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Public Land in Public Hands: Housing, Transit, and Thriving Communities
[[link removed]] by Christina Rosales
Housing and Land Justice Director
Earlier this year we brought a delegation of housing organizers and elected leaders from across the country on a trip to Vienna and Berlin to learn about community-controlled housing models. After meeting with city officials and tenant organizers, touring different social housing projects, and gaining practical guidance, we returned home energized and full of ideas for how public land can serve the common good.
Months later, the folks who came with us to Vienna and Berlin are putting lessons into practice across our network. Here are some of their reflections from the trip and updates from campaigns they’re working on in their cities. Read the full piece here [[link removed]] .
Laying the groundwork for social housing in Chicago
“Hearing from campaigners fighting to expropriate Berlin’s largest landlord showed me what’s possible when communities build people power. This trip inspired our work to continue to push for green social housing in Illinois, ensuring sustainability and equity go hand-in-hand in our campaigns.”
— Santera Matthews , Illinois Green New Deal (ILGND) Coalition Coordinator. Our Chicago affiliate Grassroots Collaborative and the ILGND Coalition helped to secure a $115-$135 million Green Social Housing Revolving Fund last year, and are now building momentum around a set of policies and practices for implementing the fund.
Going up against corporate landlords and real estate groups in California's East Bay
“I loved the value that Austrian leaders placed on social cohesion. They understood that having people from all walks of life live together and play together helps build bonds that ultimately strengthens social ties and democracy.”
— Kristi Laughlin , Deputy Director of Campaigns at East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE). EBASE has been organizing to ensure that public land serves public good, from supporting tenant unions to winning tenant protections to fighting for community input on development projects.
Putting public land in public hands for public transit, housing, and more in Nashville
“It just feels different when people and their needs are at the center of a project’s planning, design, and investment decisions. Building mixed-income housing next to childcare, cultural spaces, pedestrian and bike paths, parks and playgrounds, small businesses that serve the community, transit hubs, and quality schools profoundly shifts the social cohesion of a neighborhood.”
— Michael Callahan-Kapoor, Deputy Director at Stand Up Nashville (SUN). SUN and the Shift Nashville coalition are organizing around an upcoming referendum that would overhaul the city’s public transportation system and provide an unprecedented opportunity to invest in community priorities, like affordable housing, good jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, public green spaces, and more.
Read the full piece here [[link removed]]
PowerSwitch Action
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Oakland, CA 94612
United States
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