During this, our 50th anniversary year, we’re sharing 50 reasons to celebrate Center for Neighborhoods — roughly one reason each week. The posts come from different stakeholders in the organization, representing our past, present, and future.

This week’s post is written by Mikal Forbush, Education and Engagement Director

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) trace their origins to the civil rights movement in the United States. The first CLT was New Communities, Inc., organized primarily by civil rights activists in the late 1960s for Black sharecroppers who had lost their homes and jobs for registering to vote. These individuals decided to buy the land collectively, forming a collaboration that has since been modeled throughout the country.

At the foundation of a CLT is the residents’ control of the land use within their area, giving the decision-making power about what should and should not be built to the individuals most affected by those decisions. A CLT is currently in the in process of being formed in Louisville, and our work on the project is rooted in our belief that residents have the capacity to exercise true leadership in the direction of their neighborhoods.
 
To find out more about Community Land Trusts, visit Grounded Solutions Network at https://groundedsolutions.org/strengthening-neighborhoods/community-land-trusts. Grounded Solutions Network is our national advisor and is assisting in our work.