Keeping "Community" in a Community Land Trust (Case Study‪)‬

This instrumental case study examined the role of grassroots community organizing in a community land trust (CLT) in a southern U.S. city. Twenty-nine homeowners, renters, board members, community members, and current and former CLT employees were interviewed. In addition, two focus groups of 11 and six participants composed of CLT residents and other neighborhood residents were conducted. All comments were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo software. Analysis revealed that community organizing was helpful if not necessary for community building in the subject CLT. This study enhances our knowledge of CLTs and the ways they contribute to community change and offers lessons learned to other, especially budding, CLTs. KEY WORDS: affordable housing; community land trusts; community organizing