Who owns the land? Who has access to it? What happens when private rights infringe upon the public good, or when one ethnic group is pitted against another, or when there is a conflict between economic and environmental values? This book features essays that deal with the complex, troublesome, and interrelated questions regarding land.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: In Search of Western Lands - William RobbinsPART I: Three Perspectives on Property RightsPrivate Property and the Public Interest: Land in the American Idea - Daniel BromleyProperty Rights, Freedom, and Evolving Social Order - Bruce YandleNew Property Rights Debates: The Dialectics of Naming, Blaming, and Claiming - Sarah Pralle & Michael McCannPART II: Urban and Rural Vantage Points on PropertyLand for Cities, Scenery for City People: Managing Urbanization in the American Grain - Carl AbbottFrom Open Range to Closed Range on the Public Lands - William RowleyPART III: Three Case Studies of Land UseDividing the Land: The Taylor Ranch and the Case for Preserving the Limited Access Commons - Maria MontoyaPublic Lands and Public Sentiment: A Comparative Look at national Parks - Arthur GomezOwning It All in Alaska: The Political Power of a Rhetorical Paradigm - Stephan HaycoxEpilogueContested Terrain: The Business of Land in the American West - Richard WhiteContributorsIndex

"This collection speaks directly to the most vexing political divisions within the New West, from urban and rural frictions to disputes over the management of non—renewable and renewable resources. The authors address an impressive range of issues from philosophical, legal, environmental, social, and political viewpoints."