Building on the first two webinars in our series on gentrification and displacement that (1) defined the issues and (2) showed how to use data to track them, this recorded webinar focuses on the most effective strategy to preventing displacement: protecting and expanding affordable housing.

Presenters:

• Matthew Weber from Grounded Solutions provides an overview of why incorporating affordable housing into community development or environmental restoration initiatives is an important step. He also reviews several strategies, like community land trusts, inclusionary zoning, and tenant’s rights, that can help protect residents from being displaced when investments are made in a community.
• Heather Benham from the Athens Land Trust shares on the ground examples from her organization, which is both a community land trust for affordable housing as well as a conservation land trust for preserving green spaces. Benham also shares challenges and successes in working with environmental groups and communities to create shared intentions.

In the Resource Materials link below, you will find “What About Housing: A Policy Toolkit for Inclusive Growth”, a toolkit developed by Grounded Solutions Network to help communities understand their housing policy options and the approach that will work best for them. Community leaders and policymakers can start with local dynamics—their community’s housing situation and the outcomes they want to achieve—and determine which policy tools best suit their needs.

This webinar is the third in a series hosted by the Urban Waters Learning Network, as part of an effort to dig deeper into a topic that has long been a concern of our members: the gentrification and displacement of people that we see taking place in our urban communities, oftentimes following efforts to revitalize and reinvest in the places we call home.  We encourage you to watch recordings of the previous two sessions  – Understanding Gentrification and Displacement: The Path to Equitable Development and Monitoring Neighborhood Change – Using Data to Track and Prevent Displacement.  We are also addressing this topic through blog posts, Impact Stories, and other resources.

 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]