Streets of Dreams

Helen S. Cohen's brief, but informative documentary examines the concept of community land trusts (CLT), which grew out of the Civil Rights movement in the South. The film's subtitle essentially provides the thesis: “Development Without Displacement in Communities of Color.” Homeowners working together provides the basic strategy that allows low-income citizens to revitalize blighted communities while gaining greater control over their properties and neighborhoods. Collective ownership—which takes place in 46 states—can help prevent foreclosures while also creating more parks, community gardens, and locally-owned businesses. In Delray, FL, where activists joined with city officials to create more affordable housing, interviewee Hattie Graham says she might have otherwise remained a renter, but now she owns her home—paying taxes, insurance, and rent to the land trust. In North Carolina, Durham Community Land Trustees have contributed to the development of 200 properties, including apartment buildings. In New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, the trust represents a work in progress. As community leader Patricia Jones notes, 60 percent of the population owned their homes prior to Hurricane Katrina. Non-profit developer Una Anderson would like to increase that percentage so that workers who make as little as $10 per hour can reap similar rewards. Georgia offers the most ambitious undertaking in Atlanta's BeltLine: community organizers are attempting to revitalize a 22-mile swathe of land encompassing 45 neighborhoods. As Valarie Wilson, who heads the BeltLine partnership, acknowledges, there can be resistance from residents when they realize they won't own the land on which their house resides, but once they understand the concept of community ownership, those fears tend to subside. Offering an interesting look at a contemporary socioeconomic phenomenon, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)