Land problem in the developed economy
- London Croom Helm. 1984
- 265 p.
This book is about land. More particularly, it deals with some of the most basic problems which are associated with land. Of these, the most fundamental appears to be the fact that the supply of land in the world is fixed, while the demands upon it seem to be increasing as economic and population growth occur. Others spring from the fact that each parcel of land, or site, is usually contiguous with others, and thus the activities on one may affect the amenity, usefulness and value of its neighbours. As a result of these characteristics the ownership and use of land often carry with them great advantages and power. Indeed, so great have these been, and so easily abused, that it has been felt to be necessary for the state to regulate the aggregate, intensity and spatial pattern of land use in the interests of society at large. Moreover, this need has been felt in many countries, including both some with high and some with low densities of population, some with developing and some with developed economies, and some with free-market as well as those with centrally-planned systems of economic management. It was also felt especially strongly during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and many controls were introduced by governments during that period. However, wide differences in the perception of the land problem, and in the choice of methods for tackling it, have grown up even within the relatively small number of countries which possess developed economies; and it is the purpose of this book to examine both the general form of the land problem and the variety of perception and of ways of dealing with it amongst these countries.