CLTs as a Tool for Community Wealth Building

This event was part of the 2026 Global Community Land Trust (CLT) Virtual Summit. Explore the full program and register for more events here.

The Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network hosted a dialogue exploring the role of community land trusts (CLTs) in advancing community wealth building and addressing racial wealth gaps.

Grounded in research by James Jennings, John Smith, and Ashley Harding, this session examined how CLTs function as tools for community economic development and long-term wealth creation. Through conversation, speakers reflected on key findings from the report and explored how these insights can inform policy, strengthen organizing efforts, and expand the impact of CLTs in practice.

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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.

Event Organizer

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