Advocates Tout Community Land Trusts for Solutions to Displacement, Blight

Community land trusts are a favorite tool of advocates who want to take a communitarian approach to property and public space in cities facing the challenges of population decline, blight, and gentrification.

1 minute read

August 27, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Baltimore Rowhouses

Rowhouses on Madison Street in Baltimore. | Baltimore Heritage / Flickr

Kevon Paynter reports on the advocacy efforts in support of community land trusts as a solution for the threat of displacement in the threat of gentrification in many formerly blighted neighborhoods in the city of Baltimore.

"Community groups in Baltimore believe land trusts could be the way to keep families living affordably in a fast-gentrifying city," writes Paynter, before introducing the concept of community land trusts and also examining in context of the Baltimore neighborhood of McElderry Park.

The experiences of McElderry Park and others around the city have led advocates to coalesce behind the cause of the United Not Blighted campaign, which wants the city to invest $40 million in community land trusts. Mayor Catherine Pugh has the power to add the funding to the city budget, and, according to Paynter, the goal is a plausible one. There are already two community land trusts in operation in the city, including the Amazing Port Street Project in East Baltimore, which have created a track record of success for the model in the city.

Finally, Paynter frames community land trusts as a solution not just to affordable housing in the face of gentrification, but also of blight in neighborhoods dotted with vacant properties.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017 in Yes! Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight