CLTs as a Tool for Community Wealth Building
May 19 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm UTC-4
This event is part of the 2026 Global Community Land Trust (CLT) Virtual Summit, a six-week series of online events from May 5 – June 10. Explore the full program and register for more events here.
On May 19, the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network will host a dialogue exploring the role of community land trusts (CLTs) in advancing community wealth building and addressing racial wealth gaps.
Grounded in recent research by James Jennings, John Smith, and Ashley Harding, this session will examine how CLTs function as tools for community economic development and long-term wealth creation. Through conversation, speakers will reflect on key findings from the report and explore how these insights can inform policy, strengthen organizing efforts, and expand the impact of CLTs in practice.
Designed for CLT practitioners, residents, policymakers, funders, and others engaged in housing and community development, this session will offer a deeper understanding of how CLTs contribute to equitable economic systems and support community-led development. The event will be conducted in English, with live captions available to support accessibility.
The global #CLTVirtualSummit2026 is a six-week series of free online events running May 5 – June 10, 2026, and anchored by World CLT Day on May 15. Organized by CLT and community land networks from around the world, the summit brings together practitioners, residents, organizers, and allies to reclaim and honor the Black and Indigenous leadership traditions that gave rise to the CLT model and continue to shape community land stewardship globally.
Speakers
James Jennings, Tufts University, Professor Emeritus (US)
JAMES JENNINGS, PHD, Professor Emeritus at Tufts University, has published widely on race and urban affairs. He is the senior co-author for Community Land Trusts as a Tool for Community Wealth Building and Closing Racial Wealth Gaps. Recently, he also completed a research report for a local environmental justice organization, Alternatives for Community and Environment in Roxbury, Massachusetts; this report is titled, Environmental Justice, Fair Housing, and Fair Lending: Towards a Strategic Collaborative Model. He has worked with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative on several community empowerment activities and served as Researcher for its earlier Promise Neighborhoods Initiative.
John Smith, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Executive Director (US)
JOHN SMITH serves as the Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), the largest community land trust in Boston, with over 220 residential units. He is the co-author of a recent paper titled Community Land Trusts as a Tool for Community Wealth Building and Closing Racial Wealth Gaps.Prior to DSNI, John was Director of Programs at TSNE, a capacity building organization that partners with nonprofit organizations to provide the services, programs, and resources they need to support their communities. John has extensive experience in the nonprofit, government, education, and advocacy fields, and previously served as Policy Analyst in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development for the City of Boston and held various roles with the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, the Hyams Foundation’s Youth Policy Initiative, the Tennessee Department of Health, and several universities. John is a graduate of Tufts University MPP program.
Minnie McMahon, Greater Boston CLT Network, Program Director (US)
MINNIE MCMAHON is Program Director for the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. She focuses on building strong, resilient ecosystems through facilitation, organizing, collaborative systems design, and education. Her background includes work on small farms and with other small businesses. She holds an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. Minnie is a gardener and swimmer who believes that anything is possible when we honor ourselves and nourish our relationships.
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