests in a good response to the intensification of intercon- individual may enjoy sunlight without reduc- with positive externalities pays most or all of nectedness among nations. Public goods that ing its availability for others). Non-excludable the costs even if the benefits are shared. In were once the responsibility of a single nation implies a lack of barriers so that a good may the case of a communications network, the are now recognized as having cross-border be accessed and used by all (e.g. a lighthouse network may have been created for a specific impacts. Global public goods encompass cannot exclude individuals from using its application but as network coverage expands, the basic properties of public goods while light). It is impossible, or at least prohibitively the number of users increases, raising the extending across countries, populations and difficult, to prevent individuals from using non- potential for greater linkages, transactions generations (Kaul, Grungberg and Stern, 1999). excludable goods. and applications, thereby making the network The goal here is to evaluate whether These properties obscure the linkages more valuable. On the contrary, someone who address infrastructure 1) can be conceptualized between use, benefit and supply, and as a invests in goods with negative externalities

22 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

Singapore, Singapore

receives the benefit without paying all the in order to invest in goods that expand benefits the need for certain goods to be public, as costs. In the case of fossil fuel use, a company and produce conditions for secure develop- a response to the many deficits created by burning fossil fuel for its energy needs creates ment and stability. industrial society. Moreover, the challenge of air pollution, which has a negative effect on For example, in the case of a television underprovision constitutes the chief reason people’s health. The cost of using fossil fuel signal, the signal is non-rival but excludable. why public goods increasingly fall under the may not be captured in the price of using the The signal is not inherently excludable, but purview of the state (Desai, 2003). fuel itself, suggesting that the producer does can be made so in order to charge for its use The intensification of globalization has not bear all the costs of its investment. (Kaul, 2001). The signal may also be made given international scope to formerly national In addition, public goods can also be non-excludable if the government were to dilemmas. Challenges of the twenty-first considered as pure or impure, depending on require that some channels be kept for free century, such as halting the spread of infec- the extent to which they have non-rival and public television. In these kinds of cases, the tious disease and upholding international non-excludable properties. good is an impure public good because the peacekeeping, require global responses able Pure public goods are absolutely non-rival possibility exists for it to be made private and to elevate the discussion of national public and non-excludable. For example, a national excludable. Such a decision may be taken to goods to the international level. When the security system protects all inhabitants of a prevent the unequal impacts of the market (e.g. actions of citizens in one country can affect nation without exclusion. Moreover, that pro- the majority of people cannot afford the signal) those in another country, the consequences tection cannot be exhausted by the addition or to take advantage of positive externalities are extensive. This premise vastly influences of new people to the nation. These types of (e.g. enhanced communication between the the discussion on global public goods. goods are extremely beneficial for societal government and citizens). However, before welfare, but are few in number as a result of certain goods can be invested in they must be their absolute non-rivalry and non-excludability. defined as public goods, so as to articulate their Global public goods Impure public goods may have rival or vulnerability to market failure and to manage Global public goods share the basic properties excludable properties that influence their ability or exploit their externalities. of public goods but extend to beneficiaries to become private goods. It is often a matter of Society’s perception of what should be across countries, populations and generations government choice to determine what goods defined as a public good is in constant evolu- (Kaul, Grungberg and Stern, 1999). In recent should be placed in the public domain. To tion. The evolution from an industrial society years, discussion of what can be considered a offset the underprovision of public goods, the to a post-industrial modern one has altered global public good has gained international government is obliged to intervene to ensure notions of the role of government in terms of importance as events within states take on the public nature of a good and to guarantee the provision of certain goods considered as a larger influence and states see themselves the potential for societal benefit. To do so, the fundamental for societal welfare (Menashy, affected by external issues. Defining global government often uses funds obtained by taxes 2009). Many governments now recognize public goods at the international level is one

23 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

means of conceptualizing solutions to world- Because externalities can be positive or businesses and even international actors can wide challenges. negative, certain goods are designated global participate in a greater number of cross-border Like public goods, global public goods public goods to profit from their potential transactions. Human-made goods do not end are non-rival. Once a global public good is positive impacts or to respond to potential at a nation’s borders, but can instead contrib- made available, any person in the world can negative impacts. For example, vaccines that ute to the creation of positive benefits in the use it without its availability being diminished control infectious disease are considered to international system, such as connection, com- for anyone else. One example would be the yield a positive externality, as participation in munication, development and stability. international use of communication networks, a vaccination campaign not only protects the Although global public goods contribute such as the Internet. The non-rival character of individual, but also provides greater benefit to overall welfare, it is increasingly recognized global public goods is also more extensive than to society by lowering the amount of vehicles that these goods cannot be provided solely that of public goods in that they incorporate of disease. In another example, greenhouse at the national level. Their complexity and potential for future users. Attention to the emissions released by burning fossil fuels in importance require that they be handled at next generation of users reinforces the idea one country produce a negative externality the international level. A forum that brings the of sustainability, namely that a good can be that contributes to climate change worldwide. international community together to discuss used to meet the needs of the present without In order to exploit positive externalities the benefits and challenges of global public compromising its availability for future genera- and to monitor negative externalities for goods may help to form institutions that can tions (Brundtland, 1988). societal benefit, impure public goods must be catalyze the necessary action for their provi- Global public goods also expand on the designated as global through international con- sion (Task Force, 2006). General international idea of a good being non-excludable. Global sensus. Such a consensus, however, requires guidelines that support the provision of public public goods have no barriers to access, either a belief in the potential benefits for universal goods will contribute to the creation of national nationally or across populations and borders. welfare. Two types of impure public goods strategies that incorporate concepts of public Goods such as air and the atmosphere are that have international support because of and global public goods into governing models, examples of non-excludable global public their positive benefits are merit goods and adapted to local systems and particularities. goods. They have no obstacles or conditions human-made goods. In addition to the MDGs, there have been to their use and, therefore, present a large Merit goods are born of the growing public other international activities undertaken to potential for equal access. consciousness that everyone should be entitled raise awareness of the value of designating As seen above, public goods that have many to certain basic goods. For example, the right certain goods as global public goods. Most benefits for all also have poorly defined prop- to life, the right to food, and the right to water notably, the United Nations Development erty rights and crudely defined responsibilities. and sanitation are seen as fundamental neces- Programme (UNDP), the International Task This discourages investment and contributes to sities for human health, empowerment and Force on Global Public Goods (the Task Force), underprovision. When the scope and influence prosperity. The United Nations Millennium the United Nations Industrial Development of a public good is expanded, more challenges Development Goals (MDGs) are an example Organization (UNIDO) and the World Bank arise in ensuring its provision worldwide, given of merit goods. Access to basic education is have emphasized the importance of defining the weak capacity of the international com- a classic example of a merit good. Investment global public goods in order to contemplate munity to deal with market failure. One such in universal primary education is expected to their provision. These organizations seek example would be the underprovision of critical raise the education level of a population and international cooperation to provide global goods, such as clean air or vaccines to prevent produce educated citizens of the world. While goods, with a view to generating knowledge, the spread of disease – both global goods merit goods are considered the responsibility protecting the environment and improving necessary for a safe and stable environment. of the state, investment in these goods affects international financial stability, among other At the international level, global public the international welfare. things. The more people or governments goods can also be categorized as pure and Human-made goods, such as information, that agree that a good is essential, the more impure. Pure global public goods have abso- physical networks and infrastructure, can support there will be for the establishment of lute non-rival and non-excludable properties also be considered as impure global public infrastructure that is inclusive and that can be worldwide. This rigorous definition includes goods (Kaul et al, 2003). Unlike merit goods, considered as a global public good. only a few goods, such as sunlight and peace deemed necessary for human development, and security. Other goods that lack these human-made goods promote inclusiveness absolute properties are impure global public through investment in infrastructure. Once Address infrastructure goods, such as information or education. These implemented, additional users can use these Address infrastructure offers a specific example may have private aspects, for example, exclud- types of goods without extra cost. When more of a communication and physical infrastructure ability. In many cases, agreement is reached to individuals are granted access to networks and that has the potential to create global benefits. make these private aspects public at the global infrastructures, these goods become more However, to determine whether address infra- level in order to create overall benefit. Such valuable, even across borders, by attracting structure should be considered as a global pub- decisions are based in part on the presence or more and diverse users. As a result of this lic good, it is necessary to determine whether it absence of externalities. inclusiveness, more people, governments, is non-rival, non-excludable and underprovided,

24 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure

and whether it has externalities that make it an be limited to certain users. It can be used by Does an address infrastructure impure global public good. anyone for a variety of different applications. have externalities? The essential first step in determining A nationally implemented infrastructure can in Once implemented, address infrastructure whether address infrastructure can be con- fact contribute towards individuals’ integration has the potential to contribute to worldwide sidered a public or a global public good is in society by providing them with a means of welfare by creating the conditions that aid in to establish a definition.3) It is important to communicating with other members connected the provision of other public and private goods. note that a single address in itself does not to the network. Government entities are not Although potential providers may only see the qualify as a public good because it has private excluded from gathering information based initial price of the investment, not all of the characteristics. A single address is a unique on addresses to guide and plan their activi- benefits obtained by address infrastructure can point that indicates access and location, a ties. Businesses also cannot be barred from be captured in the initial investment cost. For rival good that is unique and unambiguous. 4) providing their location information to other example, positive externalities can be seen in Conversely, an address infrastructure com- businesses and consumers or from using the the manner in which individuals and the public prises many unique addresses composed of infrastructure to improve communication and and private sectors can grow the value of the street names and house numbers, including the exchange. It is therefore impossible to exclude infrastructure through their distinct uses. linkages between individual addresses. It is the users from accessing address infrastructure For the individual, an address infrastructure underlying structure that supports the address once it is nationally implemented. creates externalities by permitting integration network. With this definition in mind, the fol- into society. An individual with an address lowing section analyzes address infrastructure Does an address infrastructure becomes part of an interconnected network. through the framework used to define global suffer from underprovision? This network will become more useful and public goods. Like most global public goods, address infra- productive as more people have an address structure is underprovided on account of mar- and can use it daily to communicate with others Is an address infrastructure ket failure. Its non-rival and non-excludable who are accessible through the network. By non-rival? properties make it impossible to ensure that expanding the number of members who may Individuals or groups can employ addresses the costs and benefits of financing addresses benefit from larger network coverage, address across the public and private sectors without remain with the investor. For this reason, pro- networks promote inclusiveness and the use diminishing their availability for any other users. viding an address for everyone remains a chal- of the network for an increasing number of Individuals use addresses without rivalry in their lenge. However, due to the large importance applications (Kaul, 2003). For example, a uni- day-to-day activities for communicating, find- of address infrastructure for the community, versal address network permits individuals to ing locations and orienting themselves. At the its underprovision often results in the rise of use addresses to obtain goods and services same time, governments can use addresses as private alternatives: local and partial solutions such as public services, and to participate in a tool to identify, communicate with and access can be used to bypass the immediate need for elections and other public activities, which the population. Public and private sectors may an official address; individuals can use other contribute to economic and social development also use address infrastructure to identify cli- communication devices or their own descrip- and democracy. ents, provide services, establish communication tive addresses; and the public and private sec- Public sector activities also become more and develop markets without conflict due to tors can provide identifiers, such as descriptive valuable when address infrastructure is used rivalry. Internationally, a reliable address infra- addresses, plot numbers, water bills, and so as a tool by a variety of actors across sectors to structure can be used for worldwide commu- on, to provide services, do business and reach increase communication and improve coopera- nication, service delivery and humanitarian aid. their customers. tion. Databases containing address information Address infrastructure is also non-rival across These alternative systems serve one purpose can be used across government sectors to generations. Intergenerational benefits include and lack a global view of the public realm. improve information sharing and manage- the long-term multiple use of the address net- Several alternative address systems can cause ment, thereby making government more work. Although some maintenance is required negative consequences for a society, resulting effective and enriching information systems. (extension of the system, repairing of signs, in costly duplicated information and a lack of For example, one public organization can use accommodation for new constructions), in a common standard system that can be used address infrastructure to plan urban growth, general, once an initial investment is made in across sectors. Even more seriously, private which can then help other organizations to the design, methodology and implementation addressing systems without nationwide infra- plan basic and emergency services that will of the network, it can be left as is. structure may exclude large segments of the in turn improve the welfare of individuals and population who become neglected and cannot society as a whole. In point of fact, an address Is an address infrastructure be reached. This results in a range of problems, infrastructure becomes an information system non-excludable? stretching from confusion within the systems itself by providing important inputs into city Addresses are provided in a standard way that and, for users, lack of a legal identity, insecurity planning and management, service delivery, allows for equal access regardless of the status and crime, to poor delivery of basic services and mail delivery and emergency services provision, or socio-economic position of the individual. the emergence of informal markets. among others. An address infrastructure that is in place cannot

25 Addressing the world – An address for everyone © UPU

Freetown, Sierra Leone

An address infrastructure also creates posi- infrastructure are relevant to the traditional creates externalities; the greater the tive externalities in the private sector. Better properties of global public goods: number of points connected, the higher address coverage helps private sector actors f Non-rival. Address infrastructure is the level of available secondary benefits. to expand their market by identifying and non-rival, even extremely so: the more f Global. Address infrastructure is providing access to key customers and facili- people who have access to an address useful across borders, populations and tating goods and service delivery. The more network, the greater the benefit generations: once implemented it can business relationships are maintained, the experienced by the network. be used to establish communication more economic transactions are exchanged f Non-excludable. Address infrastructure with individuals, governments and and the greater the economic development is non-excludable: once the businesses across borders and cultures. experienced by society. In countries with infrastructure is in place, everyone It is intergenerational since the benefits large informal economic sectors, it is even can make use of an address without from address infrastructure cut across conceivable that obtaining an address will help payment of a fee, regardless of socio- generations and remain useful for many informal businesses improve access to potential economic status. Address infrastructure years, with an address even becoming customers. As economist Hernando de Soto may even play an integrating role, an attribute of an individual. points out, many informal businesses are pre- because it connects vulnerable groups vented from participating in a national legal With this in mind, address infrastructure to the larger international system. framework because of bureaucratic barriers, can be considered to have properties that f Underprovision. Address infrastructure such as the inability to prove identity or register place it within the scope of a human-made is underprovided: despite the potential at an address (de Soto, 2000). The verification impure global public good. An impure good for positive societal impacts across of legal identity by address can thereby pro- has properties that allow it to become a pri- policy sectors and borders, addresses vide more efficient access to the market, and vate good. However, the potential for address suffer from market failure and must could contribute to transforming the informal infrastructure to benefit a diversity of users, be supplied by the government. economy into a formal economy, which in turn including individuals and the public and private Other systems may be used instead becomes more open and transparent. sectors, means it should be located in the public of addresses, but they lack the multi- domain. Implementing an address infrastruc- purpose potential and global benefit of Can address infrastructure be ture bolsters policies in myriad ways, connect- an official address infrastructure. considered a global public good? ing people, governments and businesses at the f Externalities. Address infrastructure Bearing in mind the properties of public and local, national, regional and international levels. has positive externalities: addresses global public goods, address infrastructure are a fundamental tool to facilitate the may be considered as an impure public good. provision of public and private goods The following characteristics of address across sectors. Address infrastructure

26 these challenges. Address infrastructure can infrastructure Address challenges. these funding. and implementation its to support for address infrastructure, which can then then can which infrastructure, for address Understanding address infrastructure as a as infrastructure address Understanding solve domestic challenges while also providing providing also while challenges domestic solve the to specific are megalopolises and slums and private sectors. However, responsibil the sectors. private and Conclusion with within the worldview of nations who face who of nations worldview the within with created be can way, guidelines international not be administered the same way everywhere, everywhere, way same the administered be not framework own their to implement ments mentation. infrastructure Address should be community level. For example, the issues of issues the example, For level. community a as infrastructure address around consensus to provide opportunity aunique considered but certain guidelines can be followed that followed be can guidelines certain but spheres. private and policies public most across cuts it because public the and individual the beyond benefits be translated into local applications at the at applications into local translated be global benefits. It is therefore necessary that necessary therefore is It benefits. global dealt be must such as and world, developing in this considered is it Once good. public global global building in step first the is development chal important highlights good public global ity for implementing it is difficult to ascertain ascertain to difficult is it for implementing ity infrastructure as a basis for national and global global and for national abasis as infrastructure imple regarding opportunities and lenges International guidelines help national govern national help guidelines International Raising awareness about the role of address of address role the about awareness Raising - - - - - states take the initiative and decide what goods goods what decide and initiative take the states are essential for them and what goods should should goods what and for them essential are needs of the population and the financial and and financial the and population of the needs be made public, taking into consideration the the into consideration taking public, made be implementation capacity of the government. capacity implementation Part I:Studyonthesocialandeconomicvalueofaddress infrastructur 4) 3) 2) 1)

by their distinct addresses. by distinct their differentiated be can name same the with individuals names to serve differentiate their identities, just as distinct their address, same the at live individuals multiple that case the In together. live they unless address same the have can area that in other no area, one in address an assigned is individual an If number). house and name street same the have not do a city within located buildings two (e.g. aspace within address same the hold cannot places two hand, other the On addresses. distinct to them linking by name same the have who individuals differentiates address an hand, one the On definition. this for important especially are Two concepts party. other any by use its barring thereby existence, legal person’s the verifies which identity, aperson’s of attribute an address an make can point exact an to reference This phone number systems. mobile or airport international the as such element, international that system includes a “location” any nearly to relates discussion this however, infrastructure; on address focuses discussion The systems. national as scope or level same the at so do not do they exist, systems security private Although but to the network of addresses. addresses. of network the to but not to refers a address single infrastructure Address Favelha Brazil Janeiro, de Rio Rocinha,

Addressing across policy dimensions

Address infrastructure helps to link citizens eight policies, by providing a fundamental and obligations as a citizen and be recognized at local, national and international levels. knowledge base to inform decision making as part of a nation. Without such identifica- Comprehensive street naming and house num- and action, addresses can help to support other tion, individuals can be barred from using many bering provide a basis for communicating and critical national endeavours. public services or from moving freely within exchanging physical items, while enabling the national territory (Harbitz and Boekle-Giuffrida, implementation of national policies for social 2009). A legal identity confirms an individual’s and economic development. The previous sec- I. Governance right to access a legal system that proves his or tion made the case for conceptualizing address Good national governance consists of public her existence in society and, at the same time, infrastructure as a global public good. This sector resource administration that is inclusive, provides the opportunity to claim citizenship. section illustrates the practical implications of accountable and meets the needs of citizens. Many nations issue national identity cards or addresses that make them global and public, For governance to be representative, it needs a other documents, which constitute proof of the notably their important benefits across policy reliable base from which to inform institutions. bearer’s legal identity, many times including an dimensions. Address data provides one way to optimize individual’s place of residence. Internationally Formal citizen identity, efficient public the applicability of policies and the ability of recognized documents, including passports administrations and productive businesses, to governments to identify citizens, reinforce the and visas, also require individuals to be officially name a few, all depend upon the availability rule of law, expand electoral participation and registered by personal identifiers, for example, of reliable address infrastructure. The ability support e-government. Although arguments date of birth, physical features and an official to precisely locate specific points enables the can be made against the use of addresses address. identification and focused delivery of services as an identification tool (such as privacy Personal identifiers, while seemingly within the larger national territory. At the concerns), without accurate population data mundane, may exclude individuals with a low same time, standardized addresses allow for policy-makers experience real difficulty in fully socio-economic background, migrants and increased interoperability with other networks, implementing equitable social policies. victims of internal displacement from being creating more value for potential users. For citizens, an address means the ability recognized as citizens. If individuals have no Although the implementation of address to communicate with the state. Without an address, proof of identity or residence, the infrastructure presents many important oppor- address infrastructure, individuals face barri- civil registration process may become out of tunities for individuals, governments and the ers to their political representation. The lack their reach. An official address helps individuals private sector, resources to meet the specific of access to political institutions yields less overcome some of the bureaucratic obstacles challenges related to implementing addressing representative public policies. caused by their inability to fill out or receive policies at the national level are often diverted Official civil registration that proves an legal documentation that opens the door to in favour of more immediate policy needs. individual’s legal personal identity enables a their legal identity. However, as can be seen through the following person to take advantage of his or her rights

28 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

Children attending school in Habilah, Sudan. In many nations an address determines which school a child will attend.

Without addresses, people cannot obstacles and providing access to the nation’s determined based on topography, cadastre, be identified or reached formal legal system. census and demographics, with reference to In Kenya, an effort by the Ministry of Participatory elections are indispensable addresses. Immigration to issue 5 million national for a representative democracy. Larger voter The evolution of information and com- identity cards has been delayed in part turnout increases the possibility of the elector- munication technologies (ICTs) has furthered because of its inability to distribute the ate being represented and contributes to the the use of e-services, including e-government. cards. Many cards remain uncollected in quality of democracy (Ank, 2011). However, in E-government has the potential to expand the possession of the Ministry because it many circumstances, segments of the popula- access to government and public administration. does not possess an adequate electronic tion remain excluded from voting because they It is also expected to enhance service delivery database of addresses that indicates do not have an official address with which to and government efficiency by improving inte- where to send the cards (Gichane, 2012). register. Despite these obstacles to voter regis- gration and communication across government tration, voting remains compulsory in 31 coun- sectors, as well as extending services at a lower For citizens to benefit under the rule of tries (Elliot, 2005) and a constitutional right cost. This is especially important in the light of law and to exercise their legal rights and in 108 countries (Ditkoff, 2011). Penalties for increasingly mobile populations that require obligations, they must be acknowledged and non-participation can be severe, ranging from more flexible government. Official addresses accounted for. Legally recognized individuals fines and blocks on drawing salary (Bolivia) to provide a secure way to confirm one’s identity have more opportunities to communicate with obstacles to obtaining official documents and when complying with official e-government the state, to participate in government and to accessing services such as childcare (Italy). requirements, such as when filling out forms, make their voices heard. The United Nations Addresses also serve to determine the distri- completing legal documents and registering Development Programme’s Commission on bution and extent of voter districts by allowing on e-government sites. Because identity fraud the Legal Empowerment of the Poor estimates the mapping of a representative population presents a growing concern, addresses may that 4 billion people are excluded from the pool, which enables communities to elect also provide an additional means of verification rule of law and that an address constitutes a representative leaders. Important policies that and authentication. Currently, registered letters significant step toward correcting this reality. reflect the preferences of the local population still play a necessary role in official transactions, The establishment of an address infrastructure with regard to schools, taxes, development of but this might change as the use of paper- helps individuals to access their legal rights and local services and so on can thus be devel- based forms decreases to allow faster access to encourages people to take advantage of equal- oped. Voter districts also help to ensure that services and reductions in paper waste. ity before the law. Proving one’s residence at individuals are registered only in their appro- an officially recognized address and carrying priate residential area, ensuring transparency an ID may be one step in overcoming these and discouraging fraudulent registrations. In South Africa, for example, voting districts are

29 Addressing the world – An address for everyone © Hope© Foundation Kolkata

In Kolkata, India, the “Addressing the Unaddressed” project affixes a unique code to each dwelling, thus providing an identity for residents.

II. Urban development and land and ensuring equal access to citizens. By slum authorities or businesses can organize management incorporating communities into an urban plan, their own system of service delivery for goods Rapid urbanization has changed the face of cit- inhabited areas can be regulated and land use such as water, sanitation or electricity; however, ies, outpacing planning schemes and creating planned more efficiently and sustainably, espe- water delivery in slums, for instance, may cost obstacles to further integration between and cially in the face of limited human, financial 200 times the tap price (UN-Habitat, 2002). within nations. Trends in developing countries and natural resources. Address infrastructure show that the explosion in rural to urban migra- also contributes to other initiatives like spatial Address data contributes to the tion poses problems for both governments and information management, poverty mapping, planning and monitoring of slum citizens. In order to create resilient cities that vulnerability assessments and so forth, which upgrading projects can respond to this rapid change, governments also seek to provide information on urban From 1995–1998, the Government of must invest in infrastructure that facilitates areas. Brazil established the Habitar-Brasil location of and access to all areas of the Rapid urbanization combined with poorly Programme to finance slum upgrading in national territory and its people. Establishing planned and inefficient land use contributes major cities. The objective was to combat address infrastructure is one way to reclaim to the emergence of informal settlements. social exclusion and violence, improving, urban areas for future growth and prosperity. These settlements, also called slums, spring at the same time, housing conditions in Sustainable urban planning requires up in unregulated areas that have little or no the favelas, including services and facili- adequate assessment of the current and infrastructure, precarious legal rights, and few ties, access and circulation. In order to future needs of citizens. However, growing possibilities for slum dwellers to integrate into respond to these problems, infrastruc- urban population densities, intensive land use, the city. Despite these poor conditions, some tures and service networks were made insecure land tenure and space constraints estimates place around one third of the urban a priority focus of favela upgrading challenge the development of sustainable population in slums in developing countries programmes. In spite of these efforts, urban plans and threaten future development. (World Bank, 2009a). Rural to urban migration a commonly cited obstacle was lack of At present, a large percentage of the urban without the capacity to integrate new arrivals information. Insufficient data on slums poor are effectively disconnected from urban is a key factor in the boom in informal settle- and lack of access to favelas precluded life and suffer from lack of infrastructure and ments. In addition, the precarious housing con- the collection and storage of necessary services. In many cases, these urban poor “do ditions of informal settlements often exclude information (IBAM, 2002). not even ‘exist’ on city maps” (Tibaijuka, 2008), residents from receiving public services. Slum which makes it difficult to build reliable and dwellers are being forced to find alternatives In response to this challenge, Millennium sustainable public policy or to deliver services. to government-provided services that may lack Development Goal 7, Target 11, strives to Address infrastructure helps governments formal access and secured provision, resulting significantly improve the lives of 100 million rise to these urban challenges by identifying in another form of exclusion. For example, slum dwellers. However, rapid urbanization and

30 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

A busy street in Sierra Leone. Address data provides critical information for planning public works and transportation.

weak infrastructure have limited the ability of tasks by providing spatial information and decisions regarding where and how much some countries to attain this target (World facilitating access across the nation. to invest in infrastructure and works such as Bank, 2009a). Proactive policies are therefore transportation systems, hospitals, schools and required to anticipate the development of cit- Reliable census information helps energy systems. ies. Addresses help to map urban areas, which municipalities to better plan In contrast, inadequate infrastructure can often suffer from a lack of services or govern- services and resources have severe negative economic impacts. In ment oversight, and enable the implementation The UK’s 2001 census results showed a nations without reliable population informa- of dynamic plans to counteract urban sprawl large decrease in population as compared tion, it is generally agreed by development and exclusion. Address infrastructure presents to previous estimates, especially for experts that poor quality or insufficient infra- an opportunity to understand the character- Manchester and Westminster. This drop structure reduces urban economic gains. Some istics of these areas by locating throughways, did not match the expected demand for countries have undertaken efforts to positively settlements and dwellings, thereby recording local services. Only after a private com- harness urban growth and its potential positive previously inaccessible locations and provid- pany, specialized in interpreting spatially effects on a country. A case in point is the large ing governments with information about the referenced data, reviewed the census emerging economies of China and India, which extent of these settlements. information, was it discovered that the are both rapidly urbanizing and demanding Reliable census data is the basis of any 2001 census undercounted the popula- urban infrastructure. From roads to subways inventory of a nation’s population, assets and tion by 27,000. These results yielded an and bridges, address data can help to inform needs. Census data helps to illuminate trends, increase of 10 million GBP per year in policy-makers of the best investments based measure important indicators that monitor Manchester’s Revenue Support Grant on demand. development goals, and identify critical areas of (Manchester Geomatics, 2011). Perhaps the most important factor for concern. Informal settlements, rural areas and individual welfare, especially in urban areas, other inaccessible areas are often omitted from Additionally, census and other statistical is provision of basic services: running water, national census data because of their isolation. information provide a demographic picture of sanitation and electricity. At present, many These communities are overlooked and remain a country, enabling more efficient distribution urban poor depend on illegal or unsafe con- excluded from policies, programmes and and development of public infrastructure and nections. Efforts to expand markets in these budget allocations. As a result, governments works. Necessary public infrastructure such areas are prohibitively difficult because of are not aware of the scope of the challenges as roads and communication systems require unclear demand and necessity. As with other and have only a poor understanding of the an understanding of the composition and forms of urban planning, the key is knowing resources required for development, a situation preferences of the population. For instance, where additional infrastructure for water and that prevents appropriate action. Addresses a combination of census and address data sewage pipes or electricity lines is most needed help census organizations to undertake their can influence government and private sector and where they can be built. The absence of

31 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

an address infrastructure is a significant bar- waste sites, mapping collection routes, creates barriers to integration, reinforces pov- rier to provision of these services, resulting in and estimating the number of homes in erty, and stunts the economic development inability to efficiently organize the production, each collection zone. The city’s address- of cities that do not have policies to overcome distribution and consumption. ing unit monitored the collection system. these obstacles. Moreover, weak social cohe- Conversely, the more extensive the address The positive results included a 20% to 80% sion and feelings of marginalization provoke infrastructure, the larger the percentage of the collection increase, a 64% market expan- disorder and violence (Rogers and Power, population that may enjoy access to services, sion and a 76% increase in paid bills. Most 2000). Where physical addresses exist, they can such as water or sanitation. importantly, as of 1997 cholera no longer promote integration by incorporating individu- presents as an epidemic (Farvacque- als into a network that allows for information Addresses help plan basic services Vitkovic, et al., 2005). exchange and community building, adoption of Between 1988 and 1996, Brazil launched a cultural identity, as well as access to educa- the First Water Supply and Sanitation Electricity is a basic service whose perva- tion and employment. Project for Low-income Populations siveness can affect the ability of individuals to (PROSANEAR 1). The project consulted have access to new technologies and conve- Addresses allow individuals to be with communities in order to tailor effi- niences, while also affecting the willingness considered as part of society cient and affordable initiatives. In addi- and capacity of the private sector to develop. In East Jerusalem, hundreds of streets tion to promoting improved water and Individuals strive to obtain electricity to use are unnamed and many of the 250,000 sanitation, the project helped to create basic conveniences such as lights and appli- people who live there lack addresses. a broad sense of community and greater ances and for personal entertainment (i.e. to The unnamed streets are a consequence integration. The project also had the sec- charge cell phones). To access electricity in of the city’s refusal to recognize thou- ondary effect of contributing to individual the absence of formal delivery systems, many sands of houses built without the cor- self-esteem, as the introduction of formal individuals turn to makeshift connections that rect building permit. As one municipal postal addresses and water bills enabled are dangerous, inefficient and inconsistent. council member stated: “The underlying participants to consider themselves resi- Additionally, electricity is a critical component message in this situation is that as far as dents in the society (WSP, 2009). of a functioning business, and businesses are we’re concerned, you don’t exist, you’re often unwilling to operate in vague localities not worth even a street name.” The issue Water is more difficult to access in the with poor connections. In this context, the of identity aside, this lack of an address absence of street addresses. With 1.1 billion World Bank’s Getting Electricity Report cites affects the daily lives of the individuals, people lacking access to an adequate water the lack of reliable address networks as a “time who cannot receive official mail, includ- supply, better address network coverage offers cost” for acquiring an electrical connection ing time-sensitive public notices (Hasson, an opportunity to improve the sustainable (World Bank, 2010). The time to establish a 2011). delivery of water with vast implications on connection may increase and the process may human health and development. become more complicated if the service con- One of the basic characteristics of an Likewise, sanitation is an important basic nector or the government does not recognize address is universality. It plays a role in the service that has vast implications for the health the delivery point. social integration of individuals because and dignity of individuals. Poor sanitation anyone, regardless of socio-economic status, negatively impacts the environment and public religion, gender, age and so on, can obtain an health, both of which have a direct effect on III. Migration and social address. An address grants a sense of identity productivity. In 2008, 48% of the developing integration and dignity and, as mentioned above, can cre- world lacked basic sanitation, contributing Migration is a major factor in the (re)organi- ate a channel through which individuals can to disease and social exclusion (UN, 2010). zation of a nation’s territory and economic realize their rights and obligations in society. Addressing reduces the spread of disease by development. Since the 1950s, unprecedented The act of providing citizens with an address supporting sanitation services. rural to urban migration, inter-urban migra- helps to overcome barriers that disrupt access tion among the poor, and an increase in the to opportunities. Addressing reduces the spread number of internally displaced people have Since opportunities are offered first to of disease by supporting sanitation caused changes to population distribution “formal” members of society, many migrants services and government policy priorities (Gilbert and and slum dwellers suffer from poor access to Until 1995, Conakry, New Guinea, experi- Gugler, 1992). Many migrants are obliged to jobs and education and insufficient wages enced severe problems as a result of poor install themselves in ghettos or unplanned (World Bank, 2008). This daily exclusion makes sanitation. Roads remained blocked as areas where they have limited access to politi- these individuals a magnet for stereotypes waste piled up, and the city was espe- cal representation and public services. As a that portray them as dangerous, poor and cially vulnerable to cholera outbreaks. result, vulnerable and marginalized groups may inferior. In this context, efforts to integrate Addressing proved to be instrumental not feel part of the nation or the community excluded populations are crucial to upholding in facilitating waste collection, zoning in which they live. This feeling of segregation the social fabric of cities and preventing social

