Manuals and Guides from Europe

London CLT grew out of the community organizing efforts of London Citizens, who have been building the capacity of people to participate in public life since the early 1990s. We continue to work hand-in-hand with organizers, community leaders and member organizations of London Citizens. Our shared approach is rooted in traditions of broad-based organizing which remain central to all our strategies. Most of our CLT campaign groups are supported by a paid organizer, employed by Citizens UK, as well as London CLT staff. However, we believe that the relational way we work and the attention we put into the politics of CLT campaigning are relevant and useful to all community-led housing groups, including unstaffed campaigns.

The regional cooperation programme SHICC (Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities) seeks to promote the model of the Community Land Trust (CLT) and of the Organisme de Foncier Solidaire (OFS) in Europe. As part of this project, Fonds Mondial pour le Développement des Villes (FMDV) is in charge of analyzing and supporting sustainable financial models with a view to their dissemination.

This Financial Guide has been designed to act as a practical tool. It is based on a mapping of funding sources mobilized by CLT and OFS in Europe, which highlighted the barriers and funding gaps that must be overcome to help spread the model. It is available in both English and French versions.

The Social Impact Tool has been designed to help Community Land Trusts (CLT) or collaborative housing projects start thinking about their impact and how this can be measured. At the end of using the tool groups will have: (a) an understanding of their impact focus, (b) an assessment of the quality of their impact measures, and (c) a plan of how to improve the quality of these measures if needed.  Groups developing their understanding of their impact and ensuring the collection of robust information and evidence will help them to: (a) make better decisions, (b) solve problems strategically and tactically, and (c) create persuasive and compelling communications.

Through demonstrating and capturing the success of their projects in such relatable and measurable information, it is hoped that groups will be able to share their results and support other CLT’s projects in the future.