From ownership to governance Legal pathways in land and procurement

How has the concept of property adapted to demands for democratic planning, environmental protection, and social inclusion? How can public procurement function as governance rather than mere spending? This book examines these issues through the lens of land use and procurement law. Drawing on comparative law, administrative law, European integration, and international frameworks, From Ownership to Governance distils the experience and knowledge amassed over years of university teaching and professional practice. It outlines the shift from private autonomy to coordinated legal systems, and explores how property’s social role, planning’s legalisation, and strategic contracting reshape rights and responsibilities. Through thematic chapters, case studies, and doctrinal insights, this volume addresses scholars, practitioners, public officials and university students engaged in spatial justice and policy. It examines the interplay between national systems and European courts, and the meaning of governance-oriented legality. Beyond description, it offers a normative view of law as a mediator between private rights and public goods. Legal systems must balance stability and flexibility to face challenges such as climate change, democratic erosion, and urban inequality. This work invites a rethinking of legal categories and offers tools to structure collective life through law.