32 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure Ian Steele © United Nations Photo/ Library

Children pumping water in Hodeidah, Yemen (Arab Rep.). Better address network coverage offers an opportunity to provide home delivery of public services.

fragmentation and instability. Incorporation monuments and points of interest become allocation of necessary resources and thus into service networks through the simple act more accessible if everyone can easily locate quality of education. of formalizing streets and numbering houses them. More access encourages the growth of Employment constitutes an essential has an enormous integrating effect. Having an tourism and provides economic incentives to opportunity for individuals to escape poverty address located on a city map and access to identify, develop and preserve cultural areas. and instils a sense of dignity. However, living in public transportation routes helps to enforce Furthermore, the identification of culturally an area without addresses can be an obstacle perceptions of urban harmony and unity. For important areas can generate community to being hired by a formal institution. The lack this reason, many urban projects include a awareness of shared culture, thereby ensuring of proof of residence can be perceived as a social integration component, which incor- their preservation (World Bank, 2008). stigma by the labour market, with repercus- porates the expansion of infrastructure and Equal access to quality education plays sions that go beyond individual discrimina- access. A common first step is the construction a fundamental role in future development tion. The economic productivity of society is of a principal roadway to permit the population and reduces economic disparities among also affected as individuals are forced to find to access public services in their area, or to citizens. In many nations an address is what alternatives in the informal labour market. consolidate and improve the secondary road determines which school a child will attend. Participation in the informal economy is often network (Andreatta, 2009). Neighbourhoods or districts can divide popula- a product of the inability of individuals to meet A sense of shared culture can help to cre- tions along class or race lines and influence the requirements of the formal labour sectors, ate a cohesive and harmonious state. Street the accessibility and quality of education. The which oblige a legal identity and an official naming, in particular, often reflects a shared stigma associated with a neighbourhood or a address. cultural history or the shared values of a nation. school has repercussions for the educational For example, street names can be used to high- development of children. Individuals cannot apply for jobs light and promote the history and patrimony of In some documented cases, addresses are without an official address the nation through the use of national heroes rented out or forged so that a child can attend In Japan, the 2008 global recession or symbols. In addition, allowing communi- a school in a district that has a better reputation resulted in many workers being laid off, ties to participate in the naming of streets and or more resources, or is located in a better area which prevented them from affording allocating names that have cultural importance than the neighbourhood school. As a result, housing. These newly homeless indi- to them can play a significant role in the inte- preferred schools become overcrowded and viduals lacked addresses and found them- gration process. the quality of education may decrease, while selves unable to apply for employment. Address infrastructure aids in the spatial the state of the remaining schools may worsen. One individual, unemployed for months, organization of neighbourhoods, facilitat- A fair and clear understanding of the composi- lamented, “Human resources agencies ing equal access to cultural patrimony and tion and needs of the population, illustrated by used to hire contract workers like me fostering a sense of national pride. Cultural addresses, plays an important role in improving without an official address, but that has

33 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

changed … Now you need an official and identification based on physical addresses attack, a primary concern would be maintain- address and a guarantor.” Innovative make it easier to take concerted action against ing the integrity of critical infrastructure, such attempts to overcome this obstacle in these forms of criminality and to form strategic as telecommunication or energy. Assessments Tokyo, for example, include Cyber@Café, plans to respond to emergencies. In such situa- should be undertaken as early as possible to which offers homeless individuals an tions, security personnel must be able to locate determine a course of action if one of these official registered address (Osaka, 2008). and reach an individual and a site swiftly. infrastructures is comprimised. Address infra- Additionally, preventing organized crime structure could serve as an invaluable tool on On top of the bias the absence of an groups from operating domestically and across which to base decisions about mobilizing secu- address brings, a lack of addresses also disrupts borders is a main responsibility of the govern- rity forces, as well as serve as a communication the critical role of communication in labour ment. For this reason, security measures that and distribution network. The low-tech and relations between employers and employees. require individuals to identify themselves and mostly permanent characteristics of address Formal employers often require applicants to their locations restrict the ability of criminal networks make them an infrastructure which provide an address in order to ensure com- groups to take advantage of weak infrastruc- cannot be easily destroyed or tampered with, munication and payment of salary. ture and poor coordination. For example, when contributing to their reliability in the case of a sending a package internationally, a return national security breach. address has been identified as an important International humanitarian assistance IV. Security tool to improve security. A false return address may also benefit from information based on Conserving the integrity of the national terri- can be one of the many indicators that help address infrastructure. When operating in tory so as to ensure the authority of the govern- raise suspicion about a dangerous package. A the field, international assistance personnel ment is a pillar of statehood and a fundamental physical address is critical for identifying send- involved in humanitarian and development factor in national security. Development cannot ers and being able to follow up when there activities must be kept informed about the occur in a state of constant fear, as robbery, are problems. An infrastructure comprised of risks of their work. In order to make decisions drugs, violence and murder impede the integ- clearly identifiable street names and house about operations, existing hazards must be rity of the state and community life. Data numbers, as well as an updated informa- accounted for and a comprehensive plan must on the spatial organization of territory and tion database, is essential for ensuring rapid be designed. Integrating all of the available an understanding of the composition of the response times. information, including spatial information, is nation, including knowledge of the population, a critical factor for making secure decisions. allows the state to ensure social stability, pre- Addresses support compulsory In countries affected by war and insecurity, pare itself against threats and respond to them. security measures reliable address infrastructure can facilitate Police protection is necessary to isolate and In October 2010, a package containing the identification and access of safe havens respond to threats to the stability of social a bomb hidden in a print cartridge was for victims and personnel. Additionally, in order. The recent growth in urban areas and sent from Yemen to an address in Chicago. countries where land mines remain hidden, poverty has been accompanied by a rise in The bomb was identified before any dam- addresses and other spatial tools can help crime and violence. Many urban areas are now age occurred; however, in response, the personnel protect themselves and beneficiaries considered dangerous and inaccessible, even to U.S. Transport Security Administration by avoiding at-risk areas. security authorities. Access to such precarious (TSA) imposed restrictive measures areas is fundamental for the protection of all on incoming packages. One regulation citizens, but an understanding of the particu- required that packages to the U.S. over V. Economy larities of an area or its inhabitants is essential 453 grammes include a known sender Quality institutions serve an important role before police can react. Address infrastructure (proof of identity and address). For many in a country’s economic development by can help identify spatial patterns that high- developing countries this requirement establishing the formal and informal rules for light crime-ridden areas so that appropriate was not possible to meet since many ownership and exchange (and their enforce- resources can be assigned to cover these areas people lack an address. The U.S. security ment). Formal personal identification, the rule and manage the danger. measures resulted in millions of parcels of law and integrative urban development The internationalization of organized crime blocked around the world and millions of and social policies help set the foundation for further emphasizes the need for governments dollars in losses for Posts and couriers. these necessary institutions in areas such as to identify and locate citizens within the popu- The UPU is drafting a screening standard land and property rights, tax systems and trade. lation in terms of both national and global wel- that identifies including return address However, this foundation itself is supported fare. Petty thieves, gangs and organized crime verification when sending packages as a by the role addresses play as an infrastructure. groups take advantage of the inaccesibility of best practice. When linked to governance, law, social policies informal and unidentified areas for their illegal and planning, addresses help ensure protec- activities, making the regulation of national National security forces must be able to tion of investments for individuals and for the territory and citizen protection a major chal- assess and manage location information in private sector, thereby providing confidence lenge for governments. Legal documentation order to respond to threats. In the case of an in the economic system. Both the absence of

34 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

An informal exchange market in Hargeisa, Somaliland. An official address is often a prerequisite to be part of the formal economy.

addresses and poor addresses can raise the cost or middle class in the developing world, who consuming, complicated and more expensive of conducting business and can potentially lead are hindered, without reliable and informed than addressing projects. Additionally, plot to substantial losses. institutions, from attaining the opportunities numbers are not well known even by their for improving their economic outlook. Poor owners and in many cases do not follow a Poor addressing provokes major land and property rights are also an obstacle sequential order or systematic logic, thus mak- annual economic losses for businesses, especially with regard to credit, ing them difficult to memorize. Prior to the implementation of its new investment and land ownership transfers. Addresses can therefore aid in the registra- addressing system, the lack of accu- The identification of an area is an initial step tion of plots of land and confirm their location rate addresses in Costa Rica adversely to establishing property ownership rights and for tax and planning purposes. In the case of a impacted the provision of public services, to implementing a system of land. Addresses poor land tenure regime, tax collection may be the tourism industry, the emergency can help to identify and delimit the boundar- hampered because of insufficient information response system and logistics. When ies of a physical property by becoming the linking individuals to their property. Addresses calculated for the whole country, annual descriptor that identifies the specific access can add information to property and tax regis- economic losses were estimated at 720 point where a plot of land is located. ters to prevent tax avoidance and strengthen million USD. Once information on land and property the ability of states to collect necessary funds. rights is available, it is then possible to cre- Accurate and informative address infra- Legally protected formal land and property ate an accurate property register, which can structure is also critical for transportation plan- rights are generally considered to constitute expand the government’s ability to establish an ning. Information on population distribution a pillar of economic prosperity. In conditions effective tax policy. In many countries property (e.g. place of residence, travel time and traffic where land users are confident that their rights are recorded in a land registry (cadastre) distribution patterns) can improve allocation of property is secure, they have more incentive by plots of land. A plot of land is the titled public transport. Addresses can inform trans- to invest in property and its improvement. spatial extent of divided territory (legal) with portation strategies and be used in models that When property rights remain undefined, it the associated land value and costs (economic) evaluate areas with high levels of traffic so as becomes more challenging to identify where recorded in a cadastral inventory (ISO, 2010). to facilitate the efficient circulation of people, property lies, where to deliver objects, how to Identifying places of residence or property goods and services. This allows companies to access individuals and businesses and, most ownership through addressing enables govern- determine optimum routes, reducing trans- importantly, how to verify property owner- ments to access potential taxpayers and raise portation times and fuel costs. The result is ship. Economist Hernando de Soto defines this revenue to fund public expenditures (roads, increased competitiveness among businesses property as “dead capital” (de Soto, 2000); it public lighting, water network, etc.). Despite and the capacity to deliver products to previ- cannot be used as an asset and prohibits access the important role cadastres play for gathering ously inaccessible or unidentified areas. to credit. This challenge mostly affects the poor tax information, such projects are often time

35 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

Address infrastructure improves address infrastructure becomes an essential intended audience, saving time and money. It distribution element of the world trading system. can also help to refine the choice of marketing Post Denmark has estimated that the techniques, as advertisements (and goods) that new route-planning tool “TOR”, based are popular in one region may not prove suc- on geo-coded address data, will reduce VI. Commerce cessful elsewhere. Data about where and how delivery costs by 7.5 million EUR every A state’s policy towards commerce is a crucial people live greatly enhances the marketing of year (Kristensen, 2004). Better addresses component of economic development. A reli- products, and conversely, its absence makes it lead to better routes, lower transporta- able investment environment for the private difficult to provide preferred goods to custom- tion costs, fewer gas emissions and sector can improve the transfer of goods and ers or to reach consumers in general (McKinsey fewer problems for the distributor and services from producers to consumers. Address Quarterly, 2010). consumer. infrastructure supports business operations The creation and maintenance of an address by identifying businesses, ensuring customer infrastructure also creates data management Emerging economies working to incorpo- access, storing data and facilitating relation- requirements, including the need to develop rate large segments of their populations can ships with banks and other financial institutions. databases. Good data management is impor- greatly benefit from addressing information. An address can provide an important way of tant for many sectors, both public and private. India and China, for example, will see trans- identifying and locating businesses, thereby The diversity of database uses can lead to large portation and communications become their attracting clients. Businesses face difficulties profits for businesses and government orga- largest markets by 2025, according to estimates in advertising their location and expanding nizations in charge of capturing and storing (Dobbs and Sankhe, 2010). Incorporating and their business if clients or other businesses personal information based on addresses, as accessing these growing populations requires are not given contact information, including well as reduce costs associated with duplicate a well-structured and identified transportation an address. Better address infrastructure links information. Data such as address, change of and communication system. organizations and increases opportunities for name, birth and death, and so on, must be In a globalized world, it is recognized productivity and better delivery of goods and constantly updated to prevent duplicate entries that trade plays an important role in national services. Communication between businesses, and consequent confusion (Winer, 2009). development. Improving access to reliable such as retail chains, magazine services, non- infrastructure creates opportunities for more profit fundraising organizations and their Address integration is valuable efficient internal circulation of goods as well as customers is restricted without addresses. for public sector information international market expansion. An adequate management supply of infrastructure, including address Addresses are vital for promoting EURADIN, the EU’s best practice network infrastructure, allows for better and more effi- business operations on addresses, estimates that 60 million cient exchange within and between countries The service Google Places allows busi- EUR per year could be gained through by making trade quicker, less complicated and nesses to post their information online improved address integration. One better monitored. This improved trade in turn for free. This data will then appear on industry in particular that could make forms the basis for increased productivity and Google maps when potential clients gains is the EU’s digital content industry, growth. search the web. Business information which supports public sector information Investment in address infrastructure ben- including address, hours of operation (PSI). The overall market size for PSI in efits international trade by improving identi- and other contact information can be the EU alone is around 27 billion EUR fication of delivery points. Transportation and listed to help firms expand their client (ePSI, 2008). logistics companies affiliated with mail delivery base. However, businesses can use this and address maintenance comprise a large service only where the Google Places An official address is often a prerequisite business, and address infrastructure allows mapping tool is available. Currently, for opening an account at a bank or other these businesses to become more efficient this includes 13 out of 56 listed African financial institution. Personal identification through adoption of improved parcel-tracking countries, 10 out of 37 Asian countries, 1 information is important to maintain customer utilities, which improve customer satisfaction out of 13 Middle Eastern countries, 2 out relations as well as to uphold the integrity of and ensure better delivery of items. Efficient of 14 South American countries, and no financial institutions and, in most countries, for logistics firms use track-and-trace systems to Central American or Caribbean countries compliance with legal requirements concern- monitor export and import shipments between (as of September 2011). This limitation ing money laundering and taxation. In few countries. The quality of logistics is strongly can be detrimental to businesses and countries, individuals without an address can related to the availability of street addresses. creates a barrier to using this otherwise use a post office box as a contact point, but Higher coverage in terms of street addressing free service for advertising. this system has many deficiencies, such as mul- leads to the development of more track-and- tiple users, mail not being frequently collected, trace systems, which bring more transparency The unique identification provided by an and so on, that make it difficult for banks and and higher customer satisfaction. By facilitat- address increases its value to business since financial institutions to reach customers. In ing the movement of goods around the globe, marketing can be directly targeted to the this context, addresses can be used as a way

36 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure ©United Nations Photo Library

A cargo freighter at a port in Korea (Rep.). More reliable addresses foster market expansion and more efficient delivery of goods.

to support a transparent financial system that Tourism constitutes an important source of the modelling and management of informa- prevents money laundering and fraud. income for developing countries and provides tion systems. ICTs present an opportunity to economic and employment opportunities reduce governmental transaction costs and Official addresses boost across sectors. In 2010 alone, international expand connectivity to ever-more remote areas. transparency in financial tourism generated 919 billion USD (693 billion However, barriers such as new costs arising institutions EUR) in export earnings and is expected to from investment in computers and network In Sudan, the new Central Bank law continue to grow (World Tourism Organization, connection remain an obstacle, and access obliges banks to maintain the address 2011). is especially difficult in the absence of good information of their clients as part of an However, finding a tourist location can infrastructure – both physical and regulatory initiative to prevent money laundering be difficult without specific information. (Economic Commission for Africa, 1999). In and combat the financing of terrorism. While residents may be familiar with local this sense, address infrastructure provides a This information is deemed compulsory landmarks and features, tourists need more three-fold support of ICTs: as an alternative to for banks to provide access to financial precise information. Addresses facilitate visi- hi-tech systems, which may be implemented services (Central Bank of Sudan, 2007). tors’ ability to find and reach local attractions unevenly; as a complementary information and businesses, which can add to the tourism system; and as an infrastructure upon which The stringency of bank requirements for experience and foster local growth. For the vast to build other systems. opening an account can present problems number of tourists who plan their vacations The UPU’s constitutional mandate is to for those without an address. In its absence, on the Internet, the comfort and ease with support the development of efficient and identification must be verified by other docu- which they can discover points of interest has accessible universal postal services, in order to ments, such as a land title or utility bills. This is a large impact on their willingness to visit them. facilitate communication between the inhabit- not always feasible and can pose problems for Thus, hotels, restaurants and cultural sites can ants of the world. As long as an address infra- individuals who need access to credit. Name, all benefit from clear addresses. structure is in place, people can be connected address, birthdate, place of birth and, increas- to each other domestically and internationally ingly, national ID number are core elements in regardless of their economic status. The postal identity proofing. As countries develop, they VII. Information and communi- system is fundamental for promoting equality must create not only credit-granting institu- cations technologies and access in otherwise marginalized areas. In tions, but also the industry that calculates the ICTs comprise a combination of hardware, soft- the case of mail delivery, in particular, accurate creditworthiness of individuals and enterprises. ware, media and delivery systems. They range and updated addresses are essential to ensure Addresses play a very fundamental role in this from televisions and radios to phone lines, the delivery of a parcel, especially to remote process. laptops, smart cards, credit cards, Internet areas where the Post may be the only delivery (e-mail, world wide web), and applications for service. The postal sector can also play an

37 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

important role in developing national strategies of individuals. After the law came into tangible good must be delivered to a location, and promoting global commerce, including by force, telecommunications companies usually a physical address. supporting new technologies and pioneering in Spain were required to keep personal e-services in countries (UPU/ITU, 2010). data (name, address and phone number Physical addresses facilitate of registered subscriber) for two years e-commerce Linking physical and virtual (Gutierrez, 2007). Saudi Post now offers the service “Wasel addresses expands the Post’s role Aalami”. This service provides e-shoppers As part of efforts to revitalize the role In the developing world, technologies such in Saudi Arabia who buy online in inter- of the Post, Tunisia M@ilPost provides as the Internet offer great opportunities for national markets with a personal address all citizens with an electronic address, expanding access. E-services, in particular, in different countries (Australia, China, linked to a physical address. The service allow for improved government and business U.K., U.S.). This facilitates e-commerce acts as a multi-communication platform services, and are seen as a means to make by making it possible to shop in countries where citizens can receive administra- processes more efficient. Although devel- that require a domestic postal address tive documents by e-mail. This service oped countries have traditionally had a higher for delivery. Purchases bought online is also used to consolidate the role of the demand for the provision of e-services, this is from websites in these countries will Post, to offer instant notifications and to changing as new technologies become within be delivered to the domestic address in guarantee the security and authenticity reach of the previously marginalized. that country and then shipped directly of electronic exchanges. However, practical, economic, social and to an individual’s “Wasel” address in safety limitations to Internet access still exist. the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is Mobile phones, especially prepaid phones, Notably, fixed broadband networks and high- especially useful in the case of certain play an important role in connecting people speed Internet connections may be limited or companies that offer free delivery for where few other services are available, allow- non-existent in poor or isolated areas, creating domestic customers (Saudi Post, 2012). ing access to services such as text messaging obstacles to steady personal Internet access and mobile banking. Prepaid contracts that do (UN, 2010) In many countries, Internet access The Global Positioning System (GPS) has not require an address or registration process is not universal and lack of an address can revolutionized efforts to pinpoint locations are the most popular option for individuals in prevent home installation of an Internet con- by assigning precise physical coordinates to developing countries. Telecom operators also nection. Access to Internet connections also geographical positions. The data derived often prefer to be paid upfront, rather than assumes that individuals will be literate, have from GPS is a string of numbers interpreted establishing a contract that may be difficult to an understanding of search languages, or be by specialized devices, which are not intuitive enforce. However, despite these advantages, comfortable in general with a computer or the to the user. With the help of identifiable and not being able to identify and communicate Internet itself, which may not be true, especially standardized addresses, GPS can be made with clients or register phones decreases the of the elderly. Statistics show a great disparity more user friendly and can be used in an array opportunity for selling better quality and more in Internet usage within African countries. For of devices (ISO, 2010). services. Address infrastructure can contribute example, in 2010, 28% of the Nigerian popu- A geographic information system (GIS) to the development of mobile phone invest- lation used the Internet, compared with only similarly stores diverse data that can be used ments by mapping phone distribution and 4% in Mozambique and 12% in South Africa to analyze and manage geographic information providing a complementary means of com- (United Nations Statistics Division, 2012). and then present this information on maps. GIS munication between clients and businesses. E-commerce, the purchasing of goods combines data on land use, population, prop- online, offers individuals many choices through erty and so on to form an integrated model that European legislation requires exchange with the larger economy and allows aids in decision making and can be adapted prepaid phones to be linked with for more dynamic relationships between busi- to other data models. GIS can make use of addresses nesses, customers and suppliers for the better address infrastructure by adding another layer In 2007, the Law on the Conservation provision of goods and services. However, to existing data models to expand applications of Data Related to Electronic secure online identities and secure delivery of and observe relationships, contributing to a Communication and Public Networks purchases are important factors in the develop- base of information. Mapping tools such as the was approved in Spain, based on the ment of this service. A physical address may World Bank’s “Putting the Poor on the Map” European Union’s Directive 2006/24/ be used to authenticate an electronic address use GIS to identify and map the urban poor, so CE, which seeks to harmonize obliga- used in commerce and communication trans- as to create informed policies to alleviate urban tions of publicly available electronic and actions, for example to validate credit cards, poverty by facilitating zoning and the planning communication data services for the improve the quality of service for delivery of of water and sanitation utilities at both the city purpose of investigations or prosecution goods and provide accurate identification and the national level (World Bank, 2009b). of serious crime. This directive strives to information. Credit cards in particular require Despite the popularity and ease of recently fight terrorism and organized crime by the guarantee of an address before granting developed technologies, address infrastructure facilitating the identification and location their services. Furthermore, once purchased, a has not been rendered obsolete. The inherent

38 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

An open dump site in Manila, Philippines. Addresses can support sanitation services and help reduce the spread of disease.

need for a good address infrastructure is making it possible to implement environmen- air pollution. However, this problem is not very often underestimated. In fact, addresses tally sustainable and cost-effective economic without remedy. It is estimated that 56.6% complement these technologies by provid- and social-development plans. However, as of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions ing baseline information that serves to more cities grow beyond their set boundaries, they come from CO2 generated from fossil fuels efficiently locate places for delivering services, infringe on fragile ecosystems, increasing their (IPCC, 2007). It is estimated that the CO2 streamlining internal government adminis- vulnerability to disease and natural disasters. emissions of trucks alone could be reduced tration, and linking physical and electronic Many cities face difficulties in managing by as much as 30% through improvements addresses. These new technologies must be resources, and deal with the challenges of in the operational efficiency of goods distri- combined with lower-tech solutions to inte- pollution generation, precarious housing and bution (Cadena, Remes and Restrepo, 2011). grate and respond to existing challenges. municipal service delivery. Poor management Poor maps and poor street signs force drivers of these issues exacerbates the impact on to travel excessive distances in order to locate already marginalized individuals. delivery points. Finding better ways to get from VIII. Environmental To ensure that cities are sustainable and point A to point B helps to reduce time spent sustainability and natural resilient, it is important to undertake integrated and health and environmental costs. A system disaster management infrastructure development, beginning with of clear routes, labelled streets and identifiable Environmental concerns are becoming an inventory of the nation’s resources. This houses provided by correct addressing is just increasingly prominent with the potential for includes an inventory of parks, nature reserves one way to lay a foundation for a resilient city. climate change and natural disasters to desta- and other vulnerable or non-constructible land bilize national and international populations. so that the balance between urban spaces and Address infrastructure helps Measures to reduce pollutants and degradation green corridors can be preserved. However, monitor energy consumption form part of evolving strategies for sustain- this information base is difficult to create In 2010, Sweden passed a law requiring able development and are key considerations when the extent of the nation’s territory is energy companies to report on the energy when discussing natural disaster management. undocumented or inaccessible. Address infor- consumption of their clients. The purpose Clearly identifiable and available addresses help mation can support the appraisal of a nation’s of the law was to accumulate data on to better plan services in an environmentally resources by identifying and mapping the the energy consumption of buildings, friendly way, facilitate faster response times in systematization of city sprawl to facilitate the as a step towards reducing CO2 emis- the event of crises, and inform emergency and urban and resource planning. sions. (Action can then be taken based health services. Tackling the pollution caused by excess on data from buildings with the greatest Densely populated urban centres provide transportation is one way to improve the energy-savings potential.) Companies the opportunity for greater environmental sustainability of cities. In many developing are required to present yearly reports on efficiency than in areas of dispersed population, countries, cities contribute significantly to their consumers’ consumption, which is

39 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

merged with address data and stored in Crisis response is not isolated to natural improving the capabilities of organizations the National Building & Dwelling Register disasters. The response of emergency ser- to provide aid. One database, the Global (Misser, 2011). vices is also time sensitive. Identification of a Healthcare Facility, has been used to hasten location and the best route to access it are reaction time in the case of natural disasters. Resilient cities reduce the risks associated crucial for rapid response times. Street names The database contains the up-to-date address with natural disasters. The Japanese tsunami, and house numbers greatly facilitate the abil- and coordinate data of health centres. The the Haitian earthquake and the Pakistani and ity of emergency response teams to reach an information is intended to be geographically Chinese floods highlighted the vulnerability of affected area. interoperable and publicly available. human beings and the devastating effects that natural disasters can have on a nation, lead- Address information is vital when Properly locating health facilities ing to financial, environmental and human human lives are in danger benefits those most in need losses. Securing infrastructure and services, It is estimated that across the European In the United Kingdom, complete address and understanding the safety needs of the Union between 4% and 9% of individuals data has been used in conjunction with population enables planners to greatly mitigate transported by emergency services die en private sector demographic data to locate the outcomes for those affected by disasters. route from the incident site to the hospital. new health clinics in emerging immigrant Disaster preparedness involves the iden- A contributory factor in the number of population centres, so as to serve those tification and mapping of vulnerable areas, deaths is long transportation duration. populations in the most cost-effective in order to help assess risks and their drivers Although the trip time between the manner. and to reduce the impact of natural disasters. incident site and the hospital should be Most importantly, disaster preparedness means fixed at 10 minutes, this has been found Public health campaigns serve to promote having an effective response in the case of a to be true in only half of cases (Quoidback, crucial awareness of measures that help pre- disaster. Accurate information is crucial for Nicholson and Fisher, 2009). vent the outbreak of disease, and to provide organizing a timely response, especially in information about existing social and environ- terms of humanitarian relief. A database with In addition to reaching vulnerable areas mental issues. In many developing countries, reliable information, including address data, rapidly, emergency services need to be able weak health systems make public health provides an excellent information base for to identify the people involved in a crisis. campaigns indispensable for communicating disaster damage control by helping nations Information detailing house numbers and with the public, in particular so that vaccina- to rapidly mobilize resources after a disaster – residents is crucial in this regard; without such tions, medicine distribution and information time that can mean the difference between life data, calculating the people affected becomes dissemination can be targeted to vulnerable and death for affected people. When disaster difficult. This is even truer of informal and groups. The ability to reach and inform people strikes, practical strategies for delivering goods unrecognized settlements, whose inhabitants greatly facilitates invaluable health and preven- and services must be in place. in many cases are not registered. tion activities. For example, a database that Address infrastructure also helps in the Poor health and the spread of disease are enables voluntary follow-up for HIV/AIDS cases management of information, which can be exacerbated by poor living conditions and can help people to access information about coordinated and exchanged at different levels inadequate response and treatment, and are where to get treatment in their area and help of government, and during the distribution of intensified by natural disasters. During disease health centres to track disease evolution. In this aid. Databases that use addresses can help outbreaks, response teams must be able to way addressing can be used as a tool to fight to link location data with personal identifica- locate the source and spread of the disease, the spread of illness and disease. tion details and information on vulnerable and be able to physically go to the area and segments of the population. Examples of control it. In some countries, addresses have critical data points include the total number enabled health authorities to map outbreaks. Conclusion of people living in a neighbourhood struck These maps can then be used to locate con- Address networks go far beyond the postal by disaster, and the number of children and taminated water sources, thereby saving lives sector; they are the crucial information that elderly expected to be in the affected area and valuable resources. Health information constitutes an underlying infrastructure upon (Panda, 2011). It is important to note that can be stored with addresses so that patterns which many other services can be built. They while disaster areas can be documented by identifying susceptible neighbourhoods and are a significant step in connecting people satellite imagery, this information is not linked streets may be considered in future planning. to public and private services. The lack of an to data on citizens per household, street or Addressing and GIS data, in particular, offer address infrastructure has a wide range of neighbourhood, important buildings such as opportunities to identify areas vulnerable to undesirable consequences for individuals and health facilities or basic infrastructures, age or health threats. Data on physical addresses for the nation as a whole. Barriers to address other personal information that could help in assist teams to quickly and accurately locate infrastructure impede many normal functions providing appropriate relief. healthcare facilities by identifying the quick- of the state and opportunities for development. est route and available services, as well as

40 Part I: Study on the social and economic value of address infrastructure © Didier Ruef

A mother and her children retrieve aid supplies in Cazula, Mozambique. For war victims and humanitarian personnel, address infrastructure can help map out safe havens.

Individuals, governments and businesses all

4.2 have a stake in the use of address infrastructure.

