Land as a Commodity "Affected with a Public Interest"

It is our purpose to suggest that a land use policy which is socially equitable and environmentally sensitive is not resolved simply by labelling land as a "resource" rather than a "commodity." Instead, we propose to examine the special status land has enjoyed for many centuries, and which distinguishes it from other commodities, and to suggest that land transactions and land use should at last be scrutinized in a manner not unlike the treatment extended to a multitude of other commodities no more "affected with a public interest" than is land.