What is defined as the government's authority to control public land use for the health and safety of citizens?

The concept being described is known as police power. This refers to the inherent authority of the government to enact laws and regulations aimed at promoting the general welfare, health, safety, and morals of the public. Through police power, governments can influence land use and development, ensuring that activities conducted on public land do not harm the community or jeopardize public safety.

Zoning laws, while related, are specific regulations created under the umbrella of police power to designate how different parcels of land can be used (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial). However, zoning laws themselves are a tool used by the government to exercise its police power, rather than the defining authority.

Adverse possession is a legal doctrine that allows a person to claim ownership of land under certain conditions, typically after openly occupying it for a specified period without the permission of the original owner. This concept does not relate to the government's control over land use for health and safety purposes.

Eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property for public use, with compensation to the owner. While it also involves government action regarding land, it does not specifically pertain to controlling land use in terms of health and safety in the same way that police power does.

Thus, police power