Examining responses to informality in the Global South: A framework for community land trusts and informal settlements

Abstract

Informