Dear friend,

Welcome to Frontier, the monthly newsletter from the Future of Property Rights Program at New America. It's been a busy start to the fall for FPR: In late September, we convened a range of experts to explore data trails as a tool to secure property rights, and we started October by traveling to Virginia Tech to host a panel on the commons as a data governance tool for smart cities. Here's what we've been up to:

What We're Doing

Does Your Phone Know Where You Live?

As our social and economic lives move online, we're beginning to generate a wealth of data that can reveal important things about our movements and behavior. Some banks are already relying on digital footprints to offer services to populations previously deemed uncreditworthy. Can we apply this model to prove where we live?

FPR hosted a workshop on September 27th, bringing together policymakers, funders, advocates, and technologists to explore how we can harness new forms of digital evidence to document land and property rights.

A recording of speaker presentations, as well as audience Q&A, is available here.

Smart Regions: Building A Human-Centered Knowledge Commons

FPR’s Chris Mellon and Natalie Chyi traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to participate in the "Smart Regions" conference at Virginia Tech. 

Chris led a discussion on how a "knowledge commons" approach can inform policy making for smart cities and smart regions.

A Community-Centric Approach to Smart City Data 

Following up from the Virginia Tech conference, Chris Mellon and Natalie Chyi wrote a piece for the New America Weekly about how we might apply a commons design strategy to data governance in smart cities.

What We're Reading

"How ICE Picks Its Targets in the Surveillance Age" - The New York Times

McKenzie Funk explores how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses data trails to locate, arrest, and deport undocumented immigrants. We've spoken about how new forms of data can be used for good, for example by helping people prove where they live. But are limits surrounding such use of personal information necessary to stave off a more Orwellian future?

"This Land Is the Only Land There Is" - The Atlantic  

Robinson Meyer breaks down a major new report on climate change released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In particular, Meyer emphasizes that pressure is growing on our most valuable, finite resource: land. Plots can't simultaneously feed people, grow bioenergy, and store carbon, so how will land use policies affect the future of our warming planet?

"Millions in England one pay cheque away from homelessness" - Place

Adela Suliman reports on burdensome rents in the U.K., where almost 3 million people wouldn't be able to afford their next month's rent if they lost their job. Many fear they'd end up homeless. We've been researching high rents, eviction, and displacement in the United States for months, but this article reminds us that a lack of affordable housing is an issue in Europe and beyond, as well.

Thoughts on our work or where we're headed? Feel free to reach out to us at FPR@NewAmerica.org.

Until next month, the FPR Team.

About New America

New America is dedicated to renewing America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report. 

The Future of Property Rights Program at New America focuses on bringing together technologists and policymakers to help solve land and property rights challenges around the world.

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