Reply #97: We've already been there, thanks: "Caracas: 5000 houses can fit into a single golf course"

[Judi Lynn]

Caracas: 5000 houses can fit into a single golf course
31 August, 2006 — peoplesgeography
Venezuela to seize golf courses

Guardian | Wednesday 30 August 2006



Venezuela’s golf courses are seen as havens for the rich

The mayor of Venezuela’s capital Caracas says he plans to expropriate two exclusive golf courses and use the land for homes for the city’s poor. Mayor Juan Barreto has said playing golf on lavish courses within sight of the city’s slums is “shameful”.

Mr Barreto, an ally of President Hugo Chavez, has been trying to address a dramatic housing shortage in Caracas.

But critics say property rights are being eroded in Venezuela, where farms and ranches have also been seized.
Three years ago Mr Chavez’s left-wing government started redistributing agricultural land that it said was underused to help landless peasants.

But this is the first time officials have announced plans to expropriate privately-owned urban land to make way for public housing, says the BBC’s Greg Morsbach in Caracas.

Affluent suburbs

Mr Barreto had ordered the “forced acquisition” of the golf courses, city attorney Juan Manuel Vadell told the Associated Press.

He said compensation would be paid, at a level decided by an appraisal commission.

http://peoplesgeography.com/2006/08/31/caracas-social-policy-to-benefit-people/