{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"New Housing Alternatives","title":"Community Land Trusts and the Future of Kensington Market","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1884,"description":"In this episode of New Housing Alternatives, hosts Cherise Burda and Dr. Ren Thomas speak with Dominique Russell, writer, activist, teacher, and co‑director of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust (KMCLT). Together, they explore how community land trusts (CLTs) use collective ownership, organizing, and mutual aid to fight displacement and preserve deeply affordable housing and commercial spaces in Toronto’s Kensington Market.Drawing on a decade of neighborhood organizing—from stopping a proposed Walmart to acquiring three mixed‑use buildings—Dominique explains how CLTs decommodify land, center community power, and reimagine what “ownership” can look like. She discusses funding tools like Toronto’s Multi‑Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) program and community bonds, and reflects on how CLTs across Canada are increasingly grounding their work in decolonization, land back, and social justice.Key TakeawaysCommunity land trusts (CLTs) decommodify land and housing: CLTs are democratically controlled, neighborhood‑based nonprofits that acquire and hold land for community benefit, prioritizing security of tenure and affordable homes and commercial spaces over market returns.Organizing comes before funding: KMCLT’s story shows that successful acquisition and financing (through tools like Toronto’s MURA program and community bonds) only become possible after deep community organizing, knowing your neighbors, and building a shared, representative vision for the neighborhood.CLTs are part of a broader movement for decolonization and social justice: KMCLT and other members of the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts are increasingly centring land back, decolonization, and racial justice—redefining community ownership as mutual aid, local power, and long‑term resistance to displacement and gentrification.Chapters:00:00 – Intro & Episode Overview00:39 – Introducing Dominique Russell & Kensington Market CLT01:25 – What Is a Community Land Trust? CLTs vs. Nonprofit...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/BKM7lGJ2EZ_i6AuOOKCMh_Qqaj32gJ7zqd3Rfy62guQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84Y2Jm/MjQxMjcyZmU0MzNh/ODQ3MWFjMWVlMWQ0/YWViNC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}