Inequality, growth and addresses 4 A lack of addressing infrastructure, combined with more complicated trade and bad governance (see Figure 1), can be a factor that worsens inequalities and undermines economic growth. Indeed, there is a positive correlation between a lack of street addresses and income 3.4 3.6 3.8 Inequality (log) inequalities (see Figure 2), as well as -2 0 2 4 6 a negative correlation between a lack Lack of street addresses (log) of street addresses and the income per Figure 1 capita in a country (as measured by the gross national income at purchasing

power priority). 10

The political will to expand the coverage of an address infrastructure can help to overcome many major development challenges. However, building address infrastructure requires a common awareness and action plan that is supported at the local, national and international levels. Political willpower is the key to

guaranteeing that an address infrastructure 6 7 8 9 is developed for the benefit of all. Investment GNI per capita (PPP) (log) -2 0 2 4 6 in address infrastructure is investment for the Lack of street addresses (log) good of the national economy and the body politic. Figure 2

41 42 Rural area in Songea, Tanzania Part II © TCRA

Addressing policy as a nationwide effort

43 Case study: Tanzania © TCRA

Overcoming obstacles to addressing in Tanzania Rural area in Songea, Tanzania

Tanzania Communications Shortcomings of the current mail is missorted and misrouted. Consequently, Regulatory Authority (TCRA) addressing system the system is unsuitable for the demands of The United Republic of Tanzania is located in e-commerce. East Africa and was formed out of the union of two sovereign states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The Ministry of Communications, Science and Evolution of the national Technology is responsible for the postal sector. addressing and postcode project Tanzania lacks a coherent addressing sys- Research and studies carried out since 2001 tem that identifies individual streets and build- have underlined the need to modernize the ings. In place of this, mail is delivered to post postal addressing system in Tanzania. The office boxes. The designated postal operator, Government has subsequently undertaken Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC), has installed efforts to reform the postal sector in line with a total of 173,000 post office boxes country- the UPU’s Seoul Postal Strategy. wide. However, this number is insufficient to In 2003, the Tanzanian government for- meet the current demand for addresses, taking mulated the National Postal Policy to develop into account the size of the country and its a physical addressing and postcode system. Its population and number of households. principal aims were to achieve standardized The absence of a proper addressing system address information, enhance mail process- is an obstacle to the postal sector‘s efforts to ing and delivery, reduce undeliverable-as- make a significant contribution to the socio- addressed mail, and provide mutual cost- economic development of the country. The cur- reduction opportunities to the business sector rent system has a number of shortcomings. At by improving mail efficiency. present, post offices are unable to fully satisfy The Swedish International Development the demand for private letter boxes in major Agency (SIDA) provided assistance with the cities and towns. As a result, individuals must formulation of the policy. In 2007, the UPU share post office boxes – often those belong- carried out a second study to ascertain the best ing to churches, mosques, schools, workplaces, strategy for implementation of the project with friends, and so on. There is a lack of standard- a follow-up study conducted in 2008. The ized addresses, and attempts to apply street studies confirmed the feasibility of develop- addresses often involve lengthy descriptions ing postcodes for Tanzania and provided of locations that lead to confusion. As a result, guidelines with appropriate steps by which

44 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Tanzania

to implement the system. The Government also Key stakeholders system. The Ministry is also responsible for recognized the wider economic and societal – Ministry of Communications, Science chairing steering committee meetings and benefits of the new addressing and postcode and Technology (MCST); functions, most importantly, as the project’s system. – Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA); official sponsor. – Ministry of Infrastructure and The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Communication, Zanzibar (MoIC), Authority (TCRA) spearheaded implementa- Mandate and objectives – Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human tion of the project. The Authority houses Following identification of the weaknesses Settlement Development (MLHHSD); the Project Secretariat, which is responsible of the existing postal addressing system, the – Ministry of State President’s Office, for maintaining the national addressing and new policy emphasized the need to establish Regional Administration, Local postcode database and acts as the custodian a new addressing system to meet the diversi- Government and Special Departments – of project documents. The Authority also fied needs of customers and boost the postal Zanzibar (MRALGSD); coordinates postcode project team meetings sector’s contribution to national development. – Ministry of Water, Construction, Energy and the public awareness campaign. The central objective of the project is to imple- and Lands, Zanzibar (MoWCEL); The designated postal operator, Tanzania ment, by 2015, a street-type addressing system – National Bureau of Statistics (NBS); Posts Corporation (TPC), controls the largest with postcodes, in line with the National Vision – National Identification Authority postal network and will be a major beneficiary 2025. The immediate objective is to provide (NIDA); of the new addressing and postcode system. an address to every house and location in – Prime Minister’s Office Regional TPC is therefore required to renovate its sorting the country within a period of five years. The Administration and Local Government offices and review its mail circulation systems implementation process will comprise several (PMO–RALG); in order to keep pace with the new postal tasks, in particular: – Tanzania Communications Regulatory addressing system and be in a position to Authority (TCRA); provide door-to-door delivery service. f The installation of street signs and – Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC). Street naming and house numbering house numbers in urban and rural committees will manage the project at the settlements; municipal level. Each committee will comprise: f The development of a standardized The project steering committee is the proj- a town planner (chairperson), a civil engineer physical addressing system. This will ect’s top decision-making body. It comprises (alternate chairperson), a cartographer, a sur- increase postal sector productivity the permanent secretaries of key stakeholder veyor, a postal officer (secretary), a community through improved address accuracy ministries from the Union Government and the development/social welfare officer and any and mail delivery efficiency, minimizing Zanzibar Revolutionary Government. co-opted professional member. The commit- the number of undeliverable items The project team comprises middle-level tees are responsible for address assignment and resulting in increased customer officials from the key stakeholder ministries and address data capturing, verification and satisfaction. A standardized addressing of the Union Government and the Zanzibar maintenance. Clean data will then be posted system will also increase the possibility Revolutionary Government. The project team to the national addressing and postcode data- of machine processing both inward meets on a quarterly basis to review progress of base. The committees are also responsible for and outward mail items and the the project and agree on future project activi- updating address maps within their municipal integration of other modern postal ties. The project team reports to the project boundaries. systems; steering committee on a regular basis. f The development of the National The project technical teams are ad hoc Addressing and Postcode Database. teams comprised of members from the key Human factors stakeholder ministries, set up to perform spe- The success of a project of this nature depends cific/technical tasks requiring certain expertise. on certain important factors that must be Key project stakeholders These include preparation of the street address- critically examined and appropriately managed. Studies and consultations with stakeholders ing manual, allocation of postcodes, develop- One of the critical issues is human resources. resulted in an agreement that key institutions ment of the national addressing standard, and Human factors and challenges can be divided from the Tanzanian mainland and Zanzibar preparation of specifications for the national into three groups: professional differences, would be involved in governance and man- addressing and postcode database. human resources development and compet- agement of the project (see box). The Ministry The Ministry of Communications, Science ing interests: of Communications, Science and Technology and Technology (MCST) is the Ministry cur- Professional differences. Since the begin- (MCST) would act as the lead institution, rently responsible for the postal sector and for ning of the project, there have been significant with this role undertaken by the Ministry of overseeing the project. It coordinates with all professional differences of opinion between Infrastructure and Communication (MoIC) in relevant ministries and authorities on cross- postal and town planning officials; for example, Zanzibar. cutting issues to ensure successful implemen- town planners objected to the allocation of tation of the new addressing and postcode new numbers to houses rather than existing

45 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

Tanzania Postcode System

Postcode Explanation

2 3 1 1 0 5 Digits Postcode

X–––– Zone 1st Digit plot numbers. The new house numbering system was adopted owing to the fact that the plot numbering structure, which depends XX––– Region (Province) 1st + 2nd Digit on a block system, lacked consistency. Human resources development. Training of postal staff (including couriers) is of paramount XXX–– District 1st + 2nd + 3rd Digit importance in order to realize the project’s goals. Sorting office staff and couriers (delivery and pick up) will play a crucial role in its success. XXXXX Ward All 5 Digits Furthermore, postal customers and the general Post ofﬁce public must have a good understanding of the Big Mailers new addressing system for it to work and to Landmarks avoid confusion. Internal and external training Activity and capacity-building programmes have been designed to impart adequate knowledge of the Figure 1: Coding method new addressing system. Competing interests. The project involves a wide range of people with varying needs and expectations. Although team members meet as a project team, each person gives priority to his or her primary field of interest and employment. At times, project leaders are forced to convene meetings in secluded places to expedite the execution of particularly pressing tasks. throughout the country, particularly in the A number of sectors also stand to benefit from following areas: the addressing system. f Vital records. It will be possible to The new system The postal sector maintain correct and updated data on The new national addressing and postcode An address for every household and location populations in the municipalities. system aims to establish an addressing system in the country will help to achieve the objec- f Health services. Ambulances will be that will enable identification of individuals tive of the worldwide initiative “Addressing able to locate appropriate addresses or businesses by their physical location and the world – An address for everyone”. Mail more rapidly. postcode. The project seeks to implement a sorting will be easier and more efficient, and f Rescue services. Fire brigades will be street-type addressing system with postcodes missorted, misrouted and undeliverable mail more effective if they can reach an area and to create a national addressing database will be minimized. The system will include before major property damage occurs. for Tanzania. It will involve street identifica- preparation for the possible automation of f Law enforcement. The identification of tion and naming, all houses will be numbered the postal sorting, and new postal products various geographic and crime areas will according to the new addressing standards that related to the new addressing systems could facilitate policing and the keeping of have been developed. be introduced. The sector could also benefit proper records of inmate addresses, etc. Tanzania has adopted a numeric postcode from a rise in revenue as a result of increasing f Improved navigation. City areas will system. The country has been divided into advertising mail volumes and the delivery of become more recognizable, simplifying seven postcode areas/zones, and a five-digit e-commerce items through the postal network. the movement of city dwellers and postcode system has been used to allocate visitors and laying the groundwork codes at the level of individual wards, which are Other sectors for the creation of Global Positioning the smallest administrative entity. Postcodes The new addressing system will benefit the System (GPS) navigational data. have also been allocated to post office loca- government, by providing addresses to indi- f Trade. E-commerce transactions over tions, major postal customers and landmarks, viduals that currently lack them (e.g. rural and the Internet will become possible. as illustrated above in Figure 1. unplanned settlements), thereby facilitating the f Revenue. It will be easier to collect delivery of economic, social, security and other taxes (e.g. on motor vehicles, properties, services to every citizen. The new addressing advertisements, etc.) Benefits of the new system system will also constitute a reliable source f Civic life. The system will help to The new national addressing system will have for address verification when issuing national reinforce national unity and a sense of multiple advantages for Tanzania’s many identity cards. identity. stakeholders. It is expected to positively affect The system will help financial institutions socio-economic life and security and safety by facilitating services such as the granting of

46 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Tanzania

National addressing standard

For the purpose of establishing the Urban address Postal delivery national addressing standard, addresses were categorized into four main types Regional manager Name of addressee Mr Peter Mhina Name of addressee (urban, rural, postal delivery and interna- Arusha Head Post Ofﬁce Building name P.O. Box 25 Post ofﬁce box number

tional), as described in the following 1 Boma Street House number + street name 20267 Muheza Postcode + post ofﬁce examples: 23100 Arusha Postcode + locality

Rural address International address

Aloyce Lwambano Name of addressee Jackson Massawe Name of addressee

12 Mazengo House number + hamlet 45 Kipanga Street House number + street name

Matonya Village Village name 23115 Kaloleni Postcode + locality

41521 Galigali Postcode + locality Arusha District

Mpwapwa District Tanzania Country

Figure 2: Address examples

loans, which ideally should be based on reliable outset of the exercise to ensure the standard- in 2009, involving seven wards in the Arusha references and addresses. ized appearance of street signs and house num- municipality. This was extended to Dodoma Tourism will also improve as tourists bers, as well as the quality of address data. The in 2010. Implementation activities included become increasingly able to identify locations trainers are members of the street naming and the establishment of street signs and house such as hotels and key landmarks using Internet house numbering committees. Other groups numbers, data collection, and the creation of maps. involved include the ward executive officers an address database for the pilot project areas. and casual labourers hired by the municipality Digital maps were subsequently updated. Final to collect address data. preparations are underway for further imple- Major implementation steps Advocacy and awareness-raising. The mentation in the three municipalities in the There are several major steps in the implemen- new addressing and postcode system is a Dar es Salaam region, namely Ilala, Kinondoni tation of the project : completely new phenomenon for the majority and Temeke, and the Zanzibar municipality and Formation of the project structure. As of Tanzanians, and therefore requires a strong town councils. mentioned above, the project secretariat, public awareness campaign. The importance of Establishing street signs and house project steering committee and project team raising public awareness through radio, televi- numbers. All public streets must be named are established with specific compositions sion and print media has been identified as and houses numbered in accordance with the and responsibilities. The steering committee a vital project component and a priority task. provisions of the Street Addressing Manual, is the project’s top decision-making organ, Seminars and workshops have been held for developed to assist municipalities in carrying comprising the permanent secretaries of key the National Assembly, Zanzibar House of out this assignment independently. The manual ministries from the Union Government and Representatives, permanent secretaries, min- provides guidelines on the formation of street Zanzibar Revolutionary Government. A project istries, municipal councils and the National addresses. team manages the project and reports to the Identification Authority (NIDA), as well as Data collection and building of the steering committee on a regular basis. with postal operators, major postal customers, address database. Data collection should be Formation of street naming and house universities, colleges and schools. a continuous process. It involves meeting house numbering committees at the municipal Tenders and procurement of materials and owners and/or tenants to gather information level. These committees are established in each software. Materials for street signs and house that will constitute the core of the address municipality, and are mainly responsible for numbers, as well as computer software and database. These data aim to serve as the coordinating and overseeing the implementa- hardware for the addressing database, pur- basic information for identification of house tion of activities at the local level. chased in accordance with the Procurement entrances, facilitating delivery of services, Training of project implementers. Persons Act. including door-to-door mail delivery, water and involved in establishing street signs, house Project execution. The physical execu- electricity provision, tax collection and rescue numbers and data collection are trained at the tion of the project began in its pilot phase services. Existing information may be used

47 Addressing the world – An address for everyone © TCRA

Street signage in Arusha, Tanzania

pending the development of official informa- f There has been an increase in review of certain laws and by-laws. tion; for example, plot numbers assigned by the unplanned settlements in urban and This process may take a considerable municipality may be used as substitutes until suburban areas on account of urban period of time. new house numbers are assigned. migration, and the lack of strict f Infrastructure has been vandalised; Creation of postcode area maps and street regulation for property development. in particular, signage and sign poles address maps. Postcode area maps show f There are resource and data-sharing have been damaged or stolen for their postcode boundary areas (e.g. regions/districts/ problems among stakeholders. materials. wards), each with its own postcode number. Many institutions, including local Street address maps display street names and The Government has taken a number of governments, the Revenue Authority, house numbers, as illustrated in figure 3. measures to mitigate challenges to project the Permanent National Voters Register, Official inauguration of the new national implementation: the National Identification Authority, addressing and postcode system. The project Funding. The Government has funded the among others, maintain their own was officially inaugurated in Arusha on 18 initial implementation of the project through databases, which are tailored to their January 2009 by His Excellency Dr Mohamed the TCRA, with additional funding expected particular needs. There is a need to Ali Shein, Vice President of the United Republic from future government budgets. The integrate incompatible databases of Tanzania (and current President of Zanzibar). Government has made requests for funding to allow for data sharing and the to development partners, financiers and spon- maintenance of accurate and consistent sors, and is expecting positive responses. The data. Challenges and measures Government has reminded municipal councils f The project requires significant funding There are several challenges to the implementa- of their responsibility to name and label the to manufacture the street signs and tion of the new addressing system: streets in their areas of jurisdiction, and they house number plaques to be erected are expected to set aside a budget for this f Many urban areas lack street names, by local governments. Other activities purpose. signage and house numbers. Where relating to the collection and capture Enhancing the performance of the public they do exist, they are not presented in of data and database maintenance also postal operator. The Government is currently a logical and/or consistent manner. require financial support. taking measures to re-engineer postal services f Cities and suburban areas are f The lack of village settlement planning in the country. It has taken over the debts of characterized by poor urban planning, creates particular challenges for the the public postal operator, which has enabled which increases the difficulties adoption of special numbering and the the operator to implement certain key elements associated with the implementation assigning of rural addresses. of the new national addressing system. The of addresses. f The establishment of a credible national public postal operator has formed the Postcode addressing system will require the

48 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Tanzania © TCRA

His Excellency Dr Mohamed Ali Shein launching the new Figure 3: Street address map in Kaloleni Ward. national addressing system in Arusha, Tanzania Plot numbers are given in black, house numbers in red.

Project Team in order to develop implementa- sector, but also for the social and economic tion strategies within the Post and oversee fabric of the country. Planning a postcode the implementation process. TPC has already system requires sufficient time, great care started to train its staff on the applications of and even greater vision. Awareness raising and the new addressing system, including sorting communication of the project to stakeholders office rearrangements, door-to-door delivery, remains one of the biggest challenges. and so on. Legislative review. The legal framework evolved significantly in 2010 with the pas- sage into law of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act (EPOCA). This new regulatory law for the communication sector assigns responsibility for managing the national addressing and postcode system in Tanzania to the TCRA.

Conclusion A country must have the political will to successfully implement a physical address and postcode system. It must be aware of the important role the political structure plays in mobilizing people and reviewing legal instruments to facilitate implementation of the project. In addition, the project must take into account of the involvement of key stakeholders who have important individual roles to play. Current implementation of the project is on course with significant progress in both the pilot phase and phase one. Such a project has significant implications not only for the postal

49 Case study: Denmark © Niels Bosboom

Improving an addressing infrastructure: Nyhavn – Copenhagen, Denmark the Danish experience

Danish Enterprise and Construction Since 1996, Denmark has significantly devel- Denmark. Soon afterwards, in the 1970s, road Authority (DECA) oped and enhanced its addressing system. It names and house numbers were extended to has simplified and enforced the relevant legal cover the whole country, from minor cities, vil- regulation, and appointed and empowered lages and summer cottage areas to rural areas. authorities responsible for assigning and main- These road names and house numbers replaced taining road names and house numbers. The the traditional name of the village, hamlet, authorities have changed existing road names estate or farm as the primary place identifier to avoid duplication, and improved the quality, (Lind, 2004). By around 1980, all roads had registration and management of address data been named by the local municipality and all held in the national address register. Most developed properties had been assigned at importantly, use of the addressing system has least one house number. At that time, house increased significantly in public administra- numbers were limited to numbers ranging from tion, local communities and the commercial 1 to 999 with an optional uppercase A–Z suffix. sector. Denmark’s experience provides an As a part of the Danish addressing system, example of the significant benefits to society all roads were identified by the four-digit code of a well-formed addressing system. This study of the municipality and a four-digit road code. presents the most important milestones and Thus, the combination of municipality code, achievements during this process, as well as road code and house number formed an unam- the experiences gained and lessons learned. biguous identifier for approximately 2 million “entrance-door level” addresses in Denmark. To identify individual dwellings within a Historical development of the multi-family storey building, a common con- Danish addressing system cept for “floor and door” identification was The first addressing system was introduced approved in 1978 and accepted both in the in Denmark between 1850 and 1900, initially public registries and for postal addressing in the capital city of Copenhagen and later purposes. This new concept enabled the unam- in other major cities. Addresses followed a biguous identification of a unit-level address systematic odd and even numbering of build- for dwellings and business premises (Figure 1) ings and properties along every road. In 1967, and led to a common, well-known and stan- a national four-digit postcode system was dardized address format. As a consequence, introduced by the national post service, Post the Post, gazetteers and telephone directories

50 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Denmark

used the same address identifiers (road name, The inconsistencies in the registers raised the A new conceptual model house number, floor and door identifier and question: Are addresses the property of the In 1995, the modernization of the building and postcode) to form addresses. parties that use them, or are they a common dwelling register brought these inconsistencies In the 1980s, this common address format asset for society? to light. It was decided that the obvious solu- was the basis for coordination and data inter- For example, customer databases can man- tion was to define the address as a common change between three main public registers: age addressing data as an attribute of customer asset. As a consequence of this approach, an the Danish population register (CPR), the build- information, or record the information inde- address would exist in itself and no longer be ing and dwelling register (BBR) and the prop- pendently and link it to customer records. If a simple attribute of a building, plot of land, erty assessment register (ESR). In the 1990s, the the second approach is employed, the address business entity, and so on. This provided a high business entity register (CVR) also adopted this table can be reused for additional purposes, for degree of flexibility: a new address could be common address format (Figure 2). example, linking employees or suppliers to the created and registered whenever appropriate, This coordination and joint use of the relevant addresses. for example, in the planning phase prior to land addressing system resulted in a number of During the 1980s, the predominant division or building construction. benefits. For example, CPR and BBR data alone tendency favoured the first approach. With The approach was based on the principle enabled Statistics Denmark to carry out cen- very few exceptions, address information that there were no “addresses at random”. suses several times a year; data interchanged was managed and updated in the database Instead, an appointed custodian (e.g. the local between BBR and ESR formed the basis for as a simple attribute, on par with other “soft” authority) would maintain finite sets of refer- property taxation; and social security services characteristics. A problem with this approach ence addresses. This approach encouraged could combine personal information from CPR was that it encouraged each user or authority address information sharing and exchange with information on housing conditions and to build its own independent address register, between different registers, as each would properties from BBR and ESR. without any link to the registers of other users be referencing the same standardized address and authorities. This resulted in inconsistencies dataset. The concept of the address as an asset

Figure 1. Original Danish address format Figure 2. Linking public registers by the address identifier Figure 3. Inconsistency in various registers

Shortcomings of the address given that the same property, building or busi- of its own could serve multiple purposes within system ness was registered with (sometimes slightly) society’s infrastructure. Moreover, the appro- In theory, from the 1990s on, Denmark should different addresses in different registers. priate authority or custodian could manage the have been perfectly positioned to benefit More importantly, the approach promoted constituent identifiers (e.g. road names and from its solid addressing system, based on a situation in which each administrative system house numbers) in a single register. This also a commonly accepted address format suit- created its own understanding of addresses, so applied to other relevant characteristics and able for address rendering and address data that different address definitions and structures attributes connected to each address, such as exchange. Experience showed, however, that arose. Consequently, each register attempted author, date of origin, quality and geographic the existence of a common address format did to define, justify and sometimes also promote location (coordinates, address point). Address not guarantee the consistency of the data in its own “type” of address as something special data from an official address register could the various registers (Figure 3). For example, (e.g. dwelling addresses, property addresses, provide a common reference for users to address information from the central business utility addresses, business addresses), thus download or link to from IT systems. entity register, based on reports from busi- undermining the cross-sector and multipur- From the practical point of view of govern- nesses themselves, did not correspond well pose aspects of the addressing system. ment, the approach also raised a number of to addresses recorded in the building and challenges: dwelling register, which were maintained by f An authority for the creation and the municipalities. maintenance of the addressing system (e.g. local authorities) and a custodian

51 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

was subsequently delegated to the Danish for a common address register had to available in a uniform way to citizens, Enterprise and Construction Authority (DECA). be appointed. the business community and the public The legislation required the elaboration of f A basic framework of rules and administration. a definition for the term “address”. The fol- standards had to be defined in lowing definition was prepared: An address Note that the addressing system is first and order to maintain a certain degree is an independent administrative object that foremost defined as a spatial reference system, of harmonization and quality of the identifies a specific way of access to a property, which should enable safe “navigation” in the addressing system. building, technical facility or the like, in relation real world. The definition underlines the mul- f A certain amount of public funding had to the road network. tipurpose aspect of addressing and does not to be available, and there had to be prioritize postal services or an administrative mechanisms to ensure the transparency There are several key words in the definition: “government” perspective. Note also that the of addressing systems. Furthermore, purpose of address data registration is to make the address register’s data had to be f Administrative object indicates that the data available as a common reference in a accessible for users under equal and the address is assigned according to uniform way (i.e. in a standardized format) for appropriate conditions. certain rules by a public authority as the citizens and private and public users. result of a conscious and administrative However, it is important to note that the decision. total socio-economic cost of maintaining this f Identifies indicates that an address new approach would be lower than that of Improved addressing and provides an identification of something a situation where each authority and private address data definite in the real world (like the name business collects, maintains and updates its Since 1996, based on the common understand- of a lake references the lake itself). own (competing) address dataset. ing of the value of a well-formed addressing f Specific way of access expresses that system, the government and municipalities the object identified by an address is have cooperated towards harmonization and not the object itself, but the access to it Enforced regulation and quality control of the addresses in the public (i.e. the access to a property or building). authority registers and maps. This cooperation focused On the basis of agreed consensus, the The last part of the definition also clarifies that on collecting the official set of “reference” Government enforced public regulation on buildings with several entrances may have addresses that should make up the address addressing in the late 1990s. Several ministries more than one address, and that a building file in the baseaddress register, according to agreed that legal regulation of the address- or plot with physical access from two roads the conceptual approach described above. This ing system and the address register would be may have addresses on each of these. The cooperation should particularly emphasize: guided by two principles: Danish address definition has many similari- f The establishment of the BBR as the ties with other national and regional address f The Act on Building and Dwelling base address register, containing the standards (Coetzee et al., 2008), but also some Registration (BBR Act) would constitute reference set of addresses differences, for example, it focuses on “way of the legal framework for the addressing (like a master address file); access”. This formal semantic definition enables system under the purview of the f The attachment of an “address point” a common understanding of addresses as an Ministry of Economic and Business location to all addresses, based on a set asset for society to acknowledge, share, main- Affairs. of geographic coordinates that pinpoint tain and improve for the benefit of all. f Local authorities would be appointed the “front door location” of each The 2007 Statutory Order on Road Names as address authorities, thus giving the address. and Addresses supported this definition, for- municipal council the responsibility and mally outlining the purpose of addressing and The outcome of this address project was that, power to assign road names and house the management of address data: between 1996 and 2001, all municipalities numbers, and to maintain address data. voluntarily updated the BBR with the requested f (2) Road names and addresses are In 2001, these principles came into effect with precise address points. As a result, the BBR assigned with regard to helping a revision of the BBR Act. Today, the regulatory now contains 2.4 million individual addresses, citizens, authorities, utilities, emergency framework for Danish addressing is comprised 99.8% of which are located by an address response services and others to orient of four components: (i) the general legislative point. For more than 98% of address points, themselves and to locate the road, framework, (ii) detailed rules of addressing positional accuracy is better than +/- 5 metres. property, building, main entrance, and address data, (iii) guidelines, examples The modernized BBR system, including the base dwelling or business entity etc. in and best practices, and (iv) other user infor- address register, was deployed in December question in the easiest possible way. (…) mation resources. Additionally, the BBR Act 2009. The system was created on a single f (3) The registration of the designated empowers the Minister to implement more relational database with a simple Internet road names and addresses has as detailed regulations, a responsability that interface, used by all 98 Danish municipalities. its purpose to ensure that correct As the BBR system also offers a generic web information on the subject may be

52 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Denmark

service interface, it is possible for IT developers road names in an annex. Under the order, each entitled “Better Access to Public Data”. One of to create more sophisticated or specialized BBR municipality had to decide which road names the most important elements of the agreement management, for example, to embed address should be changed and what the new names was that, from 1 January 2003, public address management in a map-based web application would be. After an admirable effort carried data in the BBR, including address point data, or in a standard geographic information system out by the municipalities and Post Denmark, would be made available to all sector users at (GIS). the work was finalized in 2010. As a result, the a minimal delivery cost. The agreement also Post Denmark’s services are also based Danish address now comprises three elements stated that any party was free to develop new on official street names and house numbers that are always unambiguous: road name, value-added products, applications or services assigned by the Danish municipalities, with the house number and postcode. In view of the for further distribution, without paying a fee exception of specialized postal delivery points, fact that changing someone’s road name is for the original reference data and without such as poste restante and P.O. box addresses, a sensitive matter, it was interesting to note licence or copyright restrictions. However, the and special company postcodes reserved for that very few citizens or businesses complained agreement did not cover topographic map or large organizations. about the decisions taken by the municipalities. cadastre data from the National Survey and In 2004, after the introduction of the Citizens apparently accepted the good reasons Cadastre. address regulation DECA invited the most for the change. The data pricing agreement was based on important address stakeholders and address The process of changing duplicated road three principles: data users, such as Post Denmark, the national names demonstrated the value of formally f Mutual benefit. All parties, including police, the “112” emergency centres, fire regulating the addressing system, and the private sector, should be able to departments and a private ambulance service, emphasized the importance of identifying the obtain concrete benefits from the to discuss key challenges and problems in appropriate authority and its responsibility to agreement. addressing. The biggest problem highlighted assign and change road names, house numbers f Minimal impact on budget. The loss was that of ambiguous road names within and postcodes. Had the legislative addressing of potential income from data sales a postcode. It was found that a road name framework not been developed in 2001, this and the extra workload involved in could occur two to five times within a postcode. improvement in addressing and address data the mandatory updating of data by Circumventing this problem meant adding the could not have been attained. municipalities would be compensated name of the village or neighbourhood in an by approximately 2 million USD over extra address line. As the problem affected four years. only a small fraction of all road name addresses, Benefits for society f High impact in private sector and this solution was not well known and was dif- The municipality address project (1996–2001) private–public benefits in terms ficult to implement in IT applications. raised interest among major nationwide of profit and interoperability. The DECA, Post Denmark, and the National users even before its finalization, particularly availability of low-cost and high-quality Survey and Cadastre formed a task force to regarding use of the harmonized address address data would kick-start the consider the problem. The task force found data. Many public sector users, including the development of location-based that approximately 1% of all addresses were county administrations, the Department of services and a broad range of address- affected, which translated into 1,000 road Environment, the Department of Agriculture based interoperable e-government names, 20,000 households and 5,000 busi- and Food, the Department of Health, Statistics applications. nesses. A telephone survey verified that, for Denmark, and, perhaps more importantly, the the people affected, the problem caused daily police and emergency services, argued that In 2005, a draft survey carried out by the irritation and trouble in the delivery of post or wide access to the geo-referenced address data National Survey and Cadastre on the impact goods, and, most importantly, was a persistent would reap substantial benefits (Lind, 2003). of the agreement showed that, in addition cause of anxiety in the case of an emergency. The requirements and interests of the private to general satisfaction, the address data had The task force drafted a solution to change sector were even greater. As a consequence already been integrated into several national the name of more than 500 roads, introduce of the wide use of inaccurate information in applications. These included: the “112” emer- five new postcodes, and adjust boundaries private address data products, there was a high gency centres, public transport companies’ between some existing postcodes. demand within the private sector for reliable, Internet-based journey planner and several GPS In 2008, DECA commissioned an analysis to updated and accurate official reference data, navigation products. This was due to dramati- compare the annual cost to society of ambigu- especially if it could be obtained with condi- cally reduced costs of acquisition and the ability ous road names with the cost of implement- tions that allowed for further development and to share and use address data commercially ing the solution. The analysis showed a gain value adding. without a licence. for society in the short term and DECA, Post In 2002, after several years of negotiation In early 2010, DECA commissioned a Denmark and the Danish municipalities agreed between the Danish E-government Taskforce, more in-depth study (DECA, 2010) on the to proceed. In late 2008, DECA issued the the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Local benefits associated with the 2002 free-of- “Statutory Order on Unambiguousness of Road Government Denmark (the organization of charge address data agreement. The study, Names”, which included a list of all conflicting municipalities), an agreement was reached completed for DECA by a private consultant,

53 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

was mainly based on information from the 22 base register. The study also demonstrated processes and provide the best possible “data distributors” that disseminated address that DECA and the municipalities will still face competition between different IT data from the BBR. The study included only addressing challenges in the years to come, application vendors. Without a standard, the direct financial benefits for more than and that significant socio-economic benefits the use of addresses and address data is 1,200 parties (third level of the data distribu- could be obtained. Another future challenge uncertain, inefficient and costly. tion chain) who received address data from a includes making data from the base BBR avail- f Address data should be available for all second-level data distributor. Therefore, it did able in the near future through the “address users with as few barriers as possible. If not assess the additional economic benefits a service” technology (i.e. through reliable this is not the case, the use of addresses beyond the third level of the data distribution and high-performance web services), so as to as a common reference will not yield chain, presumably of considerable size. One avoid problems associated with the continual the otherwise significant benefits. example of an additional economic benefit is updating and synchronization of local address the almost systematic use of addresses in GPS databases. The general lesson is that public investment systems. According to 2010 Statistics Denmark in a strong and homogeneous addressing data, 1.3 million Danish families possessed a system is minimal when compared with the GPS navigation system potentially containing Conclusion volume of socio-economic benefits gained. an official address dataset. During the last 15 years of address manage- However, there are no easy results, and though The study estimated the direct financial ment in Denmark, the most important les- the journey has been long, it has not reached benefit for the period 2005–09 at around son learned has been the recognition of the its end. There are still important improvements 90 million USD (approximately 471 million DKK). addressing system as a common asset for to make, errors to correct, problems to solve The total cost of the agreement was only about Danish infrastructure. and challenges to meet – but also more ben- 3 million USD. Furthermore, approximately 30% At the same time, and as a result of society’s efits to gain. of the benefits were located in the public sec- digitalization, address data has been acknowledged as an important and very valuable common reference dataset in digital infrastructure for e-government, public services, local communities and volunteer organizations, as well as for private sector business and innovation. In the light of the Danish experience, a number of additional lessons can be identified: f The addressing system should be transparent and homogeneous; it should be governed under democratic Figure 4. Modelling the address as an attribute or as individual entity type control and acknowledged as a common asset for society. This is the best way to achieve consensus and awareness on the mutual benefits for tor and 70% in the private sector. The study citizens, business and government. concluded that the total social benefits would f The roles and responsibilities of be about 20 million USD, while the cost was maintaining and supporting the only 0.3 million USD – an extensive return addressing system, as well as the on investment of 70 to 1. The study offered responsibility of address data evidence on the considerable socio-economic management, should be clearly defined, 1) The term “road” is used instead of “street” to refer benefits of the free-of-charge agreement, to all thoroughfares. The term implies a broader if possible by law. Unclear responsibility obtained through the reuse of address data concept, whereas “street” may be associated with results in poor addressing, duplication urban areas. as a common asset. of work and lack of data integrity. 2) The term “house number” (instead of “address The study also indicated that not all f Addresses and address data should be number”) is used in this study for the purposes of expected benefits have been achieved yet. consistency with the rest of the publication. However, unambiguous and should be maintained For example, among public business registers, it is important to note that, in some countries, an and updated. This will prevent address number is not the number of the house customer databases and utilities, the use of unnecessary costs and errors that could (i.e. building), but rather a numbering of entrances official addresses as a common reference is to the building. If the building / house has two main have serious consequences to lives, limited. According to Statistics Denmark, enter- entrances, it has two independent house numbers. health or property. prises and institutions that employ about 15% 3) For more details, see: www.adresse-info.dk f Addresses and address data should of the Danish workforce use invalid addresses, 4) The term “base” is used here to identify a database be standardized and well formed in designated as the official “reference”, “authentic” namely, ones not officially recorded in the order to enable efficient business or “authoritative” register of addresses, persons, business entities, etc.

