Forum to look at property rights

The right to own and control land lies at the heart of what it means to be an American. But tension has been growing between private property rights on the one hand and the public’s “right” to use land for the public good on the other.

What does land ownership really mean? What about our obligation to our neighbors, to our children, to future landowners and users? Do we have responsibilities along with rights in land ownership? How does our desire for a clean and safe environment interact with constitutionally protected ownership rights?

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters is holding a free public forum Wednesday, May 8, 7-9 p.m., On Wisconsin room, Red Gym, 716 Langdon St., Madison, to explore these questions.

Harvey M. Jacobs, director of the Land Tenure Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a professor of urban and regional planning and environmental studies, will do a presentation and will serve as forum moderator.

The forum also will feature the following speakers and topics, in addition to a question-and-answer session:

• Daniel W. Bromley, Anderson-Bascom Professor of Applied Economics, “The Social Meaning of Property Rights.”
• JoAnne F. Kloppenburg, assistant attorney general and director of the environmental protection unit at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, “Wisconsin Takings Law and the Public Trust Doctrine.”
• John A. Kassner, attorney, builder and developer who has served as an elected local official and as director of the Wisconsin Builders Association, “This Land is My Land, and So is Your Land … or Why My Dog Drools at the Dinner Table.”

The forum is a timely exploration of a flashpoint issue in local politics. Recent examples of such conflicts are:

• Development versus protection of farmland on the fringe of cities. Who should decide what to do with that land? Similarly, are wetlands a natural resource to be protected, or do owners have the right to develop them?

• Affordable housing versus landlord rights. Should landlords have the right to refuse taking tenants who have Section 8 housing certificates, or should they be forced to house such tenants for the public good of offering all residents affordable housing?

• Route 12 from Madison to Sauk City. Should owners whose land abuts the road have more say in road development than the area residents who use it?

Forum co-sponsors include the UW–Madison Land Tenure Center, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.