The Baltimore City Council is considering a grassroots plan that uses community land trusts, a model of ownership that protects property from speculation-driven market pressures, to address some of the city’s most intractable inequities. Where past attempts by local government to revitalize vacant properties have failed, and one-third of Baltimore residents remain at risk of homelessness, a coalition of grassroots organizations says that community land trusts are a promising approach. According to this article, by Michelle Chen, the plan, if passed, could represent an “unprecedented citywide effort to turn residents … into community planners.” Read the article to learn more about how cooperative community ownership works, and how it could bring about a more sustainable and equitable Baltimore.

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