Who owns the city? Who owns the land? Who owns the seabed? Urban land has been privatized for decades, and now, the ocean floor is being exploited as well. Companies want to mine deep-sea minerals needed for electric car batteries. Both residential real estate and deep-sea minerals have become investment properties, and the exploitation of soil has far-reaching social implications. Although these two places are very far apart, the processes by which they are exploited and valued allow us to address fundamental questions of our time.
Resistance is growing. Since at least the citizens' initiative "Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen" received high approval ratings in a September 2021 referendum in Berlin, prompting discussions about the socialization of urban land. At the same time, coalitions are forming against deep seabed mining. Counter-rights are mobilizing against soil exploitation, and it's becoming clear that habitability could be the focus of a planetary policy.

In her book, Isabel Feichtner illustrates how land is distributed and utilized, including through legal means. She also shows the possibilities for reclaiming commons and the commons with rights and counter-rights.