Funded by Impact on Urban Health
Housing for Community, Health and Prosperity
On Thursday March 21st a group of people came together to discuss London’s housing crisis. Hosted by London Community Land Trust, a diverse cohort of architects, developers, councillors, CLT residents, cohousing residents, land economists and academics participated in panel discussions and workshops with the aim of optimizing the community led development process and removing barriers to scaling CLT development.
Download the slides here
Funded by Impact on Urban Health, alongside its development work, London CLT has been researching the health benefits delivered by community land trust housing, providing an evidence base to support awareness and adoption of this alternative housing model.
Over the course of the day, key issues were debated and dissected including:
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The national picture for housing across the UK
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The identifiable health and lifestyle benefits of housing developments that are community led.
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Opportunities to remove barriers to community land trust developments and enable an upscaling of CLT homes.
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Examples of other alternative housing models.
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Financing and accessibility of CLT homes.
Key insights were many including:
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The commodification of housing and land requires an ideology shift
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The housing crisis is a land crisis
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Solutions to housing problems must be socially determined and not for profit
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Secure, affordable, quality homes contribute to improved health and wellbeing, allowing people to get on with their lives
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A growing network of Community Land Trusts exists across London, presenting an opportunity for greater alliance
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Community led development must maintain its integrity and must be approached without preconceived outcomes
The housing situation in London is undoubtedly challenging but there is reason for hope. Housing is on the agenda across the political spectrum like never before. The emergence of more diverse housing models presents opportunities to progress affordable housing in new and innovative ways. And the increasing volume of the community led conversation is proving influential across boroughs.
