Community Land Trust Brussels
The Pitch
Community Land Trust Brussels generated affordable, sustainable housing options for low-income families by using a land trust model and developing community-owned land.
The Problem
The housing crisis in Brussels displaced many low-income families, largely minorities or immigrants, leading to gentrification.
The Process
- Developed affordable and permanent community-led housing on community-owned land
- Co-created Fair Ground Brussels (with 12 other Brussels-based organizations), a social real estate cooperative that produces housing, community infrastructure, artist workshops and business space using a community land trust model and citizens’ investment
- Used high-quality insulation and adhered to sustainability standards in the building process to create passive homes
- Involved neighbors and future residents in the design process by holding workshops and training residents in proper home maintenance, and through resident participation in an annual General Assembly and the board of the organization
The Impact
- Built five residential housing projects with 7 to 34 units each, equipped with eight community facilities including end-of-life and birth facilities, a feminist community center and a meeting center for people grappling with mental health; six more housing projects with 65 homes and three community facilities are underway
- Provided spaces, such as gardens and courtyards, for neighbors to meet, improving social cohesion
- Reduced housing costs for low-income families: Qualifying households are in the lowest income group, and no one pays more than 1/3 of their income to pay off their home
- Supports buyers to own their homes and not the land, ensuring that lower income families can live in quality housing
- Ensures that housing remains affordable, even when tenants change or homes are sold, avoiding gentrification and social displacement
