Articles by Legal Scholars

There were a number of journal articles we would have liked to include in A Community Land Trust Digest but were not able to due to space considerations. Here are some additional worthwhile articles.

• Barbara L. Bezdek. 2020. “To have and to hold? Community land trust as commons.” In The Cambridge Handbook on Innovations in Commons Research. Sheila Foster and Chrystie Swiney (eds). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Andrew Decker. 2018. “Community Land Trusts and State Legislation: A Model Act to Enable This Affordable Housing Tool.” Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Development 26: 489-515. 
• James Meehan. 2014. “Reinventing Real Estate: The Community Land Trust as a Social Invention in Affordable Housing.” Journal of Applied Social Science 8 (2): 113-133. 
• James DeFilippis, Brian Stromberg, and Olivia R. Williams. 2018. “W(h)ither the Community in Community Land Trusts?” Journal of Urban Affairs 40 (6): 755-769.
• Sydni Scott. 2021. “Community Land Trusts: A Case for an Expansive View of Reparations for Black Americans,”, NYU American Public Policy Review, June

Community Land Trust Technical Manual

This was published by the National CLT Network (now Grounded Solutions Network) in 2011, and is still the definitive legal guide to CLT practice. You can find the full version here. We have included the following essential chapters to get you started:

• CLT Bylaws Considerations
• Model Classic Bylaws
• Model Classic Bylaws Commentary
• Legal Issues re CLT Ownership
• Model Ground Lease
• Model Ground Lease Commentary
• Resale Formula Design

Equity Trust

Equity Trust has developed excellent resources relating to community stewardship of agricultural lands. Here are links to model documents related to ground leasing and agricultural easements:

• Model Agricultural Ground Lease
• Commentary on Model Agricultural Ground Lease
• Model Agricultural Conservation Easement with Option to Purchase
• Commentary on Model Agricultural Conservation Easement with Option to Purchase

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute has been a close partner to the CLT movement in the United States (and abroad) for over 20 years. Here is a listing of their publications that will be of particular interest to CLT attorneys

• Preserving Affordable Homeownership (2024): This is an excellent introduction to housing applications of CLTs in the US. A great place to start.
• The Community Land Trust Reader (2010): Edited by John Emmeus Davis, this compendium brings together seminal and historical texts that inspired and defined the community land trust (CLT).
  • Origins and Evolution of the Community Land Trust in the United States

Terra Nostra Press

Terra Nostra Press is an imprint of the International Center for CLTs which focuses exclusively on CLT-related content. We have included selected chapters from our publications that would be of particular interest to attorneys new to working with CLTs.

On Common Ground: This update to The Community Land Trust Reader extends its reach internationally, highlighting innovative work by CLTs in the US and abroad. Here are a selection of chapters from that publication.

• CHAPTER 3. Common Ground: Community-Owned Land as a Platform for Equitable and Sustainable Development. John Emmeus Davis
• CHAPTER 11. Seeding the CLT in Latin America and the Caribbean: Origins, Achievements, and the Proof-of-Concept Example of the Caño Martín Peña Community Land Trust. María E. Hernández-Torrales, Lyvia Rodríguez Del Valle, Line Algoed, and Karla Torres Sueiro
• CHAPTER 16. Take a Stand, Own the Land: Dudley Neighbors Inc., a Community Land Trust in Boston, Massachusetts. Harry Smith and Tony Hernandez
• CHAPTER 18. The Best Things in Life Are Perpetually Affordable: Profile of the Champlain Housing Trust, Burlington, Vermont. Brenda M. Torpy
• CHAPTER 19. Stewardship of Urban Real Estate for Long-Term Community Benefit: Profile of the Urban Land Conservancy in Denver, Colorado. Alan Gottlieb and Aaron Miripol