The definition and meaning of development is constantly debated and reworked. This paper does not aim to redefine concept of development or turn the sector up side down. It aims to find an alternative way to approach development, based in Amartya Sen’s (1999/2002) theory on development as freedom and as the capabilities that people possess. This will be done by using James Scott ́s (1998) theory on how states “see” and consider their resources and population as a kind of landscape. The questions that are posed and answered are How can the freedom perspective be used, in combination with the states way to consider their resources as a landscape, to analyse and create new conditions for development? And What are the possible gains in doing this? To answer these questions a case study is made out of the freedom situation in Mali. The study shows that it is possible to use Sen ́s theory in combination with Scott ́s but with the work of Tania Murray Li (2005) as s critical complement to Scott. A population’s freedom can be considered, as resources to the state and the level or distribution of freedoms within the state constitute state space. Depending on extent of the peoples freedoms, the greater or lesser is the freedom state space. Both the possibilities and limitations of Sen ́s and Scott ́s theories are tested and potential new ways of remaking or reworking the study are identified, such as the use of GIS or qualitative methods. The use of a freedom state space perspective can contribute to a concretisation of the goal of development and offer a new way to approach it.