Allemansrätt or Outdoor Access Rights gives you the Right to a Free Campsite in Sweden. Why Not Allemansrätt for Homeless in US?
by John Lawrence, October 8, 2019
All over Europe it's legal to camp out on private or public property as long as you respect the property rights of the owner. In Sweden these include:
-
You are allowed to access any land, except private residences, the immediate vicinity (70 meters) of a dwelling house and cultivated land.
-
You can put up a tent.
-
You are allowed to collect flowers, mushrooms and berries.
-
Driving on private roads is allowed unless there’s a sign saying otherwise.
-
Swimming in lakes is allowed.
-
You can access any beach as long as you stay away from private residences.
-
You are allowed to catch fish in the five big lakes and along the entire coastline.
Why is it so difficult to come to the same conclusion about homeless camping in America? They wouldn't have to sleep on public sidewalks in LA, San Diego or San Francisco if they had designated areas (parks) where they could rest in peace and security and with sanitation facilities. Part of the angst of the homeless is that they have no place to be, let alone call home, that is legally sanctioned and where they are not subject to being told to move by police and where they can rest assured that their belongings won't be put in a truck and hauled away to the city dump.
Rick Steves says:
In the US, we think of campgrounds as picturesque outposts near a lake or forest. By contrast, European "campings" (the international word for campgrounds) are often located within or on the outskirts of an urban center and can range from functional (like park-and-rides) to vacation extravaganzas, with restaurants, mini water parks, and miniature golf. Many campgrounds have small grocery stores and washing machines. In general, European campgrounds are less private than American versions, and many forbid open fires.
Aside from the biggest cities, most tourist-friendly areas have a campground within a reasonable walk or bus ride from the town center or train station. And if you're camping outside a major city, the money you save on parking alone will likely pay for your campsite (leave your car at the campground and take the handy bus downtown).
In Europe "wild camping" is legal in many countries, not just Sweden. Wild camping is camping other than in paid campgrounds so it's free. Even paid campgrounds are cheap and the fee could be absorbed by the City for the homeless if such a policy were to be carried out in California. Some of the countries in which wild camping is legal are the following:
Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Scotland among many other places. In addition "pole camping" is allowed in many countries like the Netherlands. Pole camping is a form of camping that is allowed in designated areas marked by poles.
You can even camp close to Paris, Florence, Venice and Rome. In Paris, for instance, you can camp in the Bois de Boulogne - A campground on the banks of the Seine in a vast city park. Time to downtown: 15 min.
I have advocated a solution to homelessness that involves placing campgrounds near or in major cities with portable sanitation facilities, lockers etc. There would be a small charge for paying customers, and they would be free for the homeless. These could be provided at minimal cost to the city compared to actual housing. With people paying $1000. a month just for a bed, let alone a room, in San Francisco, this seems like a reasonable solution. Free transit passes could even be provided for the homeless. Security could be provided and waste management, of course, would be important.
The alternative:
SAN FRANCISCO — Housing costs have become so expensive in some cities that people are renting bunk beds in a communal home for $1,200 a month. Not a bedroom. A bed.
PodShare is trying to help make up for the shortage of affordable housing in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles by renting dormitory-style lodging and providing tenants a co-living experience.
A PodShare membership allows you to snag any of the 220 beds — or pods — at six locations across Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. There’s no deposit and no commitment. You get a bed, a locker, access to wifi and the chance to meet fellow “pod-estrians.” Each pod includes a shelf and a personal television. Food staples, like cereal and ramen, and toiletries like toothpaste and toilet paper, are also included.
With legally sanctioned campsite near urban cores, the homeless problem could be resolved for a negligible cost compared to "affordable" housing which is inevitably market based. At the same time camping on public sidewalks should be made illegal. This would give the homeless a safe and clean place to be unhasseled by police as well as safe and clean sidewalks for urban residents. It's a no brainer so why aren't our politicians doing it?
