Global, Urban, and Environmental Studies (GLUE)

Join us to hear from Ken Ilgunas – author, journalist, and environmental writer – on his new book which proposes something unheard of: opening up American private property for public recreation.

In America, there are more than a billion acres of grassland pasture, cropland, and forest, and miles and miles of coastlines that are mostly closed off to the public. Meanwhile, America’s public lands are threatened by extremist groups and right-wing think tanks who call for our public lands to be sold to the highest bidder and closed off to everyone else. If these groups get their way, public property may become private, precious green spaces may be developed, and the common good may be sacrificed for the benefit of the wealthy few. Inspired by the United States’ history of roaming, and taking guidance from present-day Europe, environmental author and journalist Ken Ilgunas calls into question our entrenched understanding of private property and provocatively proposes opening up American private property for public recreation: a radical right to roam.