54 Case study: Republic of Korea © United Nations Photo Library / Kibae Park

Korea’s new addressing system Busan, Korea

Ministry of Public Administration The jibeon system The new addressing project and Security (MOPAS) Until recently, the Republic of Korea (Korea) has The confusion caused by the traditional jibeon used land parcel numbers (jibeon) to identify system and its inability to meet the challenges unique locations. This system was initially used of a modern Korean society, including rapid to identify land for census purposes and to levy urbanization, economic needs and the desire taxes. In addition, until the launch of the new to capitalize on Korea’s IT society, provoked a addressing system, the jibeon was also used to government-led shift towards a new address- identify locations (i.e. a physical address). These ing system based on road names and building parcel numbers were assigned chronologically numbers. according to date of construction and with- The new addressing system represented an out reference to the street where they were opportunity to resolve various social and eco- located. This meant that adjacent buildings did nomic challenges plaguing Korean society, such not necessarily follow a sequential numbering as barriers to free movement and communica- system. tion, the slow response time of emergency ser- At first, the amount of parcels remained vices and high distribution costs. Furthermore, low and the use of land parcel numbers for a new addressing system constituted a means addresses was easily manageable. After 1960, to improve public administration and facilitate however, Korea’s rapid economic develop- tourism. ment and population growth witnessed In 1996 and 1997, two projects for assign- the expansion of urban areas. This caused ing street names were implemented, with a diversification of land use and resulted in the view towards understanding the possible ben- continuous partition and annexation of lands. efits of a new addressing system for national As a consequence, discontinuity in parcel num- development1). In 1997, a new law transform- bering increased and the lack of an apparent ing the Korean addressing system came into relationship between land parcel numbers and effect, facilitating the process of street name actual address location made finding a specific assignation and signage in six cities, counties building a challenge. and districts (including Kangnam-gu, Anyang, from 1997 and 1998). Following the positive outcomes of these projects, the government enacted the “Road Name Address Act”, and on 5 April 2007 initiated the reorganization of the

55 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

27 650-26 25 650-29 650-33 23 650-28 15 23 15 650-21 27 25 23 32 15 20 18 654-42 32 32 654-43 20 32 654-4 20 654-10 18 4 18

30 22 30 654-52 654-40 654-42 6 16 16 22 654-29 654-37

14 24 28 654-30 8 14 24 28

Present address according to the address system based on land-lot numbers Street name address according to the address system based on street names

country’s addressing system. The project, enti- charged with matching the new addresses with managing the new address information. tled “Road Name Address”, aimed to achieve with postal numbers, and organized a task Administrative procedures and forms, such as implementation of the new addressing system force to use the new addressing system to train building permit applications, were also adapted in 230 self-governing bodies nationwide. postmen to improve collection and delivery. in cooperation with the relevant departments The new addressing system of the Republic The National Emergency Management Agency so as to incorporate location information in of Korea discarded the old jibeon system and the National Police Agency also revised real time.5) and replaced it with a format based upon address data to ensure prompt service in The second phase, the “facility project” a road name and building number. The sys- emergency rescue efforts. The private sector period, took place between 2007 and 2009. tem consists of: city or province (Si or Do),2) was also integrated into the project through a Tasks set for this phase included the creation district or smaller city (Gu or Si·Gun),3) town working group, which among other activities of digital maps based on the new road name (Eup·Myeon) 4) + road name + building number contributed to localizing each business area. address information, the assignment of build- + “dong·cheung·ho” (refers to the previous ing numbers and the installation of road and system for location addresses). Currently, these building signage. elements are all mandatory. Project phases The third phase, the “address conversion” The Ministry of Public Administration and To reduce inconvenience to its citizens, the period, took place from 2010 to 2011. During Security (MOPAS) introduced the new system government of Korea established a five-phase this time addresses recorded in public docu- on 29 July 2011. MOPAS was charged with progressive project strategy to implement the ments were updated with the new addresses. establishing national addressing policies and new system. Throughout this period, citizens and busi- implementing the new road name addressing The first phase, the “road name assigning” nesses were personally informed of the newly system in cooperation with central and local period, took place between 1996 and 2006. assigned addresses. Businesses were strongly governments, who aided in the development The results of the two pilot projects and case encouraged to use the new addresses on their and promotion of the project. Local govern- studies were used as the basis for standard- signage and on promotional and marketing ments, in particular, were responsible for grant- izing addresses countrywide. The main body of materials. ing road names and building numbers, as well work then involved setting road sections and The fourth phase, the “coexistence” period, as affixing road and building signage. assigning road names. A consultation process is currently underway and is set to end in 2013. Other public agencies also played a role in on street naming was launched, which took During this period, the jibeon address and the the project with individual agencies responsible into account customs, history and regional new road name address, may be used together for revising addresses found in various records characteristics, as well as public and expert on any legal document. and books. This necessitated the creation of opinion. Local governments, cities, counties The fifth and final phase, the “exclusive task forces operated by the respective public or district offices in charge of paving and nam- usage” period, begins in 2014. From this point institutions. For example, Korea Post was ing the selected roads areas, were charged onwards, only use of the new road name

56 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Republic of Korea © Emmanuel Dyan

Seoul, Korea

address is permissible. This stage will also see level of confusion when delivering services or Due to these governmental campaigns, the establishment of a one-stop guide service sending items. public awareness of and participation in the system to connect the nationwide addressing new addressing system have remarkably system with the IT network. increased. Continuous efforts will be needed Challenges down the road to ensure that all Koreans par- The main challenges to implementation of the ticipate in the new system. 6) Assignment scheme road name address project involved low public Under the new system road names were awareness and consequently low public par- designated either as ‘Daero’, ‘Ro’ or ‘Gil’ ticipation in the new addressing system. Over Benefits depending on the size of the road. Daero is the course of the project, efforts have been The new addressing system is expected to used for a wide road (more than eight lanes), undertaken to remedy these challenges. bring numerous social, economic and political Ro indicates a medium-sized road (two to In response to low public participation, benefits to Korean society, key among them seven lanes) and Gil denotes a narrow road. A information sessions were held in each city being improvement the delivery of services. building number is assigned based on the road and village to inform residents of the problems Moreover, by making navigation of the physi- name and the basic road number, depending caused by the jibeon system and the benefits of cal space more user-friendly, the new road on which road is closest to the building’s main the new system. To encourage residents to take name address will enable Korean residents entrance. Road segments were divided and ownership of the project, they were invited to and foreigners to more conveniently find cor- serial numbers assigned theoretically before participate in the selection of road names. They rect and accurate addresses, help to reduce testing the assignation through field surveys. were also consulted on ways to monitor the traffic congestion in cities, and improve the Basic distance intervals were set 20 metres street name changes with a view to avoiding national image. Most importantly, accurate apart in a symmetrical way. After that, build- resistance and encouraging acceptance during location information will protect people and ings were numbered sequentially, beginning the implementation phase. their assets by shortening the time it takes to with an odd number if a building was located To offset low awareness, a continuous reach a location in the event of an emergency on the left side of the road and an even number publicity campaign was launched via broadcast or disaster. if it was on the right. media, including TV, radio and Internet, as well Korea’s IT capacity will also benefit from The new addressing system enables deliv- as the use of outdoor billboards to disseminate the new addressing system, in particular, mobile ery points to be verified, using both the street public information on the project. Newspaper navigation, Location Based Services (LBS), tele- name and building number, as well as the articles by opinion leaders among others, and metrics, and so on. It will also contribute to detailed address (dong, cheung, ho) marked various experimental events were also used to the creation of a “Ubiquitous City”, whereby on the letter box. This results in a very low prompt people to use the new system. inhabitants may obtain information and establish communication with any person, anywhere

57 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

and anytime by combining IT information with information to deliver services or identify or of their addressing system. The Government ‘location information’.7) The maintenance of a reach their clients. Reducing location-search of Korea plans to share details of the new database of new road addresses will enable costs, in terms of both time and money, addressing system. In the meantime, details real-time, updated location information to be strengthens the competitiveness of the distri- can be retrieved from the official New Address provided to the ubiquitous service developer bution industry. The new addressing system is Information website.8) and the people virtually free, contributing to a particularly beneficial for creating a guide map convenient and competitive service technology. for door-to-door delivery systems, real estate or This technology will ensure the efficient and go-between agencies, which together account safe flow of information and service delivery, for more than 38,000 enterprises. Other uses and the technological integration of all regions could include the verification of old addresses will help to bridge the divide between urban against new ones to ensure delivery of payment and rural areas. notices for credit card companies (e.g. this has At the national level, the new road name been done for a total of 50,000 cases in the addressing system will contribute to improving case of the LG card). national infrastructure and public administration. The new scheme is necessary to enable local governments to efficiently undertake Conclusion administrative procedures and to exchange Changing the addressing system is not an information with MOPAS. In addition, the easy task; it means modifying a major state project has proven essential for the Ministry infrastructure, which requires commitment, of Land, Transport and Maritime which is resources and time. It is important to note that responsible for the national transportation the structure cannot be modified at once and database and for the management of a necessitates planning. The Korean Government geographical information system for collec- has continuously undertaken address-revision tion and delivery; the National Police Agency, efforts since 1948 leading up to the current who can use the system to create a base map road name addressing system. to manage crime information; the National Strong governmental commitment is crucial. Emergency Management Agency, responsible Frequent policy changes in either mid-term or for the national safety system; and the National long-term policies amount to important addi- Statistical Office. tional costs and may result in distrust or confu- Other sectors such as logistics and sion among the general public. A thorough 1) For more details, see: http://www.juso.go.kr/eng/ about/ProjectStatusandProgress.htm e-government also derive indirect benefits command of the different phases of the project 2) Si (city) refers to a regional administrative district with from the road name addressing system. Clear is directly linked to its credibility and its success. a local government covering 50,000 or more people. and accurate addresses are an essential foun- The success of such a structural project Do (province) refers to a metropolitan government dation for facilitating delivery of services. As depends upon the broad and deep cooperation under the direct jurisdiction of government. the Korean Institute of Public Administration of different interested parties. Stakeholders 3) Si (city), Gun (county) and Gu (district) have local governments under a provision of Article 2 of has reported, reducing national distribution cannot be ignored and different sectors should the Local Autonomy Act of Korea. Gun is an expenses can help establish Korea as a distribu- establish and coordinate a nationwide schedule administrative local government zone under the level tion hub in Northeast Asia and further boost its for implementation, including updated and of province and above the level of Eup and Myeon. Gu is an administrative district smaller than Seoul economic development. The system will also consistent information and a time frame. Metropolitan City and other metropolitan cities, as help to broaden e-government development. This project has shown that the public well as cities with a population of 500,000 residents. At present, Korea’s e-government is one of the believes an addressing system must reflect the It has responsibility for its affairs delegated by the state as a general administrative agency. most advanced in the world. By linking the customs, history and regional characteristics of 4) Eup and Myeon are lower administrative districts of location information of various public agen- a country, and that continuity is an essential the Gun (county). Eup is defined as a place of mostly cies, the e-government system can improve factor that must be considered. Public opinion urban appearance with a population of 20,000 the quality of public services, facilitate the should be incorporated into addressing policies or more. Eup has more service and administrative capability compared to Myeon, which has a less exchange of public information and prevent from start to finish. It is important to develop urban character. overlapping investment. For example, currently programmes that stimulate public involvement 5) http://www.juso.go.kr/eng/about/ more than 69 cities, counties and districts use a in the project, rather than undertaking pub- ProjectJustification.htm location-search guide service on their Internet licity campaigns to persuade the public of its 6) http://www.juso.go.kr/eng/about/ homepages. merits at a later stage. ProjectJustification.htm The private sector can also benefit from an As a result of its experience, Korea is ready 7) http://www.juso.go.kr/eng/about/ ProjectJustification.htm improved addressing system. This is particularly to help and support other countries facing simi- 8) For details, see: at: www.juso.go.kr/openEngPage.do true of businesses that need location-based lar challenges and contemplating improvement

58 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Costa Rica

Case study: Costa Rica © Dartmouth College ©

Addressing and signage in Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica

Correos de Costa Rica In the past, classic physical addresses composed people, the tourism industry suffered and driv- of a street name and house number barely ers could not use GPS technology because the existed in Costa Rica. Most Costa Ricans used existing addressing system was not linked to descriptive addresses to locate a place, result- global software. Furthermore, no digital data- ing in an idiosyncratic and at times folkloric way base of national addresses existed for use in of referring to location. Where street names geographic information systems. The study and property identification did exist, as in the concluded that there was a lack of real physical provincial capitals, those names were inspired data for administrators, investors and tourists. by the cultural origins of inhabitants, but were The postal sector was also affected: cus- not often used. Through the disuse of proper tomers were dissatisfied with the high volumes address names and the gradual deterioration of of returned items and the Post had lost cred- existing identifiers, addresses became almost ibility. According to a study conducted by obsolete. Correos de Costa Rica, 40% of the addresses The negative effects of this absence of a in the databases of Correos’ corporate clients sound physical addressing system and proper were incorrect. From an operational point of signage were far-reaching, resulting in high view, addresses based on reference points costs for citizens, public organizations, busi- and distance in metres impeded delivery. For nesses and tourists, and seriously hindering example, only 20% of the total mail to be deliv- the national economy in general. In lieu of a ered daily in San José’s greater metropolitan national labelled urban road network, geo- area arrived at the intended destination, and graphic points in cities (addresses) were located this was largely due to the personal knowl- through reference points, cardinal directions edge of the mailperson. This situation made and estimates of distance in metres or steps. the use of technology impossible, and so all A preliminary study estimated annual losses internal and external operational processes of 720 million USD for the country’s economy were implemented manually, resulting in high and showed that poor addressing adversely administrative and operational costs. affected society in a number of ways. Public and private organizations, for example, were impeded from offering the best service, with The challenge repercussions on the economy and society as a The only solution was the development of whole. Legal authorities had difficulty locating a national addressing project including the

59 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

implementation of technical standards, street 1. Name of addressee Doris Vásquez Solano 1st line signage, plot identification and postcodes. In nd rd 2003, Correos took the lead in the process 2. Identifiers, reference point 200 m north of the 2 and 3 lines supported by an inter-institutional committee, and distance US Embassy the UPU and an external expert. 3. Geopolitical information San José, San José, Pavas 4th line

th Technical standards 4. Postcode 10109 5 line

Disorderly urban plot identification and a lack Figure 2: Address Standard of standards regulating the establishment of new constructions and routes proved major impediments to the design of a national addressing system. Quadrants existed only in to retain the cultural identity associated with On the basis of the new street network plan, the urban downtown and irregular street lay- street names. local governments and municipal authorities outs were the norm everywhere else. For this In addition, Correos undertook a consulta- could begin the street signage phase. To help reason, Correos started establishing criteria to tive process with a view to defining an address municipal authorities with this task, Correos identify the exact location of all buildings structure that placed the components in a drafted a technical paper on vertical signage. throughout the national territory, and for specific sequence. The paper sought to find a solution based on assigning an address to each of those physical a Central American transit control manual spaces. Street signage and plot (Manual Centroamericano de Dispositivos identification Uniformes para el Control del Tránsito), which N The new technical standard served no purpose included references to plot identification and 30° 30° 90° unless there was a corresponding system of geo-referenced signs. As a result, a digital

120° 60° 30° street name signage and plot identification. street network and urban street signage proj- 30° Calle Without this, the technical standard was merely ect was established to serve as the basis for the Calle 150° Transversal 30° a series of logical rules bearing no relation to erection of signs in Costa Rica’s main towns,

30° the everyday lives of the country’s inhabitants. cities and urban areas. Municipal authorities Diagonal 30° In this context, a multidisciplinary commit- were charged with this task, as well as with that W 180° Avenida Plaza Avenida 0° E tee was created to assess the problems the of promoting standardized signage throughout country faced as a result of the inadequate the nation and keeping it free from visual con- Figure 1. Route definition based on a east-west axis system of street and plot signage. In 2007, tamination. It is important to note that signage the national land register published a study is the responsibility of local authorities, but he first step was to define the types of on the national land registry project, which has to reflect the decisions and wishes of the routes and the technical concepts to be used determined that the country had virtually no residents or owners of the property. in the national standard. This standard would street signs in urban areas, and that those that include the criteria for naming streets, number- did exist had been defaced, were obsolete or ing routes and identifying individual distribu- lacked a standard. tion points. Six route types were established: It was decided, first of all, that a geo- avenue, street, diagonal, transversal, plaza and metrically corrected (orthorectified) map of the road. Routes were designated according to country needed to be produced, to serve as the their degree of inclination with respect to the basis for identification of the road network. east-west axis. Next, streets were numbered in The technical standard was applied to assign Figure 3: Example of standadized signage reference to a central axis (odd avenues on the addresses within the road network. Next, the north side and even avenues on the south side; fieldwork was planned and carried out using even streets on the west side and odd streets GPS equipment and metric measuring wheels In addition, a national system of territorial on the east side). These efforts gave rise to a (pedometers). Buildings and vacant lots were information was created based on geographi- new technical standard for the identification of geo-referenced and the information gathered cal information, including addresses. This open addresses, published in December 2005. was stored in a geographic information sys- and transparent system was designed to grant The technical standard respected the exist- tem. Variables recorded during the fieldwork access to information, including universal ing numbering of identified streets, provided included: primary street, secondary street, access to spatial data, and to allow a high that there were no contradictions with the distance in metres, number of floors, building degree of interoperability with other data sys- standard. It also allowed for the coexistence number, building height, door number (stan- tems. These activities were financed through of both systems of identification – the new dardized address) and activity carried out by an agreement between the government and number-based system and the old one, which the inhabitant. Once revised, this information the Inter-American Development Bank. used street names – thus making it possible was uploaded to specialized software.

60 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: Costa Rica © UPU

Limón, Costa Rica

Postcode system a standardized address, accompanied by the address). The highest expenses were related In addition to signage and the technical corresponding personal data. The work was to the production and installation of physical standard, a national postcode system was mostly carried out in the greater metropolitan street signage, as these activities were under- designed, allowing identification to the level area, where about 75% of the country’s socio- taken by external providers (see Figure 4). of a dwelling’s door. The system made it pos- economic activity is concentrated. sible to number and identify every building and Meanwhile, over a period of two years, the street in the road network – a practical tool municipality of San José identified and devel- Benefits for addressing. The system was based on the oped signage for plots in the 11 districts of the The above-mentioned costs represent a mas- country’s administrative divisions (provinces, central canton of San José. At the same time, sive investment in the country’s infrastructure cantons and districts) and the government’s districts in other cantons were able to carry out for a project achievable only in the medium and official numbering of those divisions. Each street signage work with the support of the long term. Despite these constraints, all the district was assigned a postcode at the national European Union through a municipal enhance- stakeholders in Costa Rica are convinced that level. ment and decentralization project (FOMUDE), a standardized and stable system for address- One of the aims of the postcode system completed at the end of 2010. Since then, ing and signage provides social, political and was to facilitate mail segmentation, sorting and more local governments have shown an inter- economic benefits. The implementation of a distribution, in order to shorten delivery times est in starting the process of assigning street sound addressing system in Costa Rica allows and reduce addressing errors. Moreover, based names to the road network. urban space to be restructured according to on the five-digit postcode, Correos developed In addition to street naming and signage, clear strategic planning objectives, producing a 19-digit code, for internal use only, to identify plot identification was coordinated and imple- equitable conditions for the use and enjoyment each delivery point. Correos also sought to mented by government authorities at various of that space. The new system also makes improve the quality of information in its cus- levels, in order to ensure the successful comple- Costa Rica’s cities more accessible for citizens, tomer databases and to examine the possibility tion of the addressing project countrywide. thus enhancing their sense of belonging and of integrating them with other databases. Finally, an awareness-raising campaign identity. It contributes to increased productivity was launched in conjunction with the can- in both the public and private sector, bringing tonal authorities (public and private bodies) to important benefits to the national tourism Project implementation demonstrate the consequences of the lack of industry and helping to reduce Costa Rica’s In the five years following implementation of an addressing system, to guarantee the correct ecological footprint. the technical standard for address identifica- use of addresses, and to ensure the system’s tion, Correos de Costa Rica mapped or geo- sustainability. Major benefits since project referenced around 432,000 points (out of a In terms of overall project costs, it was implementation: total of approximately a million) by using GPS decided that Correos would lead the project Emergency services. The new system makes and pedometers. The points were assigned in order to keep costs down (at 2.61 USD per it easy to locate addresses. In the case of an

61 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

for greater efficiency and lower distribution Activity/goal Responsible Party Cost (USD) costs. This is especially true for companies Publication of an executive Office of the President, Programme 2,000 whose business involves product distribution, order for the Regularization of the Land and since they need to be able to calculate dis- Real Estate Registers and Correos tances accurately. General public. Finally, the general public ben- Creation of trust fund Programme for the Regularization of 30,000 efits the most from an organized system for the Land and Real Estate Registers and identifying and locating streets and buildings. Correos Whether for work or for leisure, individuals Development of road Programme for the Regularization of 100,000 need a clear, comprehensive network of street network and digital address the Land and Real Estate Registers and signs and addresses to undertake their daily database Correos activities. Erection of signage on Contractor(s) 4,825,000 public urban road network Conclusion throughout national Correos de Costa Rica realized that addresses territory lay the centre of the postal business. The Communication Contractor 180,000 development and prosperity of the Post hinged on the existence of up-to-date, accurate and Training Contractor 1,000,000 unique addresses. Given the nature of its Website Contractor 10,000 activities, Correos was best suited to carry out the addressing project. However, the commit- Formation of project Programme for the Regularization of 185,000 ment of the Government was crucial to the implementation unit the Land and Real Estate Registers and project’s success. Acting on the mandate of the Correos President’s Office, Correos joined forces with Total 6,332,000 other public institutions to make the national addressing system a reality. The project could Figure 4: Estimated Costs of the addressing project not have been implemented without the support provided by various levels of government, the efforts of stakeholders, and the positive emergency, clear and accurate address infor- Other bodies that register land and monitor response of Costa Ricans. mation is vital for saving lives, fighting fires or tax activity also use this information. The development of the new addressing ensuring a rapid security response. Tourism. One of the industries most system has, without a doubt, led to improved Statistics. Accurate information on iden- affected by the absence of street addressing postal operations. More importantly, it has tity and location, for both people and places, was tourism. Previously, areas without signs solved many of the organizational challenges makes it possible to save time and money created confusion for both Costa Rican and experienced across the country, and has con- in the costly statistical work carried out by pub- foreign tourists. Now, better street name sig- tributed to more equitable development in lic administrations. A clear addressing system nage enables people and goods to move freely Costa Rica’s urban and rural areas, as well as also benefits other organizations whose work throughout the country. in the tourism sector – a vital component of requires an accurate and up-to-date directory Postal service. This sector received the the national economy. of streets. most direct, immediate and visible benefits Correos de Costa Rica hopes that its system Urban planning and zoning. Street signs from the new addressing system. Previously, can serve as a model for other countries work- help individuals to understand and navigate the postal service could not properly deliver ing to develop their own national addressing the urban space. Furthermore, a countrywide correspondence, bills and public notices to projects. street nomenclature makes it easier to orga- their destination. Without adequate standards, nize urban growth according to clear strategic mail shipments had to be classified manually, planning objectives, and to take into account increasing costs and hindering productiv- different development needs, including those ity. Addressing and signage have helped to of spontaneous habitats. improve communication among inhabitants, National registers. The National Register and allow the postal service to operate more of Real Estate uses street nomenclature to effectively. describe the precise location of a property. Its Private sector. Street signage enables records include an address field that follows private sector companies to optimize their the specifications of the technical standard. logistical operations and market sectorization,

62 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: India

Case study: India © United Nations Photo Library

The Aadhaar number: a unique ID project Pushkar, India

In India, proving one’s identity is a constant or “identity”, called an Aadhaar number. The challenge, particularly for the poor. Many indi- number will be randomly generated without viduals lack basic documents that establish their any classification based on caste, creed, religion identity such as a birth certificate or a proof of or geography. The Aadhaar number verifies an address. Instead, local authorities often verify individual’s personal information such as their personal information, a form of recognition name, birthdate and address, as well as their that often does not transcend the boundaries biometrics (fingerprints and iris scan), and is of the village or state. Without a universally accepted at any agency, everywhere in India. accepted proof of identity residents experi- Within the scope of the project, the new ence administrative barriers to accessing public identity number and corresponding personal and private goods and services, and encounter information is stored in a centralized database difficulties when migrating from one state to and can be verified online quickly. Agencies another (Polgreen, 2011). seeking to confirm an individual’s identity In response to these challenges the can enter his or her Aadhaar number in the Government of India has embarked on a UIDAI’s online database and within seconds nationwide Unique Identification (Unique ID) receive a positive or negative answer. This project. The project was created with the pur- system is cost-effective and robust enough to pose of providing individuals with a universal eliminate duplicate and fake identities and will identification number that would facilitate serve to improve the delivery of public services their access to public and private services. By and the effective monitoring of government strengthening the relationship between wel- programmes. fare beneficiaries and the government, the project seeks to improve the efficiency and Project beginning efficacy of public programmes. The project’s The concept behind the unique identification other objectives include countering illegal project began as part of the “Unique ID for immigration and terrorism. Below Poverty Line (BPL) families”, created The organization charged with govern- and approved in 2006 by the Department of ing the project is the Unique Identification Information Technology within the Ministry of Authority of India (UIDAI), which is tasked Communications and Information Technology. with providing India’s more than 1.2 billion Subsequently, a decision was taken to create residents with a standardized 12 digit number the Unique Identification Authority of India

63 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

identifying post offices as Aadhaar number enrolment stations (India Post, 2011). It was believed that the vast network of post offices would enable the Department of Posts to play a key role in this project (UNFPE, 2011). The unique ID project differs from the National Population Register (NPR), undertaken by the Home Ministry, which will enumerate persons living in a particular demarcated area

© United Nations Photo Library / Kibae Park and will issue each individual with a national identity card. The NPR is an important Registrar in the Aadharr numbers enrolment process and the authenticated data collected by the NPR will be sent to the UIDAI for data deduplication and issuance of the Aadhaar number (DIT, n.d.). It is expected that other existing identity databases (voter ID, passports, ration cards, licenses, fishing permits, border area ID cards) will be linked to the Unique ID database. New Delhi, India Among others, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which legally (UIDAI) by executive order under India’s Registrars have entered into a Memorandum of guarantees employment for 100 days per Planning Commission, in order to ensure a Understanding (MoU) with the UIDAI to enrol household, is expected to integrate with the pan-departmental and neutral identity for the individuals. The Registrar is responsible for Aadhaar number. This will help expand the pro- responsible organization. In 2009, the new ensuring that the Aadhaar number enrolment gramme’s reach and increase transparency at government agency was created and was process is inclusive and that the data collected various levels by making an Aadhaar number a given responsibility for laying down plans and is correct and follows processes and protocols prerequisite for participation in the programme policies to implement the unique identification prescribed by the UIDAI. Once the Registrar has (Dass, 2011). scheme. Once in place, the UIDAI would also enrolled the individual, the data will be verified instruct other agencies creating databases on centrally by the UIDAI and an Aadhaar number the standardization of data elements, so as to will be generated and sent to the individual’s Challenges and solutions ensure their compatibility with the Unique ID address. The full list of Registrars is available To apply for the Aadhaar number individuals are database. on the UIDAI website.1) required to provide the following information: By removing duplicates from their databases name, date of birth, gender, address, parent/ Implementing actors upon enrolment of individuals, it is believed guardian details (required for children, volun- The UIDAI is responsible for the project and will that Registrars can improve their organiza- tary for adults), phone and email (optional), a own and operate the Unique ID database. Its tion’s efficiency and lower costs. For example, photograph, 10 fingerprints and an iris scan. headquarters are established in Delhi and eight Registrars focused on social goals will find Acceptable proofs of identity range from pass- other regional offices are located throughout that a reliable identification number will help ports to ration cards to address cards issued by India in Chandigarh, Delhi, Lucknow, Ranchi, them to broaden their reach to groups that, India Post, among others. Guwahati, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. until now, have been difficult to authenticate. One challenge encountered throughout The UIDAI authorizes “Registrars” to con- Other Registrars will experience significant the project was collecting adequate proof duct the enrolment of individuals for Aadhaar cost-savings, including Know Your Customer of identity to supply the Aadhaar number. numbers. In this regard, project implemen- (KYC) costs, as a result of the UIDAI’s verifica- Although the Aadhaar number is created “for tation requires the participation of many tion processes.2) every resident, irrespective of existing docu- different actors. Typically, Registrars include As part of the implementing process, the mentation”3), and will serve as a future proof national government departments, public Department of Posts has agreed to play a of identity, individuals must be able to prove sector organizations and other agencies that supportive role. In April 2010, an initial MoU their identity, address and date of birth, before interact with residents as part of their normal was signed between India Post and UIDAI. receiving it. Many residents are unable to pro- activities, including private sector organiza- This MoU allows UIDAI to use Media Post and duce the required identity proofs for a variety of tions. Examples of Registrars include India Post, Direct Mail services to promote the Aadhaar reasons that include never having had identity the Rural Development Department, the Civil number to targeted groups of residents across documents, having lost documents, possessing Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, the country. In September, a second MoU was unofficial documents or documents that are insurance companies and banks. About 60 signed identifying India Post as a Registrar and only recognized locally. A related obstacle is

