Abstract:
Community land trusts (CLTs) have been formed throughout the United States to address housing problems in urban neighborhoods by providing home ownership opportunities and community control over land. CLTs are more prevalent in certain regions of the United States, particularly the Northeast. The model, however, has not been used extensively in the Midwest. The objective of this project is to identify community characteristics and circumstances that make one region better suited to a CLT than another. Research methods include a survey of community land trust members to collection information about CLT members' experiences and perceptions, analysis of U.S. Census data to profile community characteristics, and three case studies of Midwestern CLTs to learn details about their organizations. Research concluded that factors influencing the development of a CLT include lack of affordable home ownership opportunities, community member and leader support, compatible physical composition, and available financial resources. Differences between the Midwest and other regions of the country that are important in the lack of Midwestern CLT use include: lower housing costs, less information available about the model, less assistance from state and local governments to Midwestern organizations, difficulty in forming a not-for profit organization, conservative views of land and its values, and lack of concentrated growth pressures. These conclusions provide insight into the use, or lack thereof, of the CLT model in the Midwest; and are valuable to communities faced with a need for affordable housing, to organizations currently using the model, and to those involved with not-for-profit organizations around the country. The findings predict that more community land trusts will form in the Midwest because of the rising need for affordable housing, if community characteristics are compatible and sufficient resources are available.
