Community land trusts (CLTs) are a form of land ownership whereby a private, nonprofit organization acquires land and the improvements on it, with the intention of using the land to the benefit of the community. CLTs have traditionally been a legal arrangement used to create affordable housing: the nonprofit trust leases the land for a nominal fee to individuals who build, and thus own, a home on the trust’s property. Leases are generally long-term to provide a form of tenure to the homeowner. More recently, this model has been adapted to the needs of urban agriculture. Milwaukee’s Growing Power and Madison’s Troy Gardens are two examples of urban gardens using land in a CLT.
Usage example: With regard to Troy Gardens Cohousing, “the Madison Area Community Land Trust, has preserved 26 acres of open space surrounding the development as an organic farm, community garden and prairie” (Greene, 2008).
Resources: Campbell, M. C., & Salus, D. A. (2003). Community and conservation land trusts as unlikely partners? The case of Troy Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin. Land Use Policy, 20(2), 169-180.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. (2008). Community Land Trusts: Preserving Long-Term Housing Affordability. Retrieved September 29, 2010 from http://www.frbsf.org/publications/community/investments/0805/land_trusts.pdf
Greene, K. (2008, June 14). Shared Interests. The Wall Street Journal, p. R3.
National Community Land Trust Network. (2010). Overview – National Community Land Trust Network. Retrieved September 29, 2010 from http://www.cltnetwork.org/index.php?fuseaction=Main.SectionHome§ionID=2
[from the Food Systems Wiki Glossary: http://foodglossary.pbworks.com/w/page/48947612/Land%20trust
andhttp://foodglossary.pbworks.com/w/page/48854835/Community%20Land%20Trusts ]
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