Private
property poses a great dilemma in American culture. We revere the
institution and are quick to protect private-property rights, yet we
are troubled when landowners cause harm to their neighbors and
communities, especially when new development fuels sprawl and degrades
the environment. Recent Supreme Court cases and new state laws around
eminent domain have generated great controversy, and yet many people
are unsure where they stand on this issue.
In this wide-ranging inquiry, law professor Eric Freyfogle explores the
inner workings of the familiar but poorly understood institution of
private property. He identifies the three threats it currently faces:
government mismanagement, the recently reinvigorated property rights
movement, and conservation groups' efforts to buy tracts of land in
order to protect them. He then offers a solution in the middle ground
between the extreme sides of these debates.
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On Private Property
Finding Common Ground on the Ownership of Land
by Eric T. Freyfogle
Beacon Press,
2008
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a copy
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