In China, if a local government wants your property for new roads, stadiums, dams, etc. they can invoke eminent domain, underpay the owners for their property, and destroy whole villages to pave a new highway (that may benefit a construction firm paying bribes - we know them as public private partnerships).
In this case, homeowners refused to move or sell their house due to the low payment offered. The rest of their village was demolished for a new highway and the highway was built AROUND the sole remaining house. After four years, the owners still have not caved to authorities and accepted the low payment offered.
In the US, authorities implement stricter and stricter land use regulations on properties (larger buffers, restrictions on harvesting resources, etc that drive property values down) so values are low and can be bought for much less, perhaps by favored developers or sale for "conservation" interests. Gee, do you think that Agenda 21 land use restrictions were PLANNED to do this?
LOOK at the pictures...
http://www.designboom.com/architecture/stranded-house-in-the-middle-of-a-newly-built-road-in-china/
vj