64 Part II: Addressing policy as a nationwide effort: Case study: India

availability of proof of address documenta- include using a randomly generated number, who have traditionally been excluded because tion. An address in itself is prerequisite for the collecting limited information, not collecting of their absence of identification documents, Aadhaar number, but it may also serve as a profiling and tracking information (caste, com- will have a more balanced access to national means of providing additional identity informa- munity, religion, income, etc.), and verifying opportunities. These initiatives will increase tion. The UIDAI accepts a range of traditional identity only through yes or no answers. The transparency and improve government documents such as bank statements, voter ID, Unique ID database is also guarded both physi- accountability. At present, having an Aadhaar driver’s license or India Post’s Proof of Address cally and electronically by a limited number of number is a voluntary process; however, in the card to verify an individual’s address. Other individuals with high clearance. The data are near future this may change as agencies that proofs that can be used include electricity protected by strong encryption and a highly provide goods and services may begin request- or water bills not older than three months. secure data vault. ing an Aadhaar number to verify identity and Despite this range of accepted documentation, permit access to these services. these documents may still be unobtainable for The Unique ID project will also help to con- some individuals. Project progress nect individuals to the market. Individuals with To solve these two problems (identity proofs The first Aadhaar numbers were issued to resi- a clear proof of identity can enter into the for- and proof of address) the UIDAI created the dents in the village of Tembhli, Maharashtra, on mal banking system and fulfil the criteria of KYC “Introducer System”. This system serves to make 29 September 2010 (Byatnal, 2010). Over the policies required at financial institutions. KYCs individuals who do not have a documented subsequent five years, the UIDAI plans to issue oblige institutions to identify their clients and proof of identity, address or both eligible for 600 million Aadhaar numbers with the help of to gather relevant information before entering an Aadhaar number. To do so, a Registrar various Registrars across the country. into business with them, so as to reduce the risk designates certain individuals as “Introducers”, The cost per enrolment varies depending of fraud and money laundering. This process persons who may vouch for the validity of a on the scale of enrolment, the equipment used usually includes basic identity information, candidate’s personal information. Introducers and the training plan, but it is believed that the which means that poor residents have had are volunteers and are typically individuals who cost to issue each personal Aadhaar number difficulty in some cases proving their identity have high standing or good knowledge of a is about 3 USD (Polgree, 2011). In contrast, and address. However, the authentication community, such as local authorities, postmen, application for an Aadhaar number is free for offered by the UIDAI will help to reduce such NGO officials, teachers or doctors. In order to individuals. documentation requirements and will lower be an Introducer an individual must already KYC costs for financial institutions. have an Aadhaar number, be older than 18, It is also expected that the project will have no record of criminal offenses and must Benefits help to create jobs and provide commercial be accessible to residents. Through this system, The Unique ID project will serve to create opportunities for businesses. These include individuals without documentation can now benefits for multiple stakeholders across India. software and hardware firms, but also postal play an official role in society and may be From individuals to government agencies to the and telecom operators and other ICTs providers entitled to public welfare benefits. private sector, the project will impact the way (Dass, 2011). The Unique ID project also faces obstacles identity is used in India. in terms of delivery of the Aadhaar number. At the individual level the Unique ID project Under normal circumstances, the number is will provide individuals with an identity not sent to the address provided (the “mailing tied to community, caste or religion, but to address”) within 60-90 days of enrolment. their unique personal data. Individuals can use India Post is then charged with delivering their Aadhaar number as an authentication letters with the Aadhaar number. However, mechanism to access up-to-date informa- inaccurate or unclear addresses may prevent tion about their entitlements and to demand or delay delivery. To respond to these problems services and redress their grievances directly the Registrar stresses the importance of giving via mobile phone, kiosks or other means. The the correct mailing address and relies upon Aadhaar number can be used anywhere in address proof documents. the country to confirm an individual’s identity. Privacy and security are two of the main This is especially beneficial for individuals who issues surrounding the Unique ID project. Some migrate from villages to cities and run the risk groups fear that the collection of so much of losing their only link to their membership 1) For further details, see: http://www.uidai.gov.in/registrar-link-2.html personal information, including biometrics, communities. 2) “Know Your Customer” is a policy that requires may constitute an invasion of personal privacy, In addition to securing identity, government financial institutions to identify their clients and gather which could be exacerbated were there to be agencies will be able to expand benefits by sup- information relevant to doing business with them, in a security breach of the system. The UIDAI has porting the development of better municipal order to reduce the risk of fraud and money laundering. assured these groups that it has undertaken services and by investing in more sustainable 3) For further details, see: http://www.uidai.gov.in/what-is-aadhaar-number.html efforts to safeguard security and privacy. These urban planning. The poor and marginalized,

65 66 Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania Part III © BBM Explorer

Partners in the initiative

67 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

UNESCO

Cooperation towards an open world

Education lies at the heart of UNESCO’s work incorporate the use of information and commu- users. UNESCO will assist the Secretariat of to build a culture of peace and promote sus- nication technologies to achieve open access to the UPU to transform relevant existing train- tainable development. To this end, education quality education. UNESCO’s position is clear. ing materials from copyright to open licenses. must be of high quality and impart the right Communication, information and knowledge We will develop partnerships with ministries of skills and knowledge. It must also be inclusive are drivers for sustainable development. They education and universities to launch training and equitable, reaching all members of all are essential tools that enable individuals to programmes and lead workshops to build the societies. Open and accessible information and exercise their rights, develop new capacities capacity of education partners of the UPU. communication are essential for the attainment and improve their lives. It is essential that this work reach those of these goals. UNESCO is supporting the “Addressing who need it most. This includes least developed Countries across the world have made the World” initiative by working with the countries, especially in Africa, and small island great progress towards the “Education for All” Secretariat of the Universal Postal Union on developing states, as well as girls and women objectives set in 2000. Nonetheless, high bar- two strategic programmes. across the world. To be effective, national gov- riers remain to be overcome. Some 796 million The first programme concerns Free/Libre ernments must step up their commitment to adults are illiterate, of which two thirds are and Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS). This expand access to information and knowledge women. An estimated 69 million children do refers to software that is liberally licensed to through effective national infrastructure and not receive primary school education, while grant users the right to use, copy, study, change open access networks for the benefit of all. many more leave school without basic literacy and improve its design through the availability Investing in accessible and quality education and numeracy skills. Millions of learners endure of its source code. UNESCO will cooperate through open information and communication conditions of poverty and discrimination, with the UPU in the research and evaluation networks is essential for sustainable develop- exacerbated by illiteracy and lack of access to of FOSS-based tools for addressing systems, ment. It is also vital for empowering women information and knowledge, including poor in order to identity those that best match the and men, girls and boys, across the world. connectivity. The price for societies is high. requirements of member states. Sustainable The “Addressing the World” initiative of the solutions and local capacity building will form Universal Postal Union (UPU) seeks to tackle a core parts of this cooperation. major challenge by providing billions of citizens The second programme targets Open with a physical address, a fundamental neces- Educational Resources, a UNESCO flagship sity both for the personal identity of learners priority. These resources consist of learning Irina Bokova and for access to education and other public materials and tools in the public domain, or Director General, United Nations services. released with an open license (such as Creative Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) This goal is in line with UNESCO’s mandate Commons), that permit free and legal copy- to build inclusive knowledge societies that ing, adaptation, use and re-distribution by

68 Part III: Partners in the initiative: ITU

ITU

Linking physical and electronic addresses

Today, addresses go far beyond simple geogra- addresses for the benefits of all in a globally phy; notably in the digital world, where digital interconnected society. addresses are of fundamental importance in information and communication technologies, without which there would be neither phone calls nor e-mail. In today’s world, individuals’ social and economic participation hinges on their access to both postal and communication Dr Hamadoun Touré addresses. Secretary-General, International In fulfilment of the international com- Telecommunication Union (ITU) munity’s commitments to the Millennium Development Goals, both the International Telecommunication Union and the Universal Postal Union must pave the way to an effective, equitable and beneficial path towards development and inclusion. In this context, the right to communication plays a critical role. We must recognize the critical importance of intercon- nection and convergence between addresses’ electronic and physical dimensions, and then ensure that all of the world’s people are connected, whatever the means of communication. One dimension of this task relies on the work of our Telecommunication Standardization Sector, ITU-T, in the essential topics of addressing know-how; identity management of persons and objects; security; privacy; confidentiality; and internationalization. The ITU’s contribution to this publication summarizes one facet of the important role of addressing, and the possibilities for the convergence of physical and digital

69 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

UN-HABITAT

Addresses are critical for people and cities

At UN-HABITAT, we are convinced that every- Africa with 11.8 million (13.3%) and Oceania Political leaders are encouraged to make the one has the right to an address. If you do not with 6 million (24.1%). necessary decisions to include addresses in have an address, you do not officially exist. These figures from UN-HABITAT’s flagship their national policies and to commit to this Furthermore, an address for everyone is as report, the State of the World’s Cities, show important initiative. UN-HABITAT supports the important for a city as it is for an individual. It that one out of every three people living in objectives of the “Addressing the world – An enables a city to know how many citizens it has cities in the developing world lives in a slum. address for everyone” initiative. We reaffirm and where they live. It enables a city to collect If no remedial action is taken, their number is our belief that it will be of great benefit to our taxes and improve the lives of its citizens, and projected to rise to 1.4 billion by 2020. This own World Urban Campaign for better cities. to provide basic urban services, such as water implies that developing countries will face even In this regard, we congratulate the UPU and and sanitation infrastructure, transport, climate greater urban poverty problems than they do welcome you as city changers and partners in change resilience and crime prevention. The today. this important quest. list is almost endless. An address is essential There exist international statutes and instru- for the individual. ments that cover the human and civil rights of An address is the key to a new life. As we witness a slowdown in world eco- us all, including the right to adequate shelter nomic growth, the impact on the world’s and the right to clean drinking water and poorest and most vulnerable is already evident. sanitation. But if you do not have an address, The economic crisis and the growing num- you are a “non-person”. ber of disasters wrought by climate change More than anything, cities need sound threaten to undo, and possibly reverse, much policies and the political will to back them up. of the progress made towards achieving the They must have strengthened institutions and Millennium Development Goals. trained managers to run them. They need a Slum prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan responsible business sector and an enlightened Dr Joan Clos Africa, where today some 199.5 million people, public sector that work hand in hand. And they Under-Secretary-General, or 61.7% of the urban population, live in slums. must have an informed public with the active United Nations Executive Director, United Nations This is followed by Southern Asia, with 190.7 participation of the communities most in need. Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) million (35%) urban slum residents, Eastern In this new urban era, time is not on our Asia with 189.6 million (28.2%), Latin America side. In a modern world where we have the and the Caribbean with 110.7 million (23.5%), technology, resources and know-how to do South-Eastern Asia with 88.9 million (31%), better than the Millennium targets, we have Western Asia with 35 million (24.6%), North no excuse for failure.

70 Part III: Partners in the initiative: African Union Commission

African Union Commission

Ensuring a better quality of life in Africa

The African Union (AU) was founded in 2000 Development (NEPAD), and the United Nations 5 million and another six will reach with the vision of creating an integrated, Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) have more than 10 million. prosperous and peaceful African continent been working hand in hand to develop the driven by its own citizens and representing This population surge represents an important Programme for Infrastructure Development in a dynamic force in the global arena. Implicit opportunity for economic growth, but also Africa (PIDA). in this vision is the right of African citizens to a great challenge for us all. Given the large PIDA aims to facilitate regional integration, socio-economic development. Expert forecasts potential for expansion of Africa’s growing in fulfilment of the African Abuja Treaty, by on Africa’s future further reinforce the African economies, investment opportunities abound establishing a strategic framework for the Union’s role as an engine of African develop- (Kaberuka, 2010). In this context, reliable development of regional and continental infra- ment. According to a recent joint study, human infrastructure is a prerequisite for guaranteeing structure. The programme includes a priority capital will be the major driving factor in the investment that supports broader economic action plan and an implementation strategy, continent’s development in the next decades growth and, consequently, poverty reduction. covering four sectors (energy, transport, infor- (ADB/AU/NEPAD, 2010). In contrast, lack of physical infrastructure, mation and communication technologies, and A few key facts and figures: affects the quality of services, reduces the transboundary water resources), to be achieved competitiveness of businesses and undermines by 2040. The AU is aware that the success of f The United Nations Population the implementation of economic and social PIDA depends on the support provided to other Division has projected that the African policies in African countries. sectors and programmes. population will reach 1.5 billion in 2030 In Africa, less than 40% of the population A clear example is the case of addressing and 1.7 billion in 2040. has access to electricity, only 34% has access systems, which are an important infrastructure f The exponential growth of the African to improved sanitation, and 65% has access for social integration and economic develop- population in recent decades, at an to clean water. Only about one third of the ment. Addresses help people to be recognized average annual rate of 2%, has led rural population has access to roads. Moreover, as citizens and enable the distribution of basic to an increase in the young active only 4 out of 10 Africans have access to mobile goods and services. Although addresses play population. This contrasts with the phones and fewer than 1 in 10 have access an important role in Africa’s overall infra- global ageing trend and will be an asset to the Internet. With this in mind, the AU structure, the continent is suffering from an for African economies. Commission has undertaken a programme ongoing lack of addressing. The increasing flow f The rapid urbanization of Africa means for the improvement of infrastructures in of people into cities puts greater pressure on that 50% of the population will live order to achieve the vision of the founding the development and management of urban in urban areas by 2030. More than fathers of the African Union. Since 2007, the areas. Spontaneous settlements emerge with 130 African cities will surpass 1 million AU Commission, the African Development no planned road infrastructure making it dif- inhabitants; 16 of these will exceed Bank (AfDB), the New Partnership for Africa’s ficult to locate individuals who live there. This

71 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

prevents people from being identified and to include address infrastructure as a priority bodies; postal operators; municipalities, etc.) to recognized as integral parts of society. Good in its current and forthcoming strategic plan. promote synergies among their actions. infrastructure, including address infrastructure, Within this framework, guidelines will be Together, we can improve the living con- can help remove impediments to the move- provided to member states to encourage and ditions of our citizens in Africa through the ment of people, goods and services, which in support them in initiating and implementing provision of proper address infrastructure. turn can guarantee decent living conditions addressing systems. for all, thus contributing to economic growth We would like to thank UN-Habitat, the in the continent. Universal Postal Union, the World Bank and From our point of view, addresses must other stakeholders for their efforts in pro- be recognized as key drivers of economic and moting the value of addressing, which have social development. Addresses enable govern- contributed to integration and development. ments to understand the needs of their terri- The AU Commission would now like to pursue Dr Elham M. A. Ibrahim tory and citizens; they enable individuals to these activities in Africa. Commissioner, Infrastructure and Energy, be formally recognized as part of society and We strongly encourage member states to African Union Commission (AU) to participate in the democratic process; and, establish addressing as part of their national finally, they enable companies to do business strategies, as stated in the AU’s “Action Plan and be easily identified by potential custom- for the Sustainable Development of the Postal ers and other businesses. Addresses are a Sector in Africa”. We believe that, by improving preliminary condition for the provision of and their addressing systems, countries will open access to services. There are many examples of the door to numerous social and economic products and services that are challenging, if benefits and reinforce the integration of Africa. not impossible, to obtain without an address, However, we cannot undertake these including a bank account or a mobile phone efforts alone, given the significant resources subscription. What is more, other government and expertise necessary to implement address services, such as utilities, cannot be extended infrastructure. We would therefore like to urge to all of society without the existence of a our traditional partners and donors to provide sound address infrastructure. the required support, and we also call on our Recognizing the key role of addresses as national actors (ministries of finance, home an infrastructure, and in view of the develop- affairs, land, security, and information and ment of national and regional infrastructure communication technologies; postal regulatory through PIDA, the AU Commission has decided

72 Part III: Partners in the initiative: Universal Postal Union

The “Addressing the world – An address for everyone” initiative B.O. Box delivery office in Freetown, Liberia

In 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was key component of the activities of UPU and its established as the primary forum for coopera- world postal network. However, addressing tion between postal players. From its incep- is not only about writing letters, it is about tion, the UPU has been tasked to serve as an locating people and places around the globe, advisory, mediation and liaison body. Over time, regardless of location, personal status or gen- the UPU’s focus has evolved to facilitate: (1) the der. The reality is that the addressing issue establishment of rules for international mail goes far beyond the postal sector and needs exchange between its 192 member countries, to be understood as a major concern in many (2) the free flow and growth of international countries, both developing and industrialized. mail, and (3) the promotion of a genuinely uni- Physical addresses are taken for granted in versal network that provides modern products most industrialized countries. But for billions of and services. people, addresses effectively do not exist. In The physical, electronic and financial many developing and least developed coun- dimensions of postal networks enable Posts tries, addressing systems are either inexistent to participate in the development of economies, or only partially developed. The principle cause societies and trade, and work towards narrow- is large population movements from rural to ing the digital divide. Since 1948, the UPU, as urban areas, which have taken place in recent a United Nations (UN) specialized agency, has decades in countries worldwide, resulting in also contributed to the development of UN demographic explosions in cities. The conse- policies and activities that have a direct link quent vast urban growth in formal and informal with its mandate. This includes the promotion settlements alike has rendered many individu- of social and economic development within als and locations unknown and inaccessible. member countries in view of achieving the These conditions have a detrimental impact Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). on the provision of public services, and affect Addresses, as a basic element of communi- the ability of national and international orga- cation between individuals, public institutions nizations and businesses to operate efficiently, and businesses, not only serve to expand the particularly those related to postal business and postal market, but also help to fulfil the world- emergency services. wide goals of social and economic develop- With this in mind, the UPU has taken steps ment. Sound addressing systems form the basis to advance the addressing issue. Through the of efficient mail delivery and are, therefore, a launch of the “Addressing the world – An

73 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

address for everyone” initiative in 2009, the change-of-address systems, and acquire tech- templates and formats for electronic exchange UPU committed to promote the development nological tools such as geographical informa- of name and address data. The UPU has devel- of sound address systems providing addresses tion systems that meet the requirements of oped two standards: S42, which seeks to make for all. The present white paper aims to move their markets in a sustainable manner. Keeping international name and address information the initiative forward by demonstrating to postal databases updated and developing sys- interoperable, and S53, which specifies the political leaders the importance of investing tems that allow data to be enriched and purged format of electronic exchange of name and in addressing infrastructure. of obsolete information is vital for all stakehold- address data. These standards have been ers. Industrialized countries, where addresses developed in cooperation with other organi- have already proved to be an important tool zations working in this domain, including the The UPU and addresses for social and economic development, could European Committee for Standardization (CEN), Since 1999, the UPU has been involved in serve as benchmarks for emerging economies. the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the helping member countries to improve their Through its work, the UPU has gained a European Community (INSPIRE), EURopean addressing systems. Requests for assistance strong understanding of the impact addressing ADdress INfrastructure (EURADIN) and the come from governments or from postal opera- systems can have on development. Addressing International Organization for Standardization tors. The UPU assists national authorities in two needs to be understood as a major issue (ISO). main areas: in the design of methodologies to impacting many developing and industrialized Postal databases and technical tools to develop and disseminate the use of physical countries worldwide. manage addressing information improve the and postal addresses, and specification of the quality of postal service delivery by gathering, prerequisites for developing postal addressing analysing and processing international postal standards to allow interoperability of systems Critical areas of work data. Organizations worldwide, whether at the international level. The UPU also helps The UPU’s 24th Congress, held in Geneva in commercial or non-commercial, are users or countries to assess their needs with regard 2008, defined four different areas of work to potential users of postal address databases, to the reorganization of mail processes, and advance the organization’s work on addresses: and the value of these databases increases as creates databases and related tools that help postal addresses, address standards, postal more details are included. The UPU offers solu- postal services to reach customers everywhere databases and electronic addresses. tions for cleansing, validating and standardizing in a qualitative manner. Postal addresses, comprised of street international addresses and advises designated Currently, around 60 countries have names, house numbers and postcodes, allow operators regarding addressing products and requested some type of assistance from the locations to be uniquely identified, thereby services. These important functions transcend UPU. In Africa alone, around 80% of countries facilitating postal market expansion and the Post and benefit both public and private are involved in an addressing project. Open improving the delivery of goods and services. sectors. projects can be found in Botswana, Cameroon, In contrast to P.O. Box addresses, location Electronic addresses are a commonplace Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mali, Malawi, Namibia, addresses are considered a priority for the UPU part of contemporary communication and Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and because of their potential to link individuals are critical for the future of the postal sector. Zimbabwe, among others. to a unique location and to expand universal At present, the UPU is working on ways to In a number of developing coutries, lack service. The UPU assists countries in developing link physical and electronic addresses so as of physical addresses renders postcode and national addressing systems by contributing to to provide technical solutions to support the database projects difficult, and addressing the design of methodologies that create postal development of e-commerce. In the industrial- systems must be created for the entire country. addresses and support their dissemination. In ized world, many people have multiple e-mail However, national addressing projects extend addition, it helps postal services to assess the addresses and digital identities issued by beyond the scope of the postal sector to inte- prerequisites for mail process reorganization various unregulated organizations, operating grate a variety of local and national stakehold- and database development with a view to without any global accountability framework. ers, and as such are complex and difficult to developing door-to-door delivery and offering In this context, addresses can serve as a way implement. In addition, addressing projects products and services adapted to the digital of verifying identity. A hybrid digital-physical can last from three to five years, and require a age. address could be used to validate credit cards comprehensive action plan supported by the Addressing standards enable interoper- in e-commerce transactions, to improve the highest levels of government and sufficient ability among existing address information quality of service for delivery of goods, and to resources. (allowing for communication across differ- store accurate delivery data for security and Unlike many developing countries, emerg- ent languages or different writing systems), law enforcement agencies. It is worth noting ing countries do not need to build their facilitate mail handling (automatic sorting, that the promise of e-commerce cannot be addressing systems from scratch. Nevertheless, distribution), and provide guidelines to build realized unless there are identifiable physical they also need support to improve their current and maintain address infrastructures and facili- locations and individuals to which products addressing systems, extend their information tate the development of national standards. can be delivered. systems to include delivery point databases The UPU aids member countries in creating (street names and house numbers) and standards that define postal address elements,

74 Part III: Partners in the initiative: Universal Postal Union

Implementing a sound should not be overlooked as an opportunity to to create synergies between UN organiza- addressing system strengthen the Post’s market position. tions, intergovernmental organizations and The UPU undertakes addressing projects in Furthermore, addressing is not just a postal other interested parties, such as academia, these four work areas, deploying its expertise issue; any addressing project must integrate non-profit organizations, development banks to provide technical assistance to member both postal and government perspectives. The or businesses. The objective was to obtain countries. responsibilities of different groups should be a broader view of addressing issues, and to First, the UPU prepares a feasibility study, analysed to ascertain who is accountable for define and help to implement an action plan including an assessment of the existing addressing efforts such as street naming and taking into account the views of the different addressing system and main challenges to its house numbering and the precise nature of players involved. The ultimate goal of the initia- development. Second, the experts examine the prevailing legal environment. The general tive is to provide everyone with an address. the postal operational system to identify cur- use of addresses and postcodes should be The level of involvement of each organi- rent problems and system bottlenecks. The promulgated to individuals, governments and zation participating in the initiative has been

Creta, Greece Address on an envelope New Orleans, USA

addressing project also evaluates the standards businesses to ensure their acceptance and use highly dependent on their role as providers and postcode system in use and its structure, throughout the country. or users of addresses. Providers aid in the coverage and completeness. This information provision of addresses internationally, such provides the UPU experts with a basis to iden- as through the creation of standards or poli- tify strengths and weaknesses in the existing “Addressing the world – cies, while users need addresses to fulfil their system. The next stage is preparation of an An address for everyone” mandate and activities or to deliver services. action plan, including proposals based on the The UPU’s 24th Congress recognized address- To achieve the goal of the initiative, the UPU needs of different actors, timelines, resources, ing as a strategic priority and charged its concluded that efforts should be concentrated and so on. bodies with fostering continuous dialogue on working with organizations that have a spe- The modern development of the postal sec- with other international organizations. It cific mandate or interest in addressing, and in tor also calls for the consideration of informa- proposed that the UPU seek partnerships with encouraging political leaders to commit to the tion management systems and postal market donor agencies and intergovernmental orga- initiative, as well as restricted postal unions prospects. The first step should include a study nizations when carrying out projects aimed and other intergovernmental organizations. of the types of systems used and the cover- at implementing and improving addressing The postal industry expressed its willingness age of existing address database management systems at the national or regional level. This to provide support and further promote systems, mail delivery management systems, decision laid the foundations for the launch addressing, and has been actively involved in digital map systems and so on, as well as an of the “Addressing the world – An address for the initiative. These actors provide knowledge analysis of other non-postal initiatives. These everyone” initiative in 2009. and expertise of new solutions aimed at the systems aid postal operations, but also help to The UPU brought the initiative to a meet- development of common specifications for expand the postal sector’s market. An addressing of the UN System Chief Executives Board new and cost-adapted technologies to help ing project must consider the postal sector’s (CEB) and organized consultations among UN increase the total number of people and busi- current market portfolio (by designated postal organizations involved in addressing, with the nesses with addresses. operators and others), and potential opportu- objective of underlining the importance of the nities for development from new addressing subject for the global development agenda Conferences standards, postcodes and information man- and mobilizing the international community Since 2010, the UPU and its partners have agement systems. Private sector participation to tackle the issues involved. The UPU aimed organized numerous conferences and meetings

75 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

to advance discussion on addressing and raise indicator measures and quantifies the con- Beyond the benefits that addresses provide awareness of the initiative and its goals. straints involved in obtaining a new address, to individuals, governments and business, our In April 2010, the UPU’s Consultative based on the World Bank’s methodology of collaboration with other organizations and our Committee held a Global Addressing Summit ranking the ease of doing business in countries. research on the value of addresses has revealed focused on the private sector and business use Two studies were carried out to observe the that addresses provide immense benefits at of and relationship to addresses, and the eco- effect of addressing on business. The results the global level. The support offered by our nomic benefits thereof. The Summit focused showed that businesses face significant dif- fellow international partners confirms that this on four aspects surrounding physical addresses: ficulties in the absence of sound addressing is particularly true of development organiza- the economic benefits of an address and systems. The ideal situation for a business tions, such as the United Nations organizations, address system, interoperability (cross-border seeking to obtain a new address was found whose activities suffer from the absence of mail or post-private courier relations), customer to be a coordinated process between relevant addressing systems. This is particularly appar- perspectives (costs of redelivery and wasted agencies, as close as possible to the local level, ent when dealing with outbreaks of diseases or mail) and standards. following clear addressing standards. The natural disasters, where lack of a clear address- Later that month, EURADIN, a UPU stan- process should be as cheap and as short as ing system at national or international level dards partner, invited the UPU to present possible, and involve the least number of docu- may have a tragic impact on populations if the the “Addressing the World” initiative at the ments while facilitating access for the most delivery of critical materials is lost or delayed. European Address Forum (EAF). This forum people and businesses. The presence of a good addressing system can provided the UPU with an opportunity to prevent or at least mitigate significant negative communicate more broadly with workshop White paper effects and losses on investments. participants, who ranged from public authority In the framework of this initiative, and on representatives to researchers, academia and the basis of the research and collaboration the private sector. described above, the UPU resolved to prepare Conclusion In September 2010, the UPU presented a white paper that tackled the addressing issue. The UPU is able to provide technical know- the “Addressing the world” initiative at its The purpose of the paper is to facilitate the gov- how regarding the implementation of sound Strategy Conference in Nairobi. The objec- ernmental decision-making process regarding addressing policies, but it is unable, alone, to tive was to demonstrate that addressing is addressing policies and to encourage political provide an address for everyone. The wide a crucial economic and social issue, not just leaders to commit to the development of an scope of the address issue transcends the for postal operators, but also for customers, address infrastructure. postal environment, and the complex nature of governments, citizens and businesses across To achieve this goal, the white paper com- addressing projects is further challenged by the the international community. piles information on the value of addresses lack or very limited presence of addressing sys- In November 2010, the UPU hosted a con- for economic and social development. To tems in more than 60 countries worldwide. All ference in Bern that sought to strengthen the provide a comprehensive analysis of address countries and other international and regional role of postal operators in addressing and to infrastructure, the white paper considers dif- stakeholders are therefore called upon to work showcase addressing activities carried out by ferent perspectives (historical, theoretical and with the UPU to implement this initiative and other stakeholders. The conference provided practical), providing evidence that addressing to help ensure its success. In this section, eight participants with a better understanding of the is an invaluable infrastructure that should be of our international partners have contributed value of addresses, while a series of case study available for everyone. Case studies from differ- to the white paper by sharing their addressing presentations enabled member countries to ent countries are included to show the differ- experiences. Each of their contributions dem- share experiences and discover possible solu- ent paths available for developing addressing onstrates a different facet of addresses and the tions to addressing issues. Representatives projects and the different motivations for role they play, both nationally and globally. The from governments and other international and embarking on projects. support of our partners helps to remind us that regional organizations involved in addressing In the end, this white paper seeks to addresses form a necessary infrastructure, and issues, such as the ISO, the World Bank, the EAF emphasize the point that the benefits of a one which many other policies are dependent and others, enhanced the conference. national address infrastructure can only be upon. achieved with the support of national govern- Research phase ments. Ensuring that everyone has an address After launching the initiative at the interna- must be understood as a matter of potential tional level, the UPU consulted with academia, global benefit. For this reason, the white paper research institutes and business schools regard- is accompanied by a solemn declaration that ing the value of addresses for social, political spurs countries to commit to the development and economic development. of address infrastructure and the provision of The UPU also completed work on an an address to everyone. We expect the declara- “addressing” indicator in connection with the tion to be endorsed by UPU member countries World Bank’s “Doing Business” index. The at the UPU Congress in Doha, Qatar, in 2012.

