Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
The commons offers a framework and a process for effectively and equitably stewarding the resources communities need to live in dignity. If we have a collective right to a resource, we should be able to participate in decisions about that resource’s use.
Land trusts are nonprofit entities designed to protect resources, including farmland.
Community land trusts diversify our concepts of property ownership.
CLTs are a strategy that removes land from the housing market without disconnecting residents from their interest in owning, maintaining, and improving buildings.
Community Land Trusts, JAK, CoopHab and the WiR Co-operative Bank demonstrate today that there are viable ways to deliver access to land and money as a democratic commons that eliminates usury.
Access to land and the cost of that access are essential to the provision of affordable housing. Likewise, access to money, and the cost of that access, are issues fundamental to economic health.
There are some exciting aspects to New Urbanism but there are downsides as well, including the displacement of lower-income people as new urbanism moves into an area.
As one of the scarcest resources in urban areas, land holds some of the greatest potential for sharing.
“New garden cities are needed to tackle the UK’s housing crisis, create sustainable communities and help young people get on the housing ladder, a new report, ‘Commons Sense’ from Co-operatives UK argues.
Land is part of the global commons like water, air, language, knowledge and culture.
The CLT model works by purchasing land on behalf of the community and holding it in trust in perpetuity.
