W(h)ither the community in community land trusts?

Community land trusts (CLTs) began as a model for community control over land in the late 1960s. The model allows for individual ownership of improvements to land while the land is owned by the CLT. This effectively removes the land from the speculative market and allows for less marketable uses that might benefit disadvantaged communities. As the CLT model has grown and proliferated, it has evolved over time to become primarily a means to provide affordable housing, with a corresponding reduced emphasis on community control. This article explores the history of the CLT movement, provides evidence of the loss of community in CLTs, and discusses why this loss of community from CLTs is important to the potential of the CLT model.