76 Part III: Partners in the initiative: World Bank Institute

Addressing the world – the World Bank perspective Rio de Janeiro slum, Brazil

World population has reached the 7 billion function better so that they can provide basic threshold and urbanization has become the services and create an enabling environment defining phenomenon of the twenty-first cen- for trade and economic activities. tury. For the first time in history, more than One way to meet these challenges is to half of the world’s population lives in cities, improve the know-how of city managers with 90% of urban growth taking place in and urban practitioners and to introduce developing countries. Over the next 20 years, some practical city management tools. Street over 2 billion new urban residents are expected, addressing is one such tool. with 1 billion already living in slums. In West Africa alone, 63% of the population will be city dwellers in 2020 (270 million out of 430 Why is street addressing million). Within 10 years, the urban population important? of West Africa will increase by 43 million. The Growing urban populations and the trend for traditional image of an essentially rural Africa decentralization present major challenges for and a rural world is increasingly out of touch urban management in developing countries. In with reality. many cases, systems for locating, mapping and Growing urbanization has resulted in identifying streets, buildings and plots have decentralization as greater responsibilities are not kept pace with urbanization. This creates devolved to emerging local governments. This a worrisome predicament for urban services. wave of decentralization has impacted most With no system of spatially locatable coordi- countries, and the World Bank has supported nates and no baseline information, how do you this process through a number of projects/ find your way around a constantly growing city? programmes that aim to respond to the priority How do you dispatch ambulances, fire fighters needs of local beneficiaries. The main chal- and law enforcement personnel quickly? How lenge ahead is to improve the governance and do you send mail and messages to homes and management of cities in a sustainable fashion, businesses? How do you locate urban facilities in a context of economic difficulties and weak and infrastructure and maintain them? How technical management capabilities. do you pinpoint breakdowns in water, elec- A second, dual challenge is to reconcile tricity and telephone systems? How do you the economic growth of cities and poverty complain about potholes and lack of services? reduction. The main objective is to make cities How do you improve bill collection for water

77 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

and electricity? How do you set up an efficient Street addressing and its f Conduct neighbourhood-level surveys; system for local taxation? How do you improve eight key applications f Establish a simple computerized citizens’ sense of belonging to and identifica- database system and a street index; and tion with a community, neighbourhood or city? Civic identity f Set up a reference for multiple Makeshift solutions to these problems Street addressing is one of many requirements municipal applications (e.g. solid waste, exist, but delivery of urban services according that help a city to achieve social integration. It is road maintenance, mail, fire/ambulance to these methods is generally problematic or a technical requirement for transforming a city service, epidemic prevention, urban ineffective. Over the past two decades, several from an informal space into a civic community. information systems, land management, donor-funded projects have been launched to public asset management, fiscal improve urban information systems and set up Urban information management). sophisticated geographic information systems Through its surveys and spatial identifica- in developing countries. Some of these projects Street addressing goes beyond mere urban tion of locations, street addressing offers an had only limited impact because the proposed management. Assigning individuals an identifi- exceptional opportunity to gather baseline approach involved techniques that exceeded able location in the city provides both a physical information on a city. The database and maps available local resources and capacity. This and a symbolic connecting point for all citizens created through such an initiative can form lack of available resources in turn stimulated within the community. Street addressing is thus the basis of a geographic information system, the search for a simpler, more progressive an essential avenue of recognition for the civic which can then be used in conjunction with approach to urban information systems. Street rights of all citizens. other urban management tools. It is, therefore, addressing requires few resources and only a For the public, addressing makes the city advisable to use address-management soft- short implementation timeframe. It is intended more “user-friendly” by improving the system ware that incorporates the standard functions to provide municipal authorities with an effi- of street coordinates. It enables people to get of a database and is designed to handle the cient system of baseline information on the city, around the city more easily and locate urban spatial dimensions of the data. allowing them to make informed decisions and facilities, and facilitates the delivery of emer- apply high-performance management tools. gency and security services. Support to municipal services Since the mid-1980s, the World Bank has For local governments, addressing increases Street addressing has been used in a number of provided financing for street-addressing initia- municipal revenues and improves urban man- instances to support the delivery of municipal tives in several urban development projects. agement through the use of the following services. In particular, street-addressing data It has also published a manual entitled Street tools: and mapping have been used to implement Addressing and the Management of Cities. This annual maintenance programmes for second- f Tools for planning and managing manual reviews the role of street addressing ary roads and streets, and to design solid waste municipal services by technical within the array of urban management tools, collection zones and transfer routes, thereby departments. The identification of outlines current and future applications, helping to improve municipal solid waste man- public assets (street system, facilities, highlights practices in several countries, and agement. Moreover, few municipalities know their length, number and condition) offers a methodology for implementing street- the extent of their assets. Their infrastructure, allows a monitoring system to be put in addressing programmes. The publication is buildings and land tend to be poorly identified place to assist with urban planning and available in English, French, Portuguese and and not spatially recorded. Addressing surveys programming of investments. Spanish. Moreover, on the basis of the publi- present a unique opportunity to take stock of f Tools to improve local tax collection. cation, the World Bank (WBI Urban Practice) public assets. Additional information on the The use of information gathered by has developed an e-learning course currently value of the assets and the cost of upkeep will street-addressing initiatives makes available in English and Spanish. enable the municipality to more effectively possible the location and compilation plan its annual operating budget. Finally, street of a register of taxable individuals or addressing provides information on popula- businesses, thereby facilitating a more What is street addressing? tion, level of infrastructure and services in each accurate determination of the tax base. Street addressing is a technique that shifts neighbourhood. This information has proved emphasis from plot-level demarcation/regis- For the private sector, addressing enables to be very useful for needs assessment and tration titling to occupancy units at the street utility concessionaires to manage their planning of priority investments. In a number level, and from property rights to occupancy networks more effectively. In fact, street of countries, street addressing has been instru- status. It is an opportunity to: addressing helps water, electricity and telecom- mental in supporting urban audits and Local munications concessionaires to maintain their Governments Needs Assessments, leading to f Create or update mapping of the city networks and collect fees. municipal contracts. (1:10000); f Codify streets in order to facilitate spatial location of buildings, infrastructure and land (includes doorway numbering and street signs);

78 Part III: Partners in the initiative: World Bank Institute

Local taxation and revenue mobilization Street addressing is an opportunity to re-examine the municipal taxation system. For example, addressing can be used to improve knowledge of the tax base and fiscal registers. In some countries, address directories and taxpayer rolls Burkina Benin Cameroon Guinea Mali Mauritania Niger Mozambique Rwanda Senegal Togo Nb Countries have been reconciled to create a tax register Civic Identity Addresses 11 that includes both taxpayer rolls and address information. It can also be used to simplify the Elections 1 local taxation system, in particular, property tax. This constitutes a key local fiscal revenue, Urban Information 7 yet in many countries, there is little incentive for central tax departments to collect a tax that is Municipal Services Street system 4 devolved to local governments. Moreover, tax exemptions have been the overriding policy, Inventory of Municipal 2 preventing any substantial revenue increase, built assets and it has proven difficult to use ownership as Waste collections 1 a basis for direct property taxation when many new land transactions are not accompanied Tax Systems 8 by records and titles. Street addressing is an opportunity to rethink the basis for local taxa- Land Management 2 tion, shifting from tenure-based to occupancy- based taxes and from property value-based to Slum upgrading 3 service consumption-based taxes. Concessionary Water – Electricity 2 Land management Services Many countries’ land management systems Postal services 3 involve cumbersome titling procedures, multiple claims on land and overwhelming Health services 1 informal urbanization. In this context, street addressing provides an opportunity to locate Economic 2 and monitor the real state of affairs on the Developpment ground. This should be a primary activity undertaken by local governments. The cadas- Legend Important impact Moderate impact In Progress tral projects financed by the World Bank in Africa during the 1980s were designed with Figure 1. Applications of street naming by country very high expectations. They sought to capture land transactions and provide the basis for substantial revenue mobilization at the local inventory that describes and assesses the value has largely failed to achieve results, particularly level. However, they were not as successful as of landholdings). in Africa. Street addressing can be conducted anticipated. These projects, which called for a as part of an upgrading programme or as part long-term effort, were abandoned as a result Slum upgrading of a city-wide street-addressing programme. of several factors, which included complexity, In the context described above, land registra- In both cases, the idea is to bring excluded the need to mobilize extensive resources, the tion generally covers less than 10% of the neighbourhoods into the urban fabric and city need for constant monitoring, and inadequate population, while urban areas continue to management system (integrating them into local expertise. Similar experiences can be grow in an essentially informal way. Efforts to the budget and the utilities networks), and not found in other regions of the world. With regularize land tenure (by issuing land titles), to become mired early on in insurmountable such projects it is now clear that there is a which were at the heart of a large number property rights issues. need to pace and sequence instruments or of upgrading programmes for underserviced tools. Indeed, in many cases, it may be best neighbourhoods, have been largely fruitless in Concessionary services to start with street addressing before moving the face of such an extensive problem. Street When utility concessionaires in urban areas to a cadastre (a comprehensive and perpetual addressing has emerged as an alternative to the (water and electricity) take part in street formal regularization of property rights, which addressing, the results are often positive

79 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

in terms of information sharing, billing and applications: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Burkina Faso network maintenance. For example, conces- Niger, Niger and Senegal. These are followed The first street-addressing project financed by sionaires frequently monitor the surveys and by Mauritania (4 applications), Benin and Mali the World Bank took place in Burkina Faso. It numbering of buildings, and require that (3), and Rwanda and Togo (2). was developed as part of the World Bank’s future subscribers give an address, which then The sample taken from 21 cities that have Second Urban Development Project (UDP2), becomes a key identifier. successfully completed street-addressing tasks which had two components: mobilization When it comes to postal services, private represents 11.2 million people. The population of municipal resources and strengthening of express mail delivery services and e-commerce in the cities represented ranges from 80,000 urban infrastructure. are receiving renewed interest, after some to 1.3 million inhabitants. The overall budget Launched in 1987, the street-addressing hesitation given the widespread use of the for these operations totalled 6.8 million USD, unit was attached to the Ministry of Finance. post office box. for an average of 325,000 USD per project. Urban taxation was a major issue, as new In all, 84,000 street signs were installed and resources were needed after the abolition of Economic development 1.2 million buildings were assigned an address, property rights during the revolution. With the The address directory provides important thus serving about 75 % of all households. World Bank’s help, authorities implemented information on formal and informal economic The average cost was 0.6 USD per capita and two complementary applications: residence tax operators. An economic database is a good 5.7 USD per addressed doorway. Before street and street addressing. barometer of a city’s economic potential and addressing projects were undertaken, only Figure 2 shows Ouagadougou, Burkina the nature and location of activities taking 8 % of streets had names; in other words, Faso’s capital, divided into sectors to facilitate place. In addition, by preserving the history of a 92% were unidentified. street addressing and the implementation of location’s changing uses, an address database Various donors contributed to financing the the new tax system. provides a reliable indicator of the economic addressing effort, including the World Bank and dynamics at work, and can serve to document the French Cooperation Agency, represented trends. Private companies are usually interested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and in street address databases because they use other departments (Dezentralized Cooperation, them to tailor their business development Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and strategies, while local governments use them Association Internationale des Maires (AIMF)). to guide their economic development decisions. These two donors have clearly worked closely together. In some instances, they divided their financing among cities for the same addressing Practical experiences: project, for example, the Urban Development a sampling from Africa and Decentralization Project (PDUD) in Mali and The World Bank has supported street-address- the Urban Development and Decentralization ing programmes in a number of urban develop- Programme (PAC) in Senegal. In other cases, ment projects around the world. This review they helped to expand efforts launched by Figure 2. Ougadougou – Organization of street of practical experiences focuses exclusively on other donors (Burkina Faso, Cameroon and addressing into sectors Africa. The sample includes projects in 52 cities Niger). in 15 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Actual project implementation differs by Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, country. A country’s addressing project may Cameroon Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, involve one or several cities, ranging from The crisis that hit the Cameroonian economy in Senegal and Togo. one city in Guinea to 11 cities in Mauritania the late 1980s resulted in a drastic reduction Figure 1 summarizes the street addressing or Senegal. The operation was initiated either in resources available to the government to applications used by the 21 cities that success- within the scope of a project unit (Burkina finance facilities, infrastructure and urban ser- fully completed their street addressing tasks. 1) Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal) or within vices. Studies implemented during the Second The number of countries that used applica- the technical department of the municipalities Urban Development Project revealed that the tions is given in the right column: tax system (Guinea, Mozambique, Niger, Chad and Togo). main problems stemmed from an inability to (8 countries), urban information (7) and street Addressing applications also vary by coun- identify potential taxpayers and users of city system (4). These are followed by slum upgrad- try. However, projects involving taxation were services. The creation of an address system in ing and postal services (3); inventory of munici- the most prevalent (residence tax in Burkina the cities of Yaoundé and Douala seemed to be pal assets, land management, concessionary Faso and Togo, tax registers in Senegal and one way to solve these problems quickly and services and economic development (2); and municipal taxation in Mauritania). Other easily. The main objectives were: (i) to locate elections, waste collection and health services applications involve urban management (street potential taxpayers to increase revenues, and (1). The number of applications implemented system and household waste collection in (ii) to identify users of public services as part (including addressing) varies widely by country. Guinea, Cameroon and Burkina Faso; an urban of efforts to privatize concessionaires of com- Six countries have used between five and six observatory in Cameroon). mercial city services.

80 Part III: Partners in the initiative: World Bank Institute

In both cities, the project resulted in a (1992-97). That project created an addressing the development and administration of cities. much more influential addressing unit, which unit within the district’s technical unit using Addressing appeared to be the obvious first has become an urban observatory that gathers, Carpol resources for the project. The opera- step in the entire process. Addressing for the processes and distributes information about tion involved 2,600 streets, 60,000 entrances city of Maputo was initiated in 1992, but not the city. Furthermore, an address directory and 600 street signs. Then, in 1999, the third actually implemented until 1995. The success was created and sent to water and electricity urban project led to the institution of an of this effort led to expansion of the project to companies and the postal services, becoming “urban fee”, and addressing was expected to four regional capitals (Beira, Nampula, Pemba their primary tool for customer identification help identify the tax base. Five regional capitals and Quelimane), and to Matola. and resource mobilization. implemented street-addressing initiatives: Gao, There were many applications of the Kayes, Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. In 2000, a street-addressing initiative, notably the use of Guinea new project, Urban Infrastructure Development a street-addressing index and map to locate, A recent decentralization policy resulted in Project (PACUM), financed addressing in Kayes. confine and eventually eradicate cholera epi- the creation of five municipalities in Conakry. demics, and the use of the street-addressing However, these municipalities had few Mauritania database to compile a business directory in resources at their disposal and possessed Mauritania recently underwent decentraliza- the city of Maputo (9,000 formal and informal little information about their territory. They tion intended mainly to “promote the exercise operators). also lacked experience. Potential tax revenue of democracy and local development initiatives was poorly evaluated, and the resources to by implementing participatory methods that Niger implement any taxation systems were sorely promote sound management of the affairs of Niamey was one of the last remaining capitals lacking, so that fewer than 40% of tax assess- populations” (Government Municipal Policy in the region without a street-addressing ment notices issued resulted in collection of Statement). system. As this city of 800,000 inhabitants tax. To help the new municipalities deal with Since 1998, addressing has been an impor- attempted to decentralize, proper street these difficulties and build their capacities, an tant tool in sound municipal management. With addressing became an urgent need. An addressing component was included in the support from the French Ministry of Foreign addressing component was first conceived as UDP2. As a result, Conakry was able to estab- Affairs, the French Agency for Development part of the Urban Infrastructure Rehabilitation lish an updated city map, define a system to and the World Bank, addressing is now being Project (PRIU), which financed a feasibility make it easier to locate places in a city where expanded to all 12 regional capitals and even study in 2001. However, time constraints housing had developed in a totally disorga- beyond. The broad geographic scope of the made the project unfeasible. Another donor, nized fashion over previous decades and better operation is mainly due to its tax applications. AIMF, already working on other projects in identify the potential tax base. Addressing is expected to help consolidate pro- Niger, showed an interest in including address- Street addressing was also instrumental in cedures for issuing tax notices and collecting ing in its cooperation with the metropolitan developing an urban road maintenance pro- taxes handled by municipalities, and therefore government of Niamey (CUN). The objectives gramme for Conakry, as well as a solid waste to help with the organization of decentralized included the creation of an urban data bank, management system (collection zones, transfer and deconcentrated departments in charge of urban management tools and improvement of routes, billing). these tasks. This objective has been the driving the CUN’s resources. force behind efforts to implement the entire Mali operation more rapidly. In addition, some local Senegal In 1982, Mali launched its first addressing consulting firms have been mobilized to sup- Street addressing was not implemented in any project as part of various reforms intended port municipalities in this task. significant way in Senegal until 1998, with to strengthen its decentralized services. The the Urban Development and Decentralization first urban project mobilized resources from Mozambique Programme (PAC) and the follow-up World the District of Bamako for the District’s State The addressing project was part of the Bank urban projects. Street addressing focused Land Inspectorate, responsible for reorganizing Mozambican government’s plan to decentral- on 15 municipalities out of the 67 urban all land documents; and for the Departmental ize the administration of its 33 largest cities. municipalities included in the programme. Tax Inspectorate, responsible for creating and Municipalities had been rendered ineffective Municipalities carried out urban, organizational implementing a street system and waste col- due to the impact of the civil war, a dete- and financial audits, which led to a thorough lection tax. The second urban project helped riorating economy, and the fact that large diagnosis of their situation and a very pragmatic to set up a financial division in the District of numbers of rural residents had migrated to improvement programme (involving urban Bamako, and to create a multi-purpose car- cities, swelling unplanned urban neighbour- investments, as well as municipal capacity- tography unit (Carpol) for the future creation hoods, which lack adequate facilities. In such building measures). Following a participatory of a cadastre. a situation, with few available public resources, process engaging community members and In 1992, the French Aid and Cooperation the Mozambican authorities wanted to cre- various stakeholders, the municipalities agreed Fund (FAC) financed an addressing initiative ate tools and procedures to help rebuild the to the terms of a municipal contract, signed as part of the Bamako District Support project capacities of urban institutions to better control with the central government, to carry out three

81 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

priority programmes for investment, mainte- f Setting up the street-addressing f Updating and completing street sign nance and institutional strengthening. unit responsible for coordinating installation: some street signs will The street-addressing component was very implementation. have disappeared or have been much part of the institutional strengthening damaged, new streets must be given programme. It had a dual objective: (i) to The actors involved are the municipality, a signs; address the main cities in the country, and consultant and the street-addressing unit. The f Updating the address map. ultimately facilitate local tax collection; and (ii) expected results are approbation of feasibility to test, in two other cities, Thiès and Kaolack, study and launching of the street-addressing The actors involved are the municipality an interface of tax rolls and the address direc- unit. Duration will be about 21 weeks, of which and the street-addressing unit. Results will tory to identify potential taxpayers, who had 12 are used for the feasibility study. Costs consist of updated versions of existing docu- thus far escaped tax payment, leading to major incurred will cover the feasibility study (two ments and possibly the extension of street- improvement in tax revenue collection. person-months) and the hiring of three people addressing programmes to neighbourhoods to head the unit. that do not yet have addresses. Once the With the implementation phase the pro- main street-addressing needs have been met, Street addressing methodology gramme becomes fully operational. Tasks will the street-addressing unit should expand its at a glance focus on: role using the knowledge gained from the Implementation of street addressing does street-addressing programme, and broaden its f Preparing the address map and the not require highly specialized skills. A team of mandate to become a documentation centre, street index (mapping); municipal technical managers, supervised by for example, or urban database. In terms of f Positioning street signs at the main an ad hoc expert at key moments, is the best duration, maintenance should be conducted intersections (installation of signage); way to ensure ownership and sustainability of annually. Costs incurred will cover the opera- f Numbering doorways, according to the knowledge. The team should comprise three tions of the street-addressing unit and possible codification system adopted and the permanent members (team leader, cartogra- supply of new street signs and materials for survey associated with it; pher and computer specialist), who can be numbering doorways. f Setting up an address directory; and supplemented with enforcement personnel f Conducting a media campaign for the to carry out field activities, as necessary. Activity 2: street-addressing programme. There are three basic assumptions: Conducting a feasibility study The actors involved are the municipality, the The design and implementation of a street- f Designating street names at the outset street-addressing unit, a trainer, survey takers addressing programme must take into is nearly impossible and really not the and labourers, a media campaign specialist, account local conditions and available finan- key objective. a street sign manufacturer and installer, and cial resources, which are unique to each city. f Street-addressing programmes are a a printer. Results will hinge on the undertak- Municipal authorities must have data available municipal undertaking. ing of the tasks above and production of the for decision-making. Recommended guidelines f An address is defined by its relation to a following documents: address map, street should be prepared through a feasibility study, street, rather than to a block of houses. index, address directory, media campaign which should include: The methodology of a street-addressing components, signage map and list of street f Codifying streets and doorways; programme is organized into 13 activities that signs. Duration and cost will depend on the f Scope of the programme; flow from three phases: preparation, imple- size of the city. The estimate is 12 to 18 months. f Practical methods for mapping, mentation and maintenance. Costs incurred will cover street-addressing unit numbering, surveying, sign installation, operations, supply of street signs and materials and creation of an address directory; Activity 1: needed for numbering doorways, and media f Organizing and staging the programme; Designing the street addressing campaign expenses. f Cost, financing, deadlines. programme The maintenance phase usually requires First, the preparation phase aims to define fewer resources than those needed for imple- approaches for implementing the street- mentation. Tasks will focus essentially on the Activity 3: addressing programme and setting up the following issues: Setting up the street addressing unit unit charged with coordination, known as the This stage involves two areas of responsibil- f Updating and completing the “street-addressing unit”. Tasks during this phase ity: decision-making and implementation. numbering process: some doorway will focus on: Decision-making falls under the responsibility numbers will have disappeared, new of municipal authorities, which undertake and f Conducting a feasibility study on the doorways will have been created, finance the programme. They make critical codification system for identifying and addresses need to be assigned decisions identified during the feasibility study. streets and numbering doorways, as to new districts; Other administrative entities and key entities well as on approaches to implementing f Updating and distributing the address should also be involved. Setting up a supervisory the programme; directory;

Bujumbura, Burundi

committee is usually a good approach to Activity 4: Activity 5: broaden participation. Implementation requires Estimating costs and time frames Defining the scope of the programme a specific structure placed under municipal The objective is to estimate the cost of a The objective is to define the scope of the authority: the street-addressing unit. The unit’s street-addressing programme and to design street-addressing programme by compar- role may evolve from that of service provider an intervention programme in which costs ing the resources available with coverage during implementation to a permanent depart- stay within the projected budget. Before any of planned activities. Three issues must be ment during the maintenance phase. simulation is run, a preliminary inventory and resolved: which neighbourhoods to prioritize The street-addressing unit will intervene in mapping exercise will determine the scope of to receive addresses; the coverage of the street- accordance with decisions resulting from the the programme. Several simulations are usually addressing programme; and the definition and feasibility study. During project preparation, needed to reconcile estimated costs with the location of the pilot operation. the unit’s tasks include setting up the unit projected budget for the programme. The scope of the programme is evaluated itself, collecting documentation and training Four specific tables are prepared to calcu- and approved by the supervisory committee unit staff. late the global cost of the street-addressing during the feasibility study (preparation phase), The unit comprises a set of full-time core programme: and then applied and shaped during the imple- members and teams deployed on a short-term mentation phase. f The first table focuses on basic cost basis. A coordinator will manage the unit. The calculation data; full-time core members are involved through- Activity 6: f The second calculates the cost of street out the whole process. They include a coordi- Choosing a codification system addressing, including: (i) staff expenses, nator, responsible for moving the work forward, Identifying streets and numbering doorways (ii) unit operating expenses, (iii) unit someone in charge of mapping and placement requires the adoption of a codification system. equipment, (iv) supply and installation of street signs, and someone in charge of tak- The expected result is improved navigation of addressing materials, (v) media ing surveys and creating the address directory. around the city through the aid of easily vis- campaign, and (vi) printing of address Short-term teams are involved in the implemen- ible signage that identifies streets and building maps and index. tation phase during survey taking and doorway entrances. Assigning names as street identifiers f The third table makes assumptions numbering. To operate with efficiency, the unit is generally sensitive and lengthy: the prefer- according to the size of the city (number needs some autonomy at the outset. The unit able solution, initially, is to use a numbering of inhabitants and density); and must have its own offices and technical and system that will enable people to find familiar f The fourth table focuses on the computer equipment. places or subdivisions. implementation time frame according During the course of the feasibility study, to the size of the city. the consultant chooses a codification system, which is then subject to approval by the

83 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

supervisory committee. Implementation con- Activity 9: activity should accompany the media campaign sists of five tasks: Recording addresses to promote the street-addressing programme. Recording addresses includes two objectives: An address map is prepared for the surveys f Divide the city into address zones; to set up an address directory based on the and for sign installation. The remaining tasks f Decide on a system for identifying survey findings; and to make it available to are as follows: streets; government agencies and utility concession- f Decide on a system for numbering f Check and complete the map; aires, who will add supplementary information streets; f Prepare the street index; according to their own needs. f Decide on a system for numbering f Begin printing; and The expected results are a computer print- buildings; and f Disseminate and, if possible, sell the out, generally in spreadsheet form, intended f Make adjustments for special cases. documents. to facilitate the dissemination of information; and a data analysis document that provides Activity 7: information such as number of named or Activity 12: Mapping numbered streets, number of doorways per Conducting a media campaign The objective is to create an address map with a neighbourhood, list of business activities by It is essential to keep the public informed scale along the lines of 1:10,000, which shows neighbourhood, and so forth. of progress and to explain the reason, sub- streets and neighbourhoods, their toponymy, The implementation phase begins with stance and schedule of the street-addressing administrative boundaries and principal build- the preparation of a data analysis code for programme. A media campaign is vital for ings. The resulting map together with street the survey (Activity 8) and the development achieving this objective. The surveys, doorway sign information will become the signage map. or procurement of system software. The data numbering and sign installation will have a The activity consists of six tasks: are recorded during the survey process. This direct effect on city residents, and these inno- phase consists of four tasks: vations will undoubtedly generate many ques- f Preparation phase: (i) gather the tions and comments. The absence of relevant documentation and (ii) confirm the level f Survey organization and checking; information could lead to misunderstanding of staff expertise in cartography; f Coding; or unfounded resistance to such a programme. f Implementation phase: (iii) make the f Data entry; and The municipal authorities are responsible base map, (iv) inventory all streets, f Analysis and follow-up. for the media campaign with the assistance of (v) prepare the address map, the addressing unit, but a specialized agency and (vi) prepare the signage map Activity 10: has to be hired for this specific task. The cost (see Activity 10). Installing street signs could be about 3 %–5 % of the operating cost. The objective is to install signage on street The media campaign should be targeted to Activity 8: corners to designate each street by name and/ municipal authorities, government depart- Surveying and numbering doorways or number. The expected result is either the ments, economic operators, neighbourhood The objective is to number the doorways of installation of street signs on building facades leaders and civil society. The media campaign buildings and, in the process, conduct a survey, or posts, or the use of more rudimentary solu- may include meetings, seminars, radio and the results of which will be recorded in the tions. This decision is generally budget-driven. television interviews, leaflets, maps and indices, address directory. This is undoubtedly the most Owing to the diversity of tasks included under films, and so on, all launched with an official time-consuming and meticulous part of the this activity, they should each be undertaken stamp of approval. street-addressing programme. A number of in expedited fashion without necessarily tasks must be carried out prior to the surveys waiting until the surveys have been com- Activity 13: and doorway numbering: pleted. Maintaining and adapting the system The following tasks are to be performed: Implementing a street-addressing programme f (i) Approval of the codification system in a city is an ongoing operation, especially by the supervisory committee upon f Define the signage system, if the urban area is continually developing. completion of the feasibility study; f Prepare the maps and list of street signs, Without maintenance, the system will quickly f (ii) Definition and production of the f Procure the sign materials, and become obsolete. The objective of this activ- base map; f Install the signs. ity is to maintain the system once it has been f (iii) Reparation of questionnaires and established. The expected result is the identi- surveying and numbering materials; Activity 11: fication of ways in which the street-addressing f (iv) Recruitment and training of Producing the address map and unit, in particular, can help to achieve that surveying and numbering teams; and street index objective through its intervention plan after f (v) Pilot operation. The objective is to print the address map and its the initial addressing operation. Tasks (ii) to (iv) are performed at the start index of streets and disseminate them to gov- The importance of maintaining the system of the implementation phase. ernment offices and to the general public. This is generally well understood, but the means of

84 Part III: Partners in the initiative: World Bank Institute Authors. Ms Colette Maritz and Mr Tobr Tenea

Settlement of Alaska, Mamelodi East, Pretoria, South Africa

achieving this objective are often left unspeci- growth and reduce poverty. In recent decades, only if they form part of a countrywide strategy. fied. Therefore, an action plan and budget street addressing has experienced a revival as Addressing must be embraced nationally in will need to be prepared and approved by the more municipalities and a growing number of order to achieve an inclusive and informative municipal authorities. The best way to ensure beneficiaries realize its potential. The case stud- system able to support a country’s develop- maintenance is to integrate the street address- ies described above demonstrate how address- ment goals. ing unit as a new service inside the municipal ing has been used successfully to support the At the international level, the UPU’s administration. management of cities, bringing benefits such “Addressing the World” initiative offers an as better epidemic detection, more effective opportunity to synchronize efforts, creating tax collection and improved means of locating awareness around the value of addressing, and Scaling up capacity businesses. By providing baseline information, providing a platform for a broader constituency, development: e-learning addresses serve as an important management to put citizens on the map locally, nationally The World Bank (WBI Urban Practice) is cur- tool across many different policies and help and internationally. rently developing a curriculum of e-learning local governments to make informed policy courses, including one on urban planning and decisions. land management, devoted to sustainable land In practical terms, addressing projects allow use planning and street addressing. The street for a comparatively short implementation addressing course programme is made up of period and few resources and are a way for four main modules and is based on the four municipalities to step forward and take the chapters of the book “Street Addressing and initiative to manage their cities. As we have the Management of Cities”. The intent is to seen, this is fundamental in the context of rapid work with cohorts of municipal staff in order urbanization. However, although addressing to ensure a critical mass and a momentum for projects may be feasible technically and finan- action, as well as to work with municipalities cially, political commitment remains an essen- that have engaged or are ready to engage in tial factor for their success. In this vein, the street addressing programmes. World Bank contributes to global knowledge through its e-learning course and financial support to various addressing programmes. These Future trends and perspectives activities aim to train municipal practitioners on 1) Maputo, Conakry, Douala, Bamako, Lomé, Niamey, In today’s challenging context of rapid urban- the use of the methodology, and to connect Yaoundé, Nouakchott, N’djaména, Thiès, Kaolack, Ouagadougou, Beira, Matola, Bobo-Dioulasso, ization, the role of local governments becomes those practitioners to each other. Nevertheless, Nampula, Zinguinchor, Quelimane, Diourbel, Louga even more important to support economic local addressing initiatives can be successful and Pemba.

