Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Public Lands and Communal Ownership (was Climate Change and fires)

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> Sara Gottlieb <sara.gottlieb [at] gmail.com>
> Public Lands and Communal Ownership (was Climate Change and fires)

> Just a reminder that land "owned by the federal government" is in fact
> owned by all Americans.  This land is OUR land.  An important thing to
> consider especially among a group of community-minded folks with interest
> and experience in managing land and infrastructure in common.

The problem for those states with many federally managed land is that it too 
often means land managed by people who have not a clue about how to manage 
them. And do not live in them. In a hierarchical decision-making structure, the 
people making the decisions are too often living with no awareness of what is 
true 2,000 miles away. Even the park rangers and BLM staff are subject to 
decisions made by people who have no idea what the land even looks like — or 
cares. If there is oil under it, why are people objecting to drilling for it.

A classic example is the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by decisions 
made in a quaint literary neighborhood of 18th-century row houses in London. 
Sherlock Holmes lived in one.

“Our land”  is also complicated by the “who is us” question. Should the federal 
land in Utah be available for the people in Maine? Or Alaska? How? For what? 

This is at the bottom of all the zoning decisions. People who want huge 
mansions don’t want a tiny home next door. The message that mentioned the 
control of zoning — the rich control zoning. The factory owner with the mansion 
doesn't want their own factory next door. The farm was the last ideal live/work 
space. 

Sharon
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Sharon Villines, Washington DC

Auto-dependent developments on the edge of a city [suburbs] drive up costs, 
dilute the tax base, and create long-term fiscal insolvency. ~ Charles Marohn, 
StrongTowns.org