The New York Times today (April 7, 2002, section 5, p. 3) has an interesting
report on access to the UK countryside as a result of new legislation. This
would make some additional 4,000 square miles of private land accessible to
the public (?). Unlike the US, the UK has a long tradition of this. This
topic seems of interest to both crit-geogs and crit-GIS as:
--the article appeals back to the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932 as a
class issue (landowners and gamekeepers vs. working class ramblers)
--conceptions of land in "common ownership" and "publically available"
--the consultation process with the public, with landowners having the last
say
and:
--the intereactive GIS used on the websites eg.,
http://www.ca-mapping.co.uk/
--the mapping "guidelines" and leflets explaining how one must frame one's
comments in relation to the map (a truly open process or already framed?)
I'd be interested if anyone is researching these issues. Seems like a great
example of maps constructing the political debate!
Jeremy
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