Introduction: Changing environmental conditions, property rights and land use planning

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses property rights regime reform and challenges the current understanding of property rights regimes and examines the feasibility of a shift in our understanding of property rights to make these environmental changes. It investigates the insurance market and how financial incentives could persuade property owners to act differently in dealing with climate change. Changing environmental conditions – whether triggered by climate change or not – have an impact on land use. This impact can have positive or negative effects. The way land may be used is regulated by public policy, i.e. land use planning. Land use planning can be described as an activity that uses public power to implement and enforce rules about how people may use their property rights over land and buildings.