Within many rural communities, young people who have felt connected and rooted to their area and community end up being practically excluded. There likely may be family ties and a sense of belonging to the community,  however, suitable housing is often unavailable – increasingly tied up as second homes or short-term lets, driving up the prices of remaining available housing, leaving it out of reach for most young people who may then be forced to leave the place they call home or to remain living with family if that is an option. Whilst these are choices that many young people wish to make, for many it is the only available option available. This in turn can impact wellbeing outcomes as well as leave a limited sense of agency over their own lives, contributing to feelings that their life is being delayed.  

These issues are not just market failures, but a stark reminder of injustices within how land in Scotland is owned, valued and governed, and the deep consequences of unfair ownership systems on everyday lives. Patterns of landownership and control shape where homes are built, who they are built for, at what cost, and with what degree of permanence. When land is treated as an investment or mechanism to create financial returns, housing for local people becomes harder to secure. This is particularly visible in the growth of private renting, second homes and short-term lets, which can remove housing from stable long-term use whilst driving up prices. For young people, this translates into instability, displacement and limited agency over their own lives, turning land injustice into a lived, everyday experience that determines who can stay, put down roots and plan a future in the places they call or want to call home. 

Work & opportunity  

Housing insecurity is closely tied to issues of work and opportunity. In conversations with other young people, it is clear that a lack of housing acts as a direct barrier to work, education and training opportunities. In many cases, leaving a place is less a choice and more a necessity, driven by the simple fact that it’s difficult to secure both a home and a livelihood in the same place, a key issue driving youth outmigration in many parts of Scotland.  

Our concentrated pattern of landownership in Scotland means that the power to create local opportunities largely rests in the hands of a limited number of individuals and organisations.  Regardless of whether action/inaction worsens local economic, social or environmental conditions, the power to shape things largely remains in the hands of the few with limited scope for challenge or change. Within this context, there is a huge imbalance where young people are expected to absorb the impacts of and carry burdens created by land systems which they have limited, if any, control over. This pattern has impacts on everyone of course, but for young people who are most likely to be in formative years, this restriction of agency over life and career trajectory can leave many in a position where deciding to reach for opportunity is highly conditional on personal sacrifice. Young people are expected to adapt and be resilient in a difficult economic climate – to move away, commute long distances, retrain or accept insecure or seasonal work they might not otherwise choose to make things work, whilst the structures that are driving worsening local economic and social conditions remain largely unaffected. There is an urgent need to rebalance and ensure those closest to the power are asked to answer to the consequences of their decision-making, rather than expecting those furthest from it to absorb the burden.  

Climate & intergenerational justice 

For many young people in Scotland, the climate emergency is of huge concern and land justice cannot be separated from this on a global or national scale. These are not abstract debates, but questions about what kind of future is possible, and who gets to shape it. Decisions about how land is owned, managed and used shape who benefits from the land, who bears the environmental costs and who has a say in how places adapt to change. In Scotland where landownership remains highly concentrated, climate solutions and land use decisions are likely to benefit those who already hold power. These decisions impact everybody and yet for young people who often care deeply, the impact is compounded by the fact that they often have least amount of control or influence but will have to live with the consequences the longest, despite their limited role in shaping decisions. This raises clear questions of accountability and intergenerational justice.