The Case for Student Appropriation of University-Proximate Land Value
Abstract
This thesis proposes an eclectic pairing of Henry George’s value capture theory and
Marxist spatial theory as a possible space-based solution to the student debt crisis. The literature
review section includes background on neoliberalism in public universities; student spending and
debt; current policy proposals for alleviation of the debt crisis; and selected analysis of Georgist
and Marxist theories, including the work of Henry George, Henri Lefebvre, and David Harvey.
The paper includes a case study of the University of Texas at Austin that illustrates potential
policy considerations and funds garnered by student appropriation of unearned increases in land
value proximate to campuses.