Architecture on Common Ground : The Question of Land: Positions and Models

Current and historical takes on land property

How we deal with land has far-reaching implications for architecture and urban development. The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in the privatization of urban land and in speculation. Many European cities that today find themselves under extreme development pressure have virtually no land left to build on. In view of the acute housing shortage, the question of who owns the land is therefore more relevant than ever. To what extent are we able to treat the land as a common good and guard it from the excesses of capitalism?

Architecture on Common Ground provides a historical overview of land property from Henry George to the present. Interviews with stakeholders in global models provide insights into the current handling of the land issue. The book presents outstanding projects based on either a legal or spatial distribution of land and thus makes a valuable contribution to the current discussion on sustainable land policy.