Where I live there's such a thing as planning. Land can only be developed if the planning authorities (under democratic control) have zoned it for development. Land can only be zoned for development if it's not protected as valuable landscape, nature reserve etc. So whether land can be developed or not is NOT a decision for developers or landowners. When zoned as land for urban development, the land may be taxed as such. I believe it works like this in most democratic countries.
Jens Bladt (Architect, planner) mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hjem.get2net.dk/bladt -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: Bob Sullivan [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sendt: 30. december 2004 14:36 Til: [email protected] Emne: Re: Selling the Family Farm - was: PESO Vanishing America Farming is a tough business in the USA. At the beginning of the 1900's, the plain states of the Midwestern USA began to lose farmers to mechanization. Tractors have made it possible to have enormous farms. 1,000 acre farms are typical as the cost of the mechanical equipment makes operating on a large scale essential. A co-workers grandparents bought farmland in Indiana many years ago. They never farmed on it, but leased it to others for farming. As the parents are aged with mounting medical care bills, the grandchildren are selling the farmland. The buyers are rich farmers from nearer Chicago. They have sold their farmland to developers at a premium price, and moved to a more rural area to continue farming. I appreciate the original series of pictures on Vanishing America, but the movement started in the 1920's. Near Chicago, the land use has changed from Indians hunting and gathering, to settlers farming, to subdivisions of homes in the space of the past 150 years. It will change again... And Jostien, great picture from GFM. What was that place? Regards, Bob S. On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:21:21 +0100, Jostein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I totally agree with Graywolf's comment on taxing authorities. It's > one of those typical cases where public services indulge in the > prospects of short-term profits. :-( > > However, I'm not so sure about the ridges being for rich people only. > I captured this shot one moring while at GFM. There are lots of > bungalows on the hillsides, but they're not getting the best of the > view...:-) > > http://www.oksne.net/paw/linville.html > > Can you tell something more about this building, Tom? It looked so > bizarre through the morning fog from GFM. > > Family farms are the cornerstones of many a family feud, that's for > sure. Through my wife's family I have unfortunately witnessed that > pretty closely. Since it's not fully settled, I think I shouldn't > speak too much about it, though. The farm where my mother grew up was > recently sold too, but the land was already sold one generation ago to > a neighbouring farm, so that wasn't so much of a trauma. The house was > old (IIRC, 90 years), so it needed quite a bit of restoration. > > I quite like the concept of hobby farming. It's probably the only way > to preserve parts of the old cultural landscape. There are lots of > good things to be said about the old cultural lanscape, both from a > biodiversity and a photographic perspective...:-) > > Jostein > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "frank theriault" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 7:58 PM > Subject: OT: Selling the Family Farm - was: PESO Vanishing America > > > On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:36:10 -0500, Graywolf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > >> Fire your local taxing authorities! > >> > >> Seriously, all those folks can see is they can tax, homes, condos, > >> and > >> apartments at the same rate as a farm. And where there was one farm > >> there can be > >> many thousands of those. So the raise the farmers property tax rate > >> until he has > >> no choice but selling out. It is called progress. > >> > >> That is also what has happened to many small private airports. > >> > >> Major paper companies that used to keep millions of acres of forest > >> (and often > >> allowed folks to use them recreationally at no charge) have had to > >> sell the land > >> for the same reason. > >> > >> Here in the mountains it is well off people who want a nice place > >> with a view > >> who build their million dollar house on a ridge. Ruining the view > >> for everyone > >> else, of course. > >> > >> But one of the unfortunate facts is that it is almost impossible to > >> make a > >> living off of a family farm anymore. That has been so for for a few > >> decades. The > >> only things that work are huge agibusinesses, and hobby-farms; they > >> are pretty > >> much the antithesis of each other. > > > > Back in the '70's, one of my best friends in high school used to > > live > > on the family farm, which had been in the family for three > > generations. As the city grew, it encroached on the farm. Family > > farms became less and less profitable, and my friend's dad finally > > gave in, and accepted an offer from a developer for the land. > > > > Some other members of the family who had already left the farm tried > > to block the sale in court. > > > > My friend's father "won", but after all the legals, he got enough to > > buy a nice, if modest, bungalow in town free and clear, and enough > > to > > retire on (he was in his late 50's at the time). No great legacy > > for > > the children. Just enough to live on for a few years. > > > > There's now a great huge shopping mall on the former Shuh farm. The > > developers and everyone else made huge money on the deal. And, all > > that's left for the family now is a nice house in town. Maybe they > > were lucky to get that much. > > > > cheers, > > frank > > -- > > "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson > > > >
