Access to nature is vital for health, well-being, and social cohesion. Yet this important issue is often overlooked in discussions about equitable access to affordable housing, particularly for historically underserved communities and communities of color, where many live in fear of displacement.

Racist policies such as redlining have caused low-income neighborhoods to have much less green space than well-off neighborhoods. At the same time, communities of color often fear that adding parks and open space will increase property values and thereby contribute to further displacement. This leaves them with a false choice between housing stability and access to nature.

This is why Community Land Conservancy wants to create a land conservancy led by people of color that acts as an accredited representative of marginalized communities and enables us to:

• Acquire, own and design public open space to serve the needs of their community
• Advocate for the simultaneous development of affordable housing and quality, public-accessible open space
• Benefit from partnerships with established conservancies, while maintaining authority over land use projects