A New York Times article explains and, potentially, introduces the community land trust concept, which has proven immensely capable of preventing displacement and foreclosures while advancing homeownership and racial equity.

Michael Friedrich writes about community land trusts as a corrective for skyrocketing housing costs and the displacement of families of color. "By removing land from the speculative market, [community land trusts] keep housing affordable for first-time homeowners — especially low-income people of color," according to Friedrich.
Friedrich exemplifies the potential of land trusts as an avenue to homeownership by examining the Atlanta Land Trust, founded in 2009 during the development of Atlanta BeltLine. "The Atlanta Land Trust focuses on low-income buyers who make between 60 percent and 80 percent of the local median income and can readily support a traditional mortgage," according to Friedrich. "So far, the organization has sold 15 land trust homes; it aims to build 300 by 2025."
According to Friedrich, community land trusts are rooted in the cause of racial equity. "Unlike other types of land trusts, like those formed to conserve land by restricting development, they were devised specifically to prevent the displacement of communities of color," writes Friedrich. In addition to providing a tool for racial equity, community land trusts have been show to lower foreclosure rates and prevent displacement, according to research cited in the article.
The article also describes the scope of the community land trust movement, which can be found in gentrifying neighborhoods around the country in numerous other cities besides Atlanta. The Grounded Solutions Network, for instance, has created a three-city cohort comprising Atlanta, Houston and Portland, Ore. That "shares strategies for acquiring vacant and abandoned land in an effort to scale up the land trust model."
"Encouraged by research on the benefits of community land trusts, Grounded Solutions aims to support the creation of one million new units across the country over the next 10 years," reports Friedrich.
FULL STORY: Affordable Housing Forever

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes
AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.

Biden Designates a New National Monument in West Texas
The Castner Range National Monument in West Texas is the second of two new national monuments announced by President Joe Biden this week.

Study: Autonomous Cars Won’t Solve the Parking Problem
In hyper-dense cities where incentives to reduce car use and eliminate parking are already high, mass adoption of AVs won’t significantly reduce parking demand.

Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.
Princeton Planning
City of College Park
Houston-Galveston Area Council
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.