A recent article in the NY Times discussed the millions of acres of public land in the US that are inaccessible to the public because they’re entirely surrounded by private property, which is sacrosanct. In the UK, by contrast, there is custom going back centuries, that protects the people’s access to the commons. Everywhere you go you find public footpaths that cross private land, allowing one walking and rambling access to extensive swathes of the countryside. Of course, this is not wholly uncontested even here but the notion of public goods is much more widely recognized.
obBLOGato 