Spencer-1

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by Pomphis

As MA Lloyd already wrote, the problem is eminent domain. Without a government using force to take private property for road or railroad building, you can be sure that somewhere some landowner will either say "no" or demand so much money that the project becomes unfeasible.

Although the idea of eminent domain is itself linked to a specific set of property laws. If in your model society relatively little land is in private hands, or owning land does not grant the right to stop roadbuilders (just like in Canada owning land does not give you the right to forbid overflights or people travelling along waterways up to the high water mark), then things may be different ...

This is not too exotic, in many cultures land is owned collectively, or people resettle on a regular basis so don't get attached to exactly this field. Land ownership is a big philosophical and policy problem.

[The Colonel]

Levitical land ownership would also be interesting - all land* being tribally owned and only privately held by lease until the next jubilee.
Note that there's scant evidence that this form of ownership ever actually took place, but the social consequences would be interesting.

*although IIRC urban areas were exempt ... this was agricultural land (which was key thing back in the day). As for unsettled land ... presumably that remained collective tribal property on a continual basis.