Community Land = Community Resilience: How Community Land Trusts Can Support Urban Affordable Housing and Climate Initiatives

Housing insecurity and the impacts of climate change are two interrelated issues increasingly affecting cities across the United States. This report provides an overview of how community land trusts (CLTs) can present a solution to help cities mitigate both of these challenges by promoting community ownership and decision making and providing permanently affordable and resilient housing. CLTs are nonprofit organizations with community-led governing structures that hold land in trust for the benefit of the community, often providing and preserving affordable housing, stewarding community amenities like parks and greenspace, and providing low-cost commercial properties that can support small businesses and economic resilience. Drawing from nine detailed case studies and other examples, the report presents legal and policy recommendations for how cities and states can better enable CLTs while integrating features like green infrastructure and renewable energy that promote urban resilience and sustainability initiatives. As new investments reach cities, including funding related to COVID-19 relief and recovery, there will be new opportunities to advance CLTs and other community-centered approaches to help the people most heavily impacted by housing insecurity and climate change.