Legal empowerment: linking addresses, identity and Kids on Main Street, Peru land and property rights

The interrelation of addresses, law and develop- way, the UNDP works to make real improvement is not a widely analyzed topic. Addresses ments in people’s lives and in the choices and are, however, closely linked to the protection opportunities open to them, including through of the rule of law, in particular to legal identity legal empowerment approaches. and land and property rights. Individuals, families and communities without solid land and property rights are often the same households What is legal empowerment? and communities that lack a formally recog- Legal empowerment is an approach to human nized addressing system and recognized legal development which recognizes that poverty identity. Some informal settlements develop results from disempowerment and exclusion. their own system of identifying houses and The approach contributes to development out- naming streets, but without official recognition comes through institutional and legal reform such systems do not provide the certainty and that aim to empower individuals and communi- access to services brought by addresses. The ties to become agents of their own develop- development approach of legal empowerment ment. Those involved are able to strengthen places emphasis on guaranteeing legal identity their livelihoods through enhanced awareness and land and property rights, and ensuring the of their rights in all areas (education, health, voice of the poor in their own development. employment, voting, etc.) and by accessing These concepts of legal identity, legal rights legal protection and remedies where those and voice are very much dependent on the rights have been violated. existence of an addressing system. The independent, high-level Commission on The United Nations Development Legal Empowerment of the Poor, co-chaired Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation’s by Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary global development network. The UNDP works of State, and Hernando de Soto, President of with 177 countries on their own solutions to the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, was global and national development challenges. A launched in 2005. The Commission’s final key pillar of the UNDP’s engagement is its part- report, “Making the Law Work for Everyone”, nership with countries to develop institutions stressed that legal empowerment is “a process and processes that are more responsive to the of systemic change through which the poor needs of ordinary citizens, including the poor, and excluded become able to use the law, the and that promote human development. In this legal system and legal services to protect and

86 Part III: Partners in the initiative: United Nations Development Programme

advance their rights and interests” (UNDP, of identity papers that provide affected 2008). The United Nations General Assembly people with the necessary legal status to (UNGA) endorsed the Commission’s report and access basic services or to claim compen- the UN Secretary-General, in his 2009 report sation and property. Thus, re-establish- to the UNGA on the legal empowerment of ment of identity and restoration of legal the poor (A/64/133), urged the UN system records are critical in order to obtain to “address in more detail the issues of rights, international assistance and prevent fur- including labour rights, property rights, as well ther social marginalization and distress. as other rights essential for the livelihoods of In the aftermath of the floods in Pakistan the poor”. of September 2010, for example, parts of

The Commission highlighted the fact that © United Nations Photo Library – Pasqual Gorriz southern Pakistan remained under water the poor lack the opportunity to improve their for months. Across these areas, hundreds lives because they do not enjoy the protection of affected persons used the services of of the rule of law. Such situations are due to UNDP mobile facilities, which issue and an absence of laws, a lack of enforcement of replace identity papers and other docu- existing laws, or the fact that laws are discrimi- ments necessary for claims for medium natory, dysfunctional or irrelevant and serve as and long-term assistance. barriers to legal empowerment. Following the earthquake in Haiti Legal disempowerment and exclusion from in 2010, large numbers of displaced the rule of law are important dimensions of persons lacked or had lost identity vulnerability to exploitation and cycles of pov- documents. UNHCR reported that the erty and violence. When people are unaware majority of people issued identity cards of their basic rights or unable to exercise them, were women who had lost their partners they are more likely to face physical, financial Slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and become solely responsible for rais- and social barriers to human development. ing a family. Some had given birth in Legal empowerment emphasizes the impor- displaced persons camps. Without proof tance of legal identity in overcoming these go to university, own property and an address, of citizenship, children might not be barriers, and bringing all people to a situation vote, work legally, open a bank account, bring able to attend school or access medical where they are formally recognized by the law. a case to court – the state recognizes that you care. They might also be vulnerable to exist” (UNDP, 2007). exploitation and human trafficking. UN Legal identity refers to the registration of agencies worked with Haiti’s Ministry of Legal identity birth, nationality and other personal identi- Justice and local NGOs to establish and “Name”, “address” and “profession” are the fiers, such as fingerprints and eye colour. This expand a registration project with a view three most common forms of legal identifica- registration often produces identity documents, to developing a comprehensive registration; however, these remain out of reach for which serve as proof of the formally recognized tion process. (UNHCR 2011) the majority of the world’s poor (UNDP, 2007). and registered status of the person’s identity. An estimated 4 billion people identified by the These documents can take many forms. Some While it might seem like a largely adminis- Commission on Legal Empowerment of the jurisdictions have an identity card issued by the trative process, the value of legal identity can Poor live outside the protection of the law, and state, and in many countries a birth certificate be far-reaching, both in practical and symbolic as such have no legal identity recognized by is a common form of identification. Other terms. State recognition of a person’s identity state institutions. In studies conducted in 20 documents used to confirm identity, such as is the first step in establishing the state–citi- countries since 1998, the Institute for Liberty passports and driver’s licences, usually require a zen relationship, and it underpins processes and Democracy estimated that between 70% birth certificate or other government-registered of political participation such as voting and and 90% of urban and rural populations were document to be produced on application. standing for office (Boekle and Harbitz, 2009). “extralegal”. Legal identity – and, as part of Lloyd Axworthy, former Foreign Minister of this, the prerequisite of formal addresses – is Legal identity and crisis Canada and former Chair of the Working the basis for bringing communities under the Conflict and crisis situations where Group on Access to Justice, describing his visit recognition and protection of the law. The large numbers of persons are displaced to Peru in 2006 to observe the presidential vote, Commission also recognized legal identity as a or seek refuge often bring into stark relief stated: “President Alejandro Toledo told me fundamental factor in access to justice. As one the importance of legal identity. Large that there are a million Peruvians who don’t member of the Commission’s Working Group numbers of displaced persons depend ‘exist’” (UNDP, 2007). on Access to Justice, Matthew Stephenson, on assistance to meet their basic needs The importance of legal identity for put it, “a legal identity is the keystone to legal in the early recovery stages, but conflict democratic governance is also recognized in empowerment. With it, you can be immunized, and crisis situations often lead to the loss the international human rights framework

87 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

developed under UN auspices. Article 15 of the realizing these rights will require time. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were Universal Declaration of Human Rights states Progressive realization does not allow, formulated. These eight goals range from the that “everyone has the right to a nationality”, however, for discrimination against indi- provision of universal primary education, to a concept elaborated on in the International viduals or groups in the gradual fulfilment the reduction of child and maternal mortality, Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of these rights. Yet communities can be and are accompanied by measurable targets which stipulates that every person be regis- vulnerable to discrimination if they lack a and clear deadlines for overcoming extreme tered after birth. Similarly, the Convention legal identity. For example, Article 9 of the poverty. Of the eight Millennium Development on the Rights of the Child lays out that every Covenant recognizes the right of every- Goals, which represent the internationally child “shall be registered immediately after one to social security, including social agreed targets for human development, three birth” (Article 7). insurance, and sets out that the benefits hinge on access to land and tenure security: Nonetheless, birth registration is often of these schemes must be accessible to reduction of poverty and hunger, gender the first barrier to establishing legal identity. all and provided without discrimination. equality and environmental sustainability. Land UNICEF estimates that every year 48 million Often, however, a formally recognized and tenure security also has an impact on the children are not registered at birth. In many address is required for individuals to achievement of two other MDGs – universal countries, registration can be a costly and time- benefit from social insurance schemes. primary education and the combating of HIV consuming process involving a cumbersome Without identities or addresses, com- and other diseases (Rashid, 2010). bureaucracy and poorly managed records. For munities in informal settlements or rural Land governance systems are complex and example, a survey of women in Latin America areas must operate outside these social are composed of diverse mechanisms that highlighted that 10% of them did not register insurance protections, making them vary widely across countries and jurisdictions. their children because the local office lacked vulnerable to exploitation. In some countries, a communal land title is the proper stationery (UNDP, 2007). Many chil- recognized, perhaps under customary (or dren who are not registered at birth, and who Legal identity brings with it access to funda- traditional) law mechanisms. Customary law therefore lack a legal identity, are likely to expe- mental services, for which proof of identity is can also govern the recognition of land and rience substantial barriers to their development often a prerequisite. Such services can include property rights, such as with inheritance. In as they grow older. Legal identity represents education, health and social welfare, as well some jurisdictions, land-use rights are recog- state recognition that the individual belongs as services provided by the private sector, for nized for activities such as farming, gathering within the formal sphere of the state’s pro- example, bank accounts, consumer credit and and fishing. Certain jurisdictions have national tection and is entitled to certain services and telecommunications (mobile phone contracts). land registration mechanisms, while in others rights. Without legal identity, individuals and The link between poverty reduction and local authorities play a key role in overseeing communities are more likely to be exploited legal identity was established in an econometric land rights, boundary disputes and other land- in unregistered work, lack access to services study on civil registration of births in Bolivia, related issues. These structures need not be and be unable to participate in democratic Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua and Peru, where formal state-based systems; customary law can governance mechanisms. They are less able to children and adults without legal identity were operate through informal systems. The impor- travel or migrate without identity documents, found to be denied access to health, education, tant issue is not the form of the mechanisms and they risk becoming stateless without the housing, nutrition and other benefits arising that regulate land and property, but rather acknowledgement of citizenship. Legal identity from poverty reduction policies. Those living whether the systems provide protection for is linked to marginalization and discrimination, in poorer socio-economic conditions were land and property rights, security of those perpetuating the exclusion of particular groups less likely to be registered from birth to age 5 rights, and access to a remedy where those from legal protection. Vulnerable communities (Duryea, Oligati and Stone, 2006). Addresses rights have been violated. such as displaced persons, dwellers in informal are an integral part of the baseline informa- Despite the existence of various land settlements and minority groups are more likely tion needed to issue personal identification; governance mechanisms, the majority of the to live without documentation of legal identity. therefore, a formal infrastructure of addresses world’s inhabitants live without secure land is required to provide all individuals with the and property rights (UNDP, 2008), from subsis- Economic, social and opportunity to obtain legal identity. tence farmers to shack dwellers, making them cultural rights vulnerable to eviction, exploitation and land Addresses are often required to receive Land and property rights for invasion. In contrast, a secure system of land public services that ensure the enjoyment poverty reduction and property rights can: of economic and social rights. These The linkages between legal and governance f Eliminate or reduce the risk of rights, such as the right to education systems and poverty reduction are particularly expropriation and, within the context of and the right to health, are enshrined in stark in the field of land governance, land rights increased security, foster investment in the International Covenant on Economic, and property rights. In 2000, 189 nations com- the land and production, contributing Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The mitted to free people from extreme poverty to economic benefits; Covenant adopts the principle of progres- and multiple deprivations in the Millennium f Reduce transaction costs and other sive realization, acknowledging that Declaration, on the basis of which the costs incurred to defend land and

88 Secure land tenure can support longer-term longer-term support can tenure land Secure With regard to inheritance, women without without women to inheritance, regard With tor in enhancing and sustaining global food food global sustaining and in enhancing tor 2007). Bank, (World livelihood ture for their family members or community leaders. Both Both leaders. community or members family to rise, continue prices energy and prices food One of the many benefits that better land and and land better that many benefits of the One strengthening gender equality. Women are Women equality. gender strengthening systems can be applied in a discriminatory in adiscriminatory applied be can systems security. a husband or male guardian often face loss face loss often guardian male or a husband inheritance. through to land rights their and and agricultural and expanded productivity, hunger.and Currently, 75% poor world’s of the more secure employment opportunities. As As opportunities. employment secure more manner in relation to women’s land ownership to women’s ownership land in relation manner customary law and decisions of formal justice justice of formal decisions law and customary often especially vulnerable to discrimination, to discrimination, vulnerable especially often property rights can yield is reduction of poverty ofpoverty reduction is yield can rights property f investment in production, leading to increased to increased leading production, in investment agricul on depend communities inrural living land management is emerging as a critical fac acritical as emerging is management land eviction and land grabbing from neighbours, neighbours, from grabbing land and eviction

Allow for fungibility of assets, including including of assets, for fungibility Allow vulnerability to extortion by criminal criminal by to extortion vulnerability and Ghatak, 2009; Rashid, 2010). Rashid, 2009; Ghatak, and (Besley appropriate if to credit, access Land and property rights also aid in aid also rights property and Land property rights, including reduced reduced including rights, property elements in informal settlements; ininformal elements - - The consequences of climate change, such as as such of climatechange, consequences The Evictions and Rights Centre Housing on The 2004). Women who try to claim their land also also land to their claim try who Women 2004). Women are also frequently responsible for responsible frequently also are Women to gather food and fulfil other survival needs. needs. survival other fulfil and food to gather them less vulnerable to these threats and threats to these vulnerable less them forth, to ensure the survival of their families. families. of their survival to the ensure forth, full and equal inheritance and property rights rights property and inheritance equal full and sex for survival, increasing their vulnerability to vulnerability their increasing survival, for sex into transactional women forcing situations sustainability and draws on their experience in experience their on draws and sustainability Granting andwomen managingsaving seeds. so and wood fuel, food, for obtaining sible to land. rights their strengthening HIV (Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Evictions, and (CentreRights Housing on HIV and forest degradation, make it more difficult difficult make more it degradation, forest and hibited from inheriting land by law or practice. practice. byor law land inheriting from hibited rural areas, they are the ones usually respon usually ones the are they areas, rural or members by family perpetrated violence risk and to land access between linkages revealed survey The in10 countries. rights sub-Saharan conducted surveys on women and inheritance inheritance and women on surveys conducted of their rights and access to justice and legal legal and to justice access and rights of their Awareness land. the over competing others pro are they where shelter and of livelihood protection thusprotection empowerwomen, making land, builds their role in ensuring environmental environmental inensuring role their builds land, of use sustainable inthe interest their increases In practices. sustainable environmentally ing increased periods of drought, major flooding flooding major of drought, periods increased Women are also key stakeholders in ensur key also stakeholders are Women Part III:Partnersintheinitiative:UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme - - - Addresses as the enabler of land tal policies. Not only does a well-functioning a well-functioning does only Not policies. tal searches to identify a person’s place ofresi place aperson’s to identify searches indicate to required are identifiers systems, natural resources, and of land use sustainable vulnerable groups can obtain security and security obtain can groups vulnerable and Patel, 2010).and and compensation for harmful environmental environmental for harmful compensation and ensure system governance land responsive and where the land or property is located. For For located. is property or land the where more vulnerable to eviction. This is particu is This to eviction. vulnerable more certainty in their rights to seek mitigation mitigation to seek rights intheir certainty managing the local environment (Berg, Horan Horan (Berg, environment local the managing critical factor in responding to the challenges challenges to the inresponding factor critical removing the need for land title or record record or title for land need the removing officially recognized system of land rights, rights, of land system recognized officially of climate change mitigation and adaptation. adaptation. and mitigation of climatechange policies. Through the establishment of an of establishment the Through policies. by sustainability inenvironmental arole play but it also establishes a framework for facilitat aframework establishes also it but dence. Without an address recognized by a recognized address an Without dence. and property rights and property larly relevant for informal urban settlements. settlements. urban forinformal relevant larly are habitants mechanism, governance land a be can rights land sense, this In impacts. and environmen integrating poverty-reduction ing equal access to mitigation and adaptation adaptation and to mitigation access equal ing In order to ensure responsive land governance governance land to responsive ensure order In everyday purposes, addresses play this role, this play addresses purposes, everyday Moreover, effective land management can can management land Moreover, effective Nakuru, Kenya Nakuru,

Although an informal system of numbering or constraints on human development (Rashid, institutions is part of ensuring that land policies other identification system may exist, without 2010). For example, it recognizes that, while stem from inclusive and deliberative processes. formally recognized addresses and property legal frameworks and institutions might be This approach will help to promote land access, rights, settlements have difficulty accessing established for land title registration, several enhance the security of land rights and pre- water and electricity and have no protection factors may still discourage people from obtain- vent arbitrary land takeover (Land Tenure and when exploited or evicted by landlords or ing titles. The registration and titling process Development Technical Committee, 2009). criminal gangs. They are equally vulnerable to might be procedurally cumbersome, costly and eviction by private developers or government available only in formal courts, whereas the officials. local community may prefer informal adjudica- Conclusion The significance of recognition of land and tory systems. Approaches centred on legal empowerment property rights extends well beyond economic of the poor aid in the expansion of the poor’s benefits. Property and land not only shelter Land and legal empowerment access to legal and institutional mechanisms individuals and communities, they also provide in the Ukraine from which they have traditionally been a symbolic connection to a location, and their Changes in legal frameworks and lack of excluded. Such approaches emphasize the criti- ownership feeds into human dignity. The link- legal knowledge and awareness hamper cal nature of legal identity, land and property age between property and human dignity is the enjoyment of property rights among rights, and poverty reduction as vehicles to enshrined in the International Covenant on the rural population of Ukraine, especially help the poor break the vicious cycle of exclu- Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the disadvantaged. The legal literacy of sion and poverty. states that economic and social rights derive the population and the weak capacity of Addresses underpin these key priorities in from the inherent dignity of human beings. legal service providers are key factors in the legal empowerment approach to develop- This right is also enshrined in Article 17 of the this disempowerment: rural populations ment. They sit at the interface linking individu- Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “(1) do not know what rights they have or how als to legal identity and to their property and Everyone has the right to own property alone to access protection and remedy where land, thus helping to support empowerment. as well as in association with others. (2) No one their rights have been violated. Addresses form part of the fundamental shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” In July 2011, the UNDP and the information necessary to obtain legal identity, An understanding of land and property in Ministry of Justice of Ukraine jointly and are a prerequisite for access to services human rights terms assists in situating land launched a project to legally empower and political participation. They also embody governance as part of a broader system that the rural population. Community-based a symbolic recognition by the state, society extends beyond legal instruments and institu- literacy campaigns on the property and/or community of the individual’s existence, tions dealing with land. A fundamental aspect rights of farmers and landowners were rights and sense of belonging. Addresses link of the human rights approach is the perspec- organized to provide sufficient knowledge legal identity and land, ensuring formal insti- tive that rights should be recognized and and understanding of property and land tutional and symbolic community recognition respected not only by formal institutions, but rights. Actions were also taken to develop of an individual’s connection to a certain piece also at a community level. More than simply a capacity among state legal aid providers. of land or property. Addresses empower indi- matter of the legal recognition of a right, this The project, “Fostering Full Enjoyment of viduals to further their livelihood and human also involves social and community acceptance Land and Property Rights”, is engaging potential. of the land and property right (Rashid, 2010). with free legal aid centres of the Ministry In this perspective, addresses are an important of Justice, civil society networks, think tool enabling social, community and govern- tanks, community-based organizations ment recognition of a land or property right, as and the media. they help to ensure that the poor are included and accepted into the broader community Without awareness of the legal mechanisms systems. available to them, the poor are increasingly Legal empowerment is an approach to vulnerable to landlessness without justifiable development mindful of the importance to cause and without adequate compensation. individuals and communities of participating The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions in the processes and institutions that affect documented that forced evictions – for the their lives, and which supports institutions that most part characterized by violence and a lack are responsive to the needs of those individu- of legal remedy, protection or compensation als and communities. Legal empowerment is – resulted in the loss of livelihoods for the poor- not just about establishing a prescribed set est and most marginalized (Centre on Housing of institutions in each context; rather, it looks Rights and Evictions, 2010). Empowering the at the interactions between the poor and poor by providing them with a voice and iden- those institutions in order to respond to the tity to engage with government and formal

Linkage between virtual and physical addresses Village of Beilin, China

Somewhere in England, someone picks up a a new challenge arises: the changing relation- mobile telephone to call someone on a landline ship between physical addresses and logical in China. They tap out a few digits, and within names. This is also relevant in the emergence a few seconds, a single telephone on the other of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and new side of the world rings. With more than 1.2 networks and technologies. New, vital tasks billion fixed lines in the world, and a further include responding to these identification 5.4 billion active mobile cellular subscriptions, needs and managing the standards for hugely the challenge involved in assigning numbers to scalable systems at a global level to ensure that them all is immense. This is just one of the activ- they enable everything to run smoothly. This ities of the International Telecommunication is the role of the ITU. The ITU believes that Union (ITU) that ensure the smooth functioning the ability to communicate is a fundamental of today’s networked world. right, and that these activities contribute to Until relatively recently, it was possible to our commitment to connect the entire world’s easily map a telephone number to a physical population, regardless of location or income. location. A fixed landline telephone number was associated with one physical address, and when a person dialled it, the telephone Telephone networks network operator knew exactly where the The modern telephone network could not work call was being routed. Then the telephone without the numbering system. In the early network evolved, and the numbering system nineteenth century calls between nations were it used effectively became a system of logical still rare and could be routed by manual opera- names. These have no location, unlike physical tors. But as the world became more global and addresses. For example, the numbers assigned more phones appeared, the manual processing to mobile telephones are assigned to physical of calls became unwieldy. The ITU responded handsets, which are designed to move around, by introducing a system to which everyone even between countries. These numbers serve subscribed. The ITU’s original numbering sys- as the device’s logical name, which identifies it tem allowed for telephone numbers with 12 and moves with it, and, in contrast to a fixed digits. Under this numbering plan, countries line, do not inherently reveal its location. agreed to adhere to a system of internation- As these numbering systems evolve, and ally assigned country codes, with national area the devices that connect them merge together, codes established internally.

91 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

In 1964, when the first CCITT Blue Book way or another serve as a type of address a person changes his or her physical address. to contain international dialling codes was identification. Telephone numbers, IP addresses and Internet launched, mobile phones were the stuff of An IP address is the numerical address used domain names all serve this function. However, science fiction. Nowadays, there are nearly to identify an Internet-connected device on the there are still challenges with regard to these four times as many mobile phones as there are worldwide digital network. It serves two prin- types of identification; in particular, these fixed landlines, as a result of the huge growth cipal functions: host or network interface iden- forms of identification do not allow others to of mobile phone networks in the developing tification and location addressing. IP addresses reach a person or location or to deliver physical world. Fortunately, ITU’s experience in manag- are composed of long numbers whose format goods and services. Online identities not tied ing the smooth introduction and upgrading and use are defined under Recommendations to an address (e.g. a Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo! of fixed telephone numbering systems has ITU-T E.212 and ITU-T Q.708. A more recog- e-mail address) require a link with a location- helped it to manage these new technological nizable form of identification on the Internet based physical address in order to establish developments. is the domain name. Domain names are physical communication and the delivery of The challenges inherent in mobile phone composed of a finite arrangement of symbols, physical goods. numbering are different and more nuanced which provide easily memorizable names for Some countries have introduced services than those facing fixed-line numbering systems. numerically addressed Internet resources. The to verify e-mail addresses against a specific The Global System for Mobile Communications guidelines covering domain names are found physical address in order to tie them to a (GSM) network is the most complex part of under Recommendation ITU-T E.164. particular user and residence. These services the mobile numbering system, because of the While the process of expanding telephone have emerged in the wake of e-mail and the roaming and billing issues involved. With the numbers went smoothly, the expansion of IP Internet as a bolt-on designed to solve an GSM network, the SIM card associated with addresses and the use of domain names ran inherent design problem: the Internet’s incep- each account has a number that identifies the into difficulty. The original addressing system tion as a largely private network in the US operator. When roaming, a request is made used for the modern Internet, known as IPv4, military and its later use among the academic to the SIM card for the five-digit number on ran out of numbers in February 2011, and a system did not take into account fundamental the mobile phone, to enable it to identify the new system, IPv6, was created to extend IP issues, such as security. Even though physical operator. That number is then used to verify address space on the Internet more or less addresses may not play a role in the logical whether a roaming agreement exists, and to indefinitely. Despite the creation of the new naming or identification of new technologies, relay information about the call back to the system, however, the ongoing transition from they are considered by some governments and original operator, adding a layer of complexity IPv4 to IPv6 has been painful and expensive, organizations to be a valuable means of sup- to the system. and is taking time to implement. porting cybersecurity, especially in the wake In many cases, a mobile phone operator Complications also exist with regard to the of e-government and e-commerce initiatives. may require a physical address for a subscrip- ownership of Internet domain names. Because tion contract. In such cases, a telephone most organizations focus on global domain number can then be linked to the location of names (such as .com) rather than country- The ITU and ubiquitous the user, even as she or he moves around. This specific ones, many problems emerge con- networks address can provide operators with additional cerning ownership. For example, companies For several years now, the telephone system, information about clients and can improve can purchase a .com address in seconds with the Internet, and other devices ranging from communication and exchange for payment a credit card and an Internet connection, but automobiles to household appliances have or service delivery. Although prepaid mobile the subsequent legal disputes over domain become increasingly interconnected, commu- phone services, obtained through pay-as-you- name ownership can last for years. nicating over single networks that require stan- go cards, do not always require an address, this Attempts to search for e-mail addresses dardization and effective governance. These is increasingly becoming a prerequisite. This is can also provoke difficulties. E-mail addresses devices join over ubiquitous networks that link especially true in the developed world, where today are extremely diverse as a result of the a variety of devices and allow digital data to be address verification can serve as an additional absence of any standardized system for format- exchanged seamlessly. The ITU plays an increas- security measure or a means of improving ting names. Current formats vary immensely: ingly important role in creating standards for service quality. individuals may employ either or both names or these converged, ubiquitous networks, known none; they might use initials, dashes, or terms as next-generation networks (NGNs). completely unrelated to their actual name. The One challenge the ITU has identified is the Comparing telephones possibilities are endless. need to separate logical names and physical to the Internet Unlike physical addresses, which serve to addresses in the specifications for NGNs. One In addition to managing telephone number- identify one location and specific individuals, potential way to do this is by using identifica- ing systems, the ITU is also responsible for the the identification of devices or applications tions (IDs) to refer to certain devices or applica- management of numbers affiliated with IP depends on logical naming and is not tied to tions and then to separate locators to refer to addresses and domain names, which in one a specific location. One benefit of a logical locations. The IDs could then be mapped to name is that it remains unchanged, even when the locators. This mapping could be achieved

92 Part III: Partners in the initiative: International Telecommunication Union

using an identity layer, which would become a information about a device’s physical location Enlisting the help of others new part of the addressing architecture. in addition to its other properties. The ITU is adopting a highly inclusive approach The increasingly complex relationship An identification scheme is probably the to tackling these new challenges to object between logical names and physical addresses biggest challenge of the Internet of Things. identification, coordinating with actors world- is likely to be more fully resolved as future net- The Internet of Things will contain billions wide to ensure that the largest number of working systems are conceived. In the future, of objects that must be uniquely identified; stakeholders are heard. Organizations such as devices will be designed and fitted to com- this is a challenge that standards bodies must the European Telecommunications Standards municate with other devices via a ubiquitous meet. So far, there is no internationally agreed Institute (ETSI), the Telecommunications network. One particularly significant develop- solution. Some schemes for identifying objects Industry Association (TIA), the GSC Machine- ment within the ubiquitous network involves exist, but these mostly respond to the problems to-Machine Standardization Task Force (MSTF), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. of specific applications. One idea is to identify the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the Much M2M communication today uses mobile devices on the Internet through entities that Global ICT Standardization Forum for India network infrastructure, because it is readily the ITU calls “tags”. These tags can be read by (GISFI), the GS1 and various sub-committees available. For example, if a car were to detect other devices and will communicate the ID of of ISO/IEC JTC 1 are involved, as is the Internet a flaw, it could use a mobile connection to dial the device according to specific protocols. In Engineering Task Force (IETF). The ITU also the nearest auto shop centre and request a new an NGN that separates identifier from locator, works with several focus groups that facilitate part, then supply directions to the mechanic. one optional connection could be to use the discussions between experts worldwide, who, For this to happen, the car would need to tag-based ID of a device to identify its location. while not ITU members, bring domain-specific communicate with various devices, including expertise. The ITU’s cooperation with diverse a GPS tool, which would be able to provide a Interoperability groups is crucial, especially with regard to the map showing the physical location of the near- One of the biggest issues in identity manage- production of standards that everyone will be est auto shop. In this case, physical addresses ment today is that identifiers used in one net- willing and able to adopt. provide additional information that supports work might not be understandable or usable in At present, it is unknown what role physical the smooth functioning of the system and the another. In the Internet of Things, people will addresses will play in the future or what form transformation from the virtual to the physical. want to use devices across multiple kinds of they will take. However, in a world of unteth- Research into projects such as these is already networks, and that involves linking the identi- ered logical identities, such addresses can help underway. ties between things. to advance the ITU’s goal of inclusive and safe The solution may not involve a single global networks – supporting communication world- identity for a device on a network. Instead, a wide. What is certain is that the move towards The Internet of Things diverse collection of identities, as exists today, ubiquitous networks will require ubiquitous The concepts of NGNs and M2M communica- may prevail. For example, in some domains an acceptance, and a willingness to collaborate tion are being crafted in the context of a broader identity is just an e-mail address. In others, such across different domains to respond to the development: what technology experts call the as social networks, an identity is far more com- complexity of these changes. “Internet of Things”. The Internet of Things will plex, and much more loaded. It may include be a vast, interconnected network of devices, a real name, and links to other people. Some large and small, that can communicate with identities may include location-based informa- – and in some cases control – each other. By tion (such as those used for delivering goods or its very nature, the Internet of Things includes those employed in e-government applications). M2M communication and touches many dif- Mapping identities like these together and ferent disciplines, thus requiring coordination making them interoperable, while considering between different study groups and with vari- all of the privacy and security implications, will ous standards developing organizations. be a key part of the challenge. The ITU has an Internet of Things Global Linking a physical device to an identifier Standards Initiative, which enables experts to is one problem, but linking that device to a meet and conduct standards-based develop- specific physical address will be an interesting ment work. One such group is the ITU-T Study feat. Location information is one only facet Group 2, which focuses on numbering, naming of a device’s existence. Some of the billions and addressing, all of which constitute a huge of objects connected to the network might challenge. Numbering, naming and address- identify a person’s location, while others may ing will enable “things” to communicate not. The management of location information with each other across the vast fabric of the is more nuanced and will become an increas- Internet (or whichever network succeeds it). ingly important task in the coming years. These processes are likely to provide users with

93 94 on 19160, ISO Addressing national address infrastructures, based for guidelines Standardization International Organization for Standardization The result has been renewed interest in and inand interest renewed been has result The addresses Traditionally, have used people to direct themselves to buildings and their their and to buildings themselves to direct themselves. These stakeholders either: stakeholders These themselves. com utility managers, town city planners, addresses of use efficient the support that tures facilitiesthe systems, and organizational struc geo-marketing. and analysis demographic tial within a country. Various stakeholders are acountry. Various stakeholders within national address infrastructure. These include include These infrastructure. address national navigation, automated processing of mail processing automated navigation, occupants. However, the advent of comput However, advent the occupants. panies, postal operators and the addressees addressees the and operators postal panies, possibilities, including routeing and vehicle vehicle and routeing including possibilities, f f f demand for addressing standards that facilitate facilitate that standards for addressing demand interoperability. maintenance, and spa planning utility items, involved in both designing and maintaining a maintaining and designing inboth involved ers has opened up a whole new range of range new awhole up opened has ers Assign the address (e.g. address local the Assign A (e.g. service providers, business business providers, (e.g. service Use the address in a variety of ways of ways in avariety address the Use service providers). service Find the address (e.g. address citizens, the Find partners, local governments and governments local partners, governments, postal operators); postal governments, emergency response teams response and otheremergency election commissions);election or national address infrastructure address national

refers to refers - - - - to which addresses are assigned) improves the the improves assigned) are addresses to which according (i.e. scheme the of addresses tion tothoroughfare. a reference without areas tive the components that make up an address and and make that address an up components the Organization for Standardization (ISO) has (ISO) for Standardization Organization address assignment scheme has to has form scheme assignment address its fits that scheme assignment address an addressing. used in different parts of the world reflect the the reflect world of the parts in different used 19160, ISO aproject, undertaken creative. and variable unstructured, citizens and systems. The standard for the standard The systems. and citizens which aims to bring together stakeholders to stakeholders together to aims bring which no single scheme suits all countries; rather, countries; all suits scheme single no is address inthe network to aroad reference commonly comprise a hierarchy of administra ahierarchy comprise commonly countries inAsian addresses while common, indifferent vary schemes These components. part of national address infrastructure and infrastructure address of national part parts of the world. In many European countries, countries, many European In world. of the parts describes how values are assigned to these to these assigned are values how describes develop a suite of international standards for standards of asuite international develop local and cultural characteristic of addresses: of addresses: characteristic cultural and local In informal settlements, addresses can be can addresses settlements, informal In each country has to design and implement implement and to has design country each et al., 2008). On this basis, the International International the basis, this al.,et On 2008). (Coetzee, sectors across usage their of efficiency economy and governance. standardiza economy The The diverse address assignment schemes schemes assignment address diverse The Addresses play a key role in society, the the akeyin society, play role Addresses An An address assignment scheme Signage of Paris, France Addressing identifies identifies - - , © ISO Part III: Partners in the initiative: International Organization for Standardization

cannot be imposed internationally. However, standards. This approach enabled the project international standards can provide guidance team to identify requirements not yet incorpo- for the development of a standard. Addresses rated into existing address standards, and at also need to be interoperable: software from the same time ensure that existing standards multiple vendors should be able to process the were taken into account and, where possible, same addresses; conversely, software from one recommended for re-use in order to avoid vendor should be able to process addresses duplication. In light of the review’s conclu- from multiple countries. sions, the ISO 19160 project issued a set of This chapter provides an overview of the recommendations for the development of a ISO 19160 project and its recommendations. suite of international address standards. The It discusses standardization requirements for first recommendation was to develop ISO a national address infrastructure, based on 19160–1, entitled “Addressing – terminology the work in ISO 19160. Moreover, it looks at and conceptual model.” This model would not design considerations for the development of seek to replace conceptual models in other a national address assignment scheme and addressing standards. Rather, it would endeav- concludes with a list of standardization require- our to cross-map between those models, for ments for such a scheme. example, by mapping the “ThoroughfareName” Addresses from different parts of the world component in the INSPIRE data specification on addresses (INSPIRE, 2009) to its equivalent An overview of ISO 19160, in the South African address standard, SANS The fifth recommendation was to analyze Addressing 1883, namely, the “StreetName” (SABS, 2009). the ways in which addresses are rendered for The first phase of the ISO 19160, Addressing The ISO 19160–1 model should be extendable purposes other than mail, such as web-based project was completed in July 2011. It served to to the specific requirements of individual coun- maps and graphic displays for handheld devices enable formal collaboration among stakehold- tries or communities and should be usable as and mobile phones, and to ascertain whether ers and had two objectives: a blueprint for address databases. a standard is required to assist developers of The second recommendation was to software with the display of addresses on f Investigate and formulate requirements develop ISO 19160–2, entitled “Addressing – digital output and in user interfaces. in relation to addressing. good practices for address assignment”. This In the future, national address infrastruc- f Make recommendations on whether document will provide guidance to countries tures will be able to use software and other standards should be developed and, if that have to develop a new address assignment tools developed for ISO 19160–compliant so, how this should be done. scheme, or want to evaluate or improve an addresses. It is therefore important that The objective of this phase was not to design an existing scheme. national standards conform to ISO 19160. The address standard, but rather to review existing The third recommendation was to develop results of the review, the recommendations address standards in order to identify interna- ISO 19160–3, “Addressing – quality manage- and an overview of the reviewed standards tional addressing standardization requirements ment for address data”, which consists of mea- have been published in a report available online and to make recommendations on how these sures to assess and communicate the quality (ISO, 2011). The bibliography of this report should be developed. of address data in terms of attribute (thematic) contains address-related publications and ref- In the run-up to the ISO 19160 project, accuracy, logical consistency, completeness, erences regarding address standards. These a workshop was organized in May 2008 in positional accuracy and temporal accuracy, referencies will prove useful for developers of Copenhagen, Denmark, to consider the issues among others. Such a quality standard will standards in a national address infrastructure. related to an international address standard support national address infrastructures by At the time of writing, it was expected (Coetzee, Cooper and Lind, 2008). The work- providing consistent guidelines to measure that the second phase of the project would shop brought together addressing stakeholders and report on the quality and integrity of data. commence in November 2011, with work from around the world to present and discuss The fourth recommendation proposed that on the first recommendation, ISO 19160–1, their perspectives on the standard. As a result the existing UPU standard S42, “International “Addressing – terminology and conceptual of the workshop, as well as collaboration on postal address components and templates”, model”. other initiatives such as the “Addressing the be adopted as ISO 19160–4, “Addressing – world – An address for everyone” initiative of international postal address components and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the majority templates”, among the suite of international Standardization requirements of stakeholders agreed to participate in the addressing standards. UPU S42 already covers in address infrastructure ISO 19160 project. the important requirement of interoperability Table 1 lists the standardization requirements In order to achieve the first objective, the by means of clear postal rendering rules. This identified by the ISO 19160 project. The sub- ISO 19160 project reviewed a number of is essential for streamlining global postal sequent sections discuss how standards in a existing national and international address services. national address infrastructure should ideally

95 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

to track the life cycle of an address record in Standardization requirement Benefits the database and, more importantly, of the address in the physical world. Address aliases, Address assignment scheme – Consistent address assignment such as multilingual addresses, abbreviations in the physical world in the address or alternative addresses for the – Understanding of addresses same addressable object, are used on a daily Terminology – Unambiguous communication basis worldwide. about addresses In the future, terminology and conceptual – Understanding of addresses model standards in a national address infrastructure should conform to the requirements Conceptual model – Address databases based of ISO 19160–1. Where necessary, country or (including metadata, life cycle on the conceptual model community-specific extensions can be made. and address aliases) – Understanding of addresses

Rendering of addresses on mail items – (Automated) processing of mail items Specifications for rendering addresses on mail items Encoding(s) of the conceptual model – Exchange of digital address data, Standardizing address rendering, for example, (e.g. XML schema) either in bulk or one by one through, specifications for the rendering of address for example, web services labels on mail items, streamlines mail produc- Address data maintenance – Definitive address dataset tion and processing. A standard for address rendering also makes it easier to display Address quality management – Improved address quality addresses on maps and digital displays. The Table 1. Address standardization requirements and their benefits postal operator(s) in a country should take responsibility for this standard, which should follow the specifications laid out in UPU S42 be developed to meet these standardization assignment scheme. Terminology is important (ISO 19160–4). The rendering specifications requirements. The discussion shows how the for communication about and understand- should be based on the national address assign- standards are interrelated, implying a logical ing of addressing. Standards for the address ment scheme and conceptual model, but might sequence for their development. This is not assignment scheme and terminology are the have to be extended with postal components, a reflection of current common practice in absolute minimum requirements for a national such as postcodes or other delivery elements countries (e.g. many countries have standards address infrastructure. (e.g. P.O. Box). for rendering specifications but no conceptual model standard), but rather a recommendation The conceptual model Encoding for the development of address standards to A conceptual model describes addresses, in An encoding standard specifies how addresses ensure a harmonized suite of standards in a other words, the meaning of the concepts are represented in an electronic message or national address infrastructure. involved and the relationships between them. data file, thus facilitating electronic process- The conceptual model reflects use of the ing and exchange of addresses. Exchange The address assignment scheme(s) address assignment scheme in the physical of addresses takes place between users An address assignment scheme identifies the world. The ISO 19160 review showed that an (citizens) and producers (local governments) components that make up an address and address often consists of a combination of com- of address data, or between different users describes how values are assigned to these ponents or elements, organized according to a (electronic business partners). The encoding components. A national address standard hierarchy. The conceptual model is the second standard should be based on the national should identify and describe the address assign- most important standardization requirement in address assignment scheme and conceptual ment schemes that are used in the country. It a national address infrastructure. model. It could also specify how addresses are is not necessary to prescribe a single scheme, The national conceptual model should to be represented in international encodings, but it is important that each scheme and its include metadata, life cycle and address aliases. such as that provided by the Organization for area of jurisdiction be described. In the future, Address-specific metadata provides informa- the Advancement of Structured Information ISO 19160–2, “Addressing – good practices tion about the address, such as the custodian, Standards (OASIS, 2008). for address assignement”, will provide guid- lifespan and status. Metadata is used during ance on how to develop a national standard exchange and maintenance of address data Address data maintenance for address assignment schemes. and is important for understanding the address. A standard for address data maintenance Life cycle tracks the temporal phases (e.g. future, is only relevant when address datasets are Addressing terminology active, retired) of an address. The address maintained. Such a standard allows address Terminology refers to the terms and defini- standards reviewed by the ISO 19160 project data producers to aggregate and update data tions that describe addresses and the address demonstrated consistency in the requirement according to a set of procedures and rules. A

96 Part III: Partners in the initiative: International Organization for Standardization

definitive national address dataset is often the Addresses are used for a wide variety of Humans can adapt to find an address once ultimate goal of a national address infrastruc- purposes: postal delivery, emergency response, in the general area. In the case of a small village, ture. However, few of the address standards customer relationship management, land for example, an address with only the village reviewed by the ISO 19160 project included administration, and utility planning and main- name and region would be sufficient: specifications for the maintenance of address tenance, to name a few. Often these purposes f Mr Joe Mahlangu, Ratsegae, data, possibly because address data custodi- have conflicting needs. For example, the Rustenburg Municipality ans are not identified or because addressing geographical precision and accuracy required responsibilities are decentralized within the may vary: a large-scale geographic overview In contrast, a utility company requires more country. of addresses is required for utility planning information to identify and bill individual dwell- and maintenance; accurate identification of ings. Thus, the purpose of the address deter- Address quality management individual address locations is crucial for mail mines how precise it has to be. The intended All the standards discussed so far support the delivery or emergency response; and only the precision of addresses should be specified in quality of addresses, for example, by ensuring place name in the address is of relevance in a the national standard for an address assign- the existence and accuracy of the components customer analysis. ment scheme. of an address. However, a standard for address Given the variety of purposes, an object An address typically consists of a number quality management contains procedures and can have several addresses. For example, some of components forming a hierarchy of names measures for the development, maintenance locations might have one address for a front and/or numbers, each with an increasing level and communication of the quality of an address. entrance (for receiving visitors) and another of precision. For example, a European city-style A national standard for quality management address for the back entrance (for connecting address usually comprises one or more place will assist in improving the quality of address utilities). Moreover, a house can have a postal names, a street name and a number, while a data in a national address infrastructure. In the street address for mail delivery and a residential Japanese address is made up of a prefecture future, such a standard should be based on ISO street address for directing someone to the name, a municipality name, one or more 19160–3, Addressing – quality management house. To illustrate this, “Glenstantia” in the place names, and a parcel or house number for address data. If required, additional quality postal address below refers to the name of (ISO, 2011). The components that make up an management, specific to the relevant national a post office, while “Constantia Park” in the address, and the relationships between them, address infrastructure, can be specified. residential address refers to the name of the have to be clearly specified in the national suburb, which appears on signposts. Both standard for an address assignment scheme. addresses designate the same location: The rules according to which values are Design considerations for assigned to address components vary greatly. f 42 Rover Street, Glenstantia, the development of a national For example, address numbers can be assigned 0181, South Africa standard independently along a thoroughfare, with (postal address) There are many issues to consider when devel- numbers proceeding according to a num- f 42 Rover Street, Constantia Park, oping a national standard for an address assign- bering rule from an origin point to the end Pretoria, South Africa ment scheme. A few of these are discussed of the thoroughfare. Alternatively, address (residential address) here and further information can be found numbering can be organized around axes that in Annex A.13 of the ISO 19160 report (ISO, Clearly then, different addresses are some- extend from a common point of origin (the 2011), which includes descriptions of a variety times used to identify the same object but local “zero” point for address numbers), with of address assignment schemes (axial, linear, for distinct purposes. If at all possible, such all numbers increasing with distance from the area-based) with examples from Australia/ ambiguities should be avoided in the national point of origin. There are many more examples New Zealand, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, the standard for an address assignment scheme. If of address numbering, such as the use of geo- Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, this is not possible (e.g. for historical reasons graphic coordinates (Saudi Arabia) or distance the United Kingdom and the United States of both addresses might be in use), the standard from an intersection (Australia/New Zealand) America. should provide clear guidelines on how to deal (ISO, 2011). It is important that the rules for Addresses are used to identify many dif- with the ambiguities. assigning values to address components be ferent objects, such as people, buildings, How precise does the address need to be? included in the national standard for an address landmarks, places and even objects in transit. First of all, an address can be absolute or rela- assignment scheme. Some addresses include a third dimension tive. In the latter case, the location is specified It is also important to ensure that the relating to levels above or below ground (e.g. relative to something else. An example of this addresses based on the address assignment flats and offices in multi-storey buildings and might be a landmark or an informal address: scheme can be used for postal operations, utili- underground utility connections). It is impor- ties, censuses, land administration (cadastre) f The White House, Washington DC tant to specify in the national standard for an and financial systems, among other things. 20001 address assignment scheme which objects are In most cases, there is no single authority f Red house opposite the butcher shop, being addressed. responsible for assigning values to the individ- Tsamaya Street, Mamelodi, South Africa ual components of an address. For example, in

97 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

South Africa, the Municipal Demarcation Board To illustrate the trade-off that must occur, f The digital representation of addresses assigns municipality names, while municipali- consider the costs involved when people in the physical world (e.g. data model, ties themselves assign street names. For place change street names to reflect a change in the databases, etc.). names, a naming process has to be followed, political system: both the physical world and and the South African Geographic Names its digital representation (e.g. in a database) In the future, national address infrastruc- Council administers this process. Moreover, the have to change accordingly. The potential tures with standards that conform to ISO South African Post Office assigns postcodes cost of replacing signposts is huge. Likewise, 19160 will be able to leverage the benefits of to addresses. The organizations responsible the cost of the ripple effect in the electronic international standards, including the ability to for assigning values to the individual address processing of addresses is significant: people use ISO 19160–compliant software and tools. components have to be clearly identified in a will continue to use the old address for quite national address infrastructure. some time and electronic systems have to be While a single address assignment scheme backwards compatible. Acknowledgements per country is more efficient, there are several A word of thanks is owed to the nominated reasons, such as local cultural relevance or cost experts and ISO/TC 211 member bodies for implications, for a country to support more Conclusion their contributions and active participation than one scheme. The short-term costs of A national address infrastructure should at the in ISO 19160, Addressing. A special word implementing a single, efficient address assign- very least include standards for an address of thanks is owed to Piotr Piotrowski of the ment scheme have to be carefully weighed assignment scheme and terminology. A Universal Postal Union and Reese Plews from against the long-term financial benefits of such conceptual model is the next most important Japan, who provided valuable feedback on an a scheme. The design of an address assignment standardization requirement. Furthermore, early draft of the chapter. scheme involves a trade-off between people, specifications for the rendering of addresses The support of the South African Bureau of the physical world and the digital representa- on mail items are required for efficient mail Standards (SABS) is appreciated for the author’s tion of the physical world (Coetzee, et al., 2011). processing, and an encoding standard is involvement in ISO 19160, Addressing, as well People refers to all the “human” require- needed for the electronic processing and as for the development of the South African ments of a national address infrastructure. exchange of addresses. In terms of address address standard (SANS 1883). People should be able to read, understand and data maintenance, a standard is relevant only remember addresses (e.g. one should intuitively when address datasets are maintained. In know what the next address down the road is). such cases, a quality management standard Moreover, addresses should reflect the local (procedures and measures for the development, culture, be in harmony with political objectives, maintenance and communication of the quality and support the social and civic identity of the of an address) will also apply. people living there. In the light of the trade-off and design con- The physical world refers to the actual loca- siderations discussed in this chapter, a national tion of the address and how it is used. This standard for an address assignment scheme world includes signposts for the address on should define the following: the object itself, but also signposts for other f The objects that are addressed; address components such as the street and f The purpose(s) for which the addresses place name. It includes the elevation level of are assigned; an address (i.e. which floor) and the entrance(s) f The intended precision of the to the object in relation to where the address addresses; is allocated or signposted. Furthermore, mul- f The components making up the tiple addresses for a single object and multiple addresses; and objects may share an address. f The way in which values are assigned Finally, digital representation refers to the to these components. way in which addresses in the physical world are represented digitally. Important design In addition, a national address infrastruc- considerations involve the efficiency of rep- ture must identify the organization that has a resentation for storage and processing on a mandate for the assignment and maintenance computer, including the systematic assignment of: of addresses, the algorithmic processing of f Addresses by people (e.g. naming); addresses, character recognition of addresses f Addresses in the physical world (e.g. for mail sorting), and integration with (e.g. signposts); and other systems.

The European experience

Háskóli Íslands, Iceland

Addresses are a common language providing The European experience in the field of citizens, business entities and public admin- addresses can be summarized in two initiatives: istrations with a simple and clear description the European Address Infrastructure (EURADIN) of location. The majority of economic activity, and the European Address Forum (EAF). These for example, relies upon addresses for the initiatives share the common aim of providing delivery of goods and services. Proper address- interoperable address systems in Europe. The ing, therefore, can greatly enhance efficiency, work undertaken by EURADIN (ECP-2007- and has a considerable impact on the value or GEO-317002) and co-funded by the European cost of services. Addresses also function as a Union (EU) under the eContentplus programme common reference linking people or applying had two purposes: first, to form a best practice information from different sources, particularly, network to promote European address harmo- in today’s interconnected, high-tech world. nization regarding the definition, registration Well-structured, high-quality address and accessibility of European address data; and, data has come to be widely recognized as second, to demonstrate the substantial ben- an important part of society’s infrastructure. efits to society of proper addressing, in terms Organizations such as the World Bank, the of economic and practical value. The EAF was International Organization for Standardization created as an extension of EURADIN to encour- (ISO) and, in particular, the Universal Postal age awareness of the benefits of addressing, Union (UPU) have declared addresses to be including efficient emergency response and an essential tool for economic and social new value-added products and applications. development, and have underlined the vital need to establish a complete, correct and unique addressing system in many countries, Background both developing and industrialized. In Europe, The Geographic Information Network in Europe during the preparation of the Infrastructure for (GINIE) project, which took place between Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) direc- March 2001 and 2003, reflected agreement tive, addresses were recognized as one of the among a number of address experts from top priority data themes and as a necessary different EU member countries to cooper- common reference in the development of a ate in the field of addressing. In May 2005, European spatial data infrastructure. the Address Infrastructure Workshop at the GIS PLANET conference in Estoril, Portugal,

Navarra region, Spain Pamplona county, Navarra, Spain Pamplona city, Navarra, Spain

recommended the creation of a lightweight prepared reports on implementation, stan- validating the European address infrastructure electronic network of address experts, spon- dards, workflow, metadata requirements, pilot, as well as delivering recommendations sored by the European Umbrella Organisation business models and recommendations for and guidelines for European countries to estab- for Geographic Information (EUROGI). This addressing best practices. EURADIN members lish their own national address infrastructure. idea received further support at the annual also expressed willingness to create a European Coordination between INSPIRE and Nordic Address Meeting held in Stockholm in forum on addresses to extend and broaden EURADIN was essential for the project’s suc- June 2005. the work of the project in subsequent years. cess. EURADIN maintained continuous contact In November 2005, based on these recom- In June 2009, during the EURADIN Second with the INSPIRE community in order to apply mendations, several experts from Denmark, General Assembly, held in Madrid, agreement the directive’s recommendations and imple- Portugal and the United Kingdom drafted was reached on the creation of a core group ment its rules and specifications in all work an invitation for participation in a European comprising several addressing expert partners. carried out under the project. This coopera- address forum. This idea was presented and fur- They would develop a proposal on a sustain- tion was reinforced through the participation ther developed at different events. During the able structure for the EAF so as to guarantee of several EURADIN partners in the INSPIRE closure of the Cross-border Spatial Information continuity of EURADIN cooperation beyond Thematic Working Group. These partners col- System with High Added Value (CROSS SIS) the end of the project. laborated in the preparation of address data project, held in Pamplona, Spain, in June 2007, specifications, which were further tested and the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia validated by other address data providers par- proposed that collaboration continue under a EURADIN ticipating in the project. new project related to addresses. As a result, One of the objectives of INSPIRE is to lay down The EURADIN project began on 1 June the project and its partnership were configured general rules for the establishment of spatial 2008 and lasted 24 months with a budget in October, culminating in the launch of the information infrastructure in Europe. EURADIN of 4 million EUR. Partners included main EURADIN project in 2008. contributed to this address component of the European stakeholders and experts in the The objective of EURADIN was to advance directive (Theme 5, Annex I). EURADIN sought field of addressing. The core of the project practical implementation of the address- to create a best practice network to promote consortium was composed of several public related themes of the INSPIRE directive in as European address harmonization with regard organizations (regional governments, national many European countries as possible, including to the definition, registration and accessibility mapping agencies, national cadastral offices) establishment of a best practice network. of European address data. The main target from European countries that had already With the support of EU funding, 30 pri- result was a proposal for European address worked in addressing at a regional or national vate and public sector organizations from infrastructure and the implementation, testing level to harmonize addresses and addressing 16 countries partnered with EURADIN. They and validation of its pilot. However, EURADIN systems. The partnership also included private progressed rapidly in their research and went further, proposing a concrete design and companies, representing data producers and

Pamplona city center, Navarra, Spain Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

address users. The project comprised nine work data collection process with relative speed The diagnostic showed that the selected packages: management, initial assessment, and flexibility. The objective was to obtain a methodology was effective for addressing sys- data model, metadata, data flow, business repository of necessary information to build a tem surveys. The methodology also allowed for model, validation, overall assessment and first-class European addressing system. more efficient processing and comparison of networking and dissemination. The project included Europe’s most relevant received data, and could be used to filter future addressing players; they described the project’s best practices for inclusion in the addressing Management major challenges as follows: best practices network. The final conclusion Coordination of the consortium was key to was that interoperability of address systems f European address systems were ensuring completion of all planned project should be improved to prepare for the tech- heterogeneous on account of different activities according to established deadlines. nological framework of coming years. national regulations, responsible offices The established management structure helped and development statuses. Better to minimize problems and anticipate risks. Data model coordination among all stakeholders On the basis of the conclusions obtained from was required in order to create a Initial assessment and user the diagnostic study and the available INSPIRE European address infrastructure, requirements specifications and implementation rules, the prevent delays in the updating process The European member states and organiza- team working with the address data model for new buildings/addresses, and tions involved in the project each had different embarked on the task of matching the exist- facilitate information sharing. political, economic, cultural and organizational ing INSPIRE framework to the topic of address f Thirty percent of partners did not have drivers, and thus different positions regarding data. The purpose of this task was to deliver an addressing system and less than one addresses. The first step towards harmoniza- a technical proposal on harmonized data half were backed by a legal norm. tion of addresses was to analyse existing specifications for the address theme. The result f Less than 50% of analysed addressing address systems in Europe, from a European, was a proposal for address data specification, systems included metadata information. national and regional point of view. The coun- standardization and harmonization, developed However, most addressing systems tries participating in the project were taken as with the consensus of the consortium and that incorporated metadata used the a reference, and the project was then extended covering the essential European critical mass. ISO 19115 standard. to other EU countries. The project also evalu- The team assessed existing concepts and f Half of the organizations used ated, selected and documented examples of attributes – post codes, geographic coordi- the Internet to distribute address best practices. These served as the basis for the nates of the address reference point, town, information, while the rest continued address harmonization proposal at European street, house number (and annex), textual to use CD/DVD distribution. level. The resultant methodology involved descriptions and country specification – and specific questionnaires designed to guide the selected the necessary attributes for data

101 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

specification purposes. This led to the creation to the new profile were implemented, along of the harmonized approach necessary for an with other basic tools for address database interface between the national level and the transformation, and offered as a free and INSPIRE framework. The INSPIRE framework open-source product. was also the reference point for data (address) Further conclusions were obtained regard- specification and the harmonization proposal. ing the state-of-the-art metadata on the basis Specifications produced by the INSPIRE Data of the diagnostic carried out in work package 1: Specifications Drafting Team formed the f More than half of partners’ addressing initial basis for the work carried out: they systems, which included metadata or were used to define the rules on conceptual whose profiles were under construction, modelling 1) in addition to the methodology 2). worked with metadata according to the The last technical document from the INSPIRE ISO 19115 standard, as requested by Data Specifications Drafting Team on GML INSPIRE. However, there was no focus encoding 3) became the reference for the data on metadata specific to addresses. exchange model, a key tool for interoperability. f There were no reports of best practices One of the challenges EURADIN faced was on address metadata that could be synchronizing its activities with the INSPIRE used to support the development of roadmap in order to draw on the strengths of the EURADIN Metadata Profile. The both teams to reach a common objective. To metadata profile was developed from this end, the teams worked together to prepare metadata information relating to all addressing data specifications that would cover addressing systems involved, as a needs in all areas and could be validated by the result of contributions from almost all EURADIN partners with a view to creating the EURADIN partners in this work package. European address infrastructure. This coop- Euradin participation partners eration led to a final model of addresses that largely fulfilled the requirements for harmoniz- Data flow ing addressing at the European level: INSPIRE Address-registration procedures differ widely address data specification versions 2 and 3. among European countries and regions; implementation in each state. However, it was therefore, the goal was not to harmonize noted that organizational problems had to be Metadata existing procedures, but to define a prototype solved prior to technical implementation, and Metadata plays an important role in addressing workflow (from local to national) in order to that any data flow had to be based on web by providing “data about data contents”. For realize a national interface (node). This goal services and implemented in the existing spatial example, metadata contains information on was meant to fulfil the INSPIRE directive of data infrastructure. how, when and why the data was created, as developing recommendations and guidelines well as information on the owner and party to help European member states adapt to Business model responsible for the data. All of this information the defined prototype workflow (Data Flow This work package determined the potential forms a metadata profile, created according to Cookbook). A generalized data flow must social and economic benefits of delivering a standard designed to enhance quality. support a logical or easy process and lead to point addresses to the European market and The main objective of EURADIN in this a high-quality, accurate and complete dataset. examined in particular the relevant market seg- work package was to provide a new metadata However, because of the differences between ments and applications. This involved analysis profile for the address theme. This profile was member states, a best practice framework was of the potential benefit of delivering geocoded to be based on existing profiles used in the created instead of a single best practice data addresses to the European market in the light European regions and countries involved in flow. of related social and economic benefits – one EURADIN, with the new metadata conceived It was not possible to define a single har- of the primary strategic issues of the business within the framework defined by the standards monized European workflow for addresses; model. and reference documents. Development of the however, the initial step of the flow (regis- Within the EU, several variations of two metadata profile, together with its guidelines, tration and georeference) corresponded to potential business models exist for the creation was followed by an evaluation of its applicabil- local authorities, and implementation and and management of address databases. The ity to real data by means of a software tool dissemination could be done at any level of two models sit at either end of the spectrum designed specifically for metadata creation and administration. It was concluded that the situ- and both have their own challenges: editing, according to the EURADIN Metadata ation in each member state would influence f The first model assumes that data Profile (EMP). The applicability of the metadata the organizational structure and would there- is collected at the cost of the public profile was verified, and once accepted, the fore define its data flow. This organizational sector and are either distributed tools for gathering address metadata according framework would form the basis for technical

102 Part III: Partners in the initiative: EURADIN

The development of a European Address In terms of added value and lessons learned, for free or at the marginal cost of Gazetteer served to validate the proposal EURADIN accomplished the following: distribution (which is frequently also for address harmonization and specification. free) with very light licensing terms. The f Increased knowledge of existing address The gazetteer gave access to the addresses of economic justification for this model is culture at the European level; several European countries and/or regions par- the substantial value that the process, f Sharing of this knowledge now and in ticipating in the project. This access was pro- when efficiently and comprehensively the future; vided through network services that allowed managed, can bring to the wider f Creation of a harmonized specification the address spatial data to be combined with economy and the public sector. In this based on existing information and best other harmonized data in a coherent way. model, different parts of the public practices at a European level, which Two main decisions were taken: sector (national, regional or local) may all European countries can continue to play distinct but complementary roles. f To have a full gazetteer service in build; f The second model assumes that the conformance with the specifications f Development of a network of highly data, whether collected by the public or for the INSPIRE direct access download knowledgeable experts (involved in the private sector (or a publicly owned body or web feature service; project partnership) and other people such as a postal service), are charged f To have a web service with functionality and institutions outside the consortium; for, either at a profit or on some form according to defined use cases, f Proven viability of a central address of cost-recovery basis with a protective including geocoding and reverse multi-database hub for Europe, serving licence covering intellectual property geocoding. as a very interesting test bed for the rights. INSPIRE initiative; The central service was based on a distribution f Feasibility of application of the INSPIRE- The results showed that a comprehensive, resolver concept, where incoming requests based data model was demonstrated, harmonized and geocoded address database would be distributed to the different underly- and one of the core INSPIRE datasets available across the EU could result in potential ing local services, and the response aggregated was delivered, and thus the benefits payback of billions of euros worth of improved and returned. intended by the directive. efficiency every year, fewer unnecessary dupli- Seventeen partners, on different hardware cated efforts, faster response times, saved lives, and software platforms, were involved in broader tax collection, and intangible socio- implementation of the services. Two types of Networking and dissemination economic benefits improving the welfare of local services were implemented along with The dissemination activities were targeted to the state. The exact amount was difficult to the central distributer service. The European different audiences and focused on the proj- evaluate, but it was tentatively concluded that Address Gazetteer also demonstrated that cur- ect’s beginning and its results as they became the overall value could be as high as 0.5% per rent mainstream technology platforms limit the available. Networking activities concluded annum of the EU’s GDP, for a total of about potential for interoperability. with the preparation of the “Addressing the 63 billion EUR. Future”, the first European Address Conference, Overall assessment and held in Brussels in 2010. At this conference, Validation: European gazetteer conclusions the European Address Forum was formally Gazetteers associate locations with a geo- Partners participating in the development of launched and the final results of EURADIN graphic identifier. Their role is to reference the European Address Gazetteer were asked were presented. the spatial object representing the location. to give feedback on activities carried out dur- EURADIN also identified a set of solid Gazetteer services provide a quick method ing the first year (related to data, metadata, research priorities and drafted a strategic of locating and retrieving spatial objects by data flow and the business model), which research agenda for the harmonization of name; for example, they can be used to iden- had provided the harmonized solution for the addresses in Europe, including several recom- tify addresses or settlements that lie within an gazetteer. This feedback was then incorporated mendations on harmonization (data, metadata, administrative area or a postcode. Although into the review and assessment process, which data flow), gazetteer services, quality aspects, gazetteer services are not explicitly mentioned analysed results from the project’s first year standards and the reuse of public sector infor- in the INSPIRE directive, the work on drafting and proposed improvements. Formulation of mation. The strategic research agenda provides implementing rules for data specifications the overall project conclusions and analysis of an opportunity to collaborate with other identified a gazetteer service, or services, as research gaps and remaining potential then European organizations in order to present a key functionality required by final users for became the basis for the drafting of the stra- new proposals to the European Commission. many purposes. In addition, since addresses tegic research agenda for European address constitute a theme of INSPIRE Annex I, the harmonization. gazetteer service should be accessible through The project involved a number of practi- European Address Forum (EAF) the general set of services, as defined in Article cal activities to provide pan-European access One outcome of EURADIN was agreement 11 of the directive (e.g. view and download to addresses following a specified standard. among its partners on the need to create services). a European Address Forum to extend and

103 Addressing the world – An address for everyone

reinforce the work begun by EURADIN in com- European citizens and organizations that are model; however, European countries still have ing years. In June 2009, the EURADIN Second responsible for or have a professional interest in work to do in this respect – in some cases General Assembly approved the establishment addressing and address data, whether from the to even create an addressing system. In this of a core group as a sustainable long-term public, private, voluntary, research or academic context, shared experiences become critical. structure for the project. sector, or from society at large. Perhaps most decisively, it is essential to have The EAF was formally created in Brussels The EAF provides a forum to: the resources to support coordination, col- in June 2010. Its aim is to encourage the laboration and collective learning, to ensure f Exchange and share experiences; development of well-structured addresses and the viability and sustainability of efforts to f Help members stay up to date with addressing processes, and the availability and harmonize addressing. relevant initiatives; efficient use of harmonized and good-quality This European experience has underscored f Provide assistance for members wanting address data throughout Europe, for the ben- the fundamental role of addresses in our soci- national support; efit of citizens, business and government. This ety and their impact across all sectors. A more f Build international awareness; is to be achieved through the use of INSPIRE’s serious, consensus-based approach on the f Manage an annual conference for framework and related standards. issue of addressing is now necessary to ensure specialists; The EAF has the following objectives: the standardized development of addresses of f Disseminate best practices; quality, through the use of a single, common f Support and monitor the fulfilment of f Secure the attention of key model, applicable worldwide. The experience the INSPIRE directive in the area of decision-makers; gained through EURADIN and the EAF can and addressing and directly related themes; f Reinforce the adoption of relevant should be extrapolated to other regions, such f Build on the work done through standards throughout the EU; and as Latin America, where work is already under- EURADIN and collaborate with other f Support the aims of INSPIRE. way to set up the Ibero-American Address relevant initiatives; The EAF also aims to support the existence forum, with the support of the EAF. f Act as a forum to share knowledge of address forums in various geographical Further details related to both projects, and exchange views, contributing areas, such as the Nordic Address Forum, the including the lessons learned and best prac- to the identification of best practices in Spanish Address Forum and the proposed tices, are available through the EAF website. 4) addressing and spreading knowledge of Ibero-American Address Forum. For example, those practices; the Nordic Address Forum was a decisive f Serve as a meeting point between reference in the creation of the EAF. The Spanish address data producers and users; Address Forum, created in 2009, contributed f Consider appropriate referencing to a qualitative change in address management methodologies and related issues; in Spain in 2010. The most relevant milestone f Propose address quality assessment of that forum was the presentation of a single methodologies; model of postal addresses to be shared by f Identify and promote the adoption of all government agencies in Spain. core standards, specifications, technical The EAF also carries out additional activi- developments and concepts to make ties, such as address workshops, to encourage address data more accessible; the creation of addressing systems in other f Combine consensus building/awareness countries. It has also promoted cooperation, raising with large-scale, real-world for example, to guarantee funding for Ibero- implementation by its members American addressing systems. wherever possible; f Offer a knowledge base to regional initiatives seeking to consolidate at the Conclusion national level and helping to improve EURADIN and the EAF have provided valu- quality generally from local to national able guidance for the creation of an EU-wide level; addressing project. They have undertaken a f Generally support the European complete diagnostic of the status of addressing information society and knowledge systems in all EU countries within the frame- economy. work of the INSPIRE directive. It is important 1) D2.5, Generic conceptual model. The EAF is above all a lightweight e-network to note that the feasibility of a gazetteer 2) D2.6, Methodology for the development of data that encourages the involvement of all stake- at European level has been demonstrated, specifications. holders working in addressing processes in the and the challenge is now to turn it into an 3) D2.7, Guidelines for the encoding of spatial data. collection, maintenance, use and dissemination operational service. INSPIRE encourages the 4) The EAF website is available at: of address data. EAF is therefore open to all implementation of a common address data www.eaforum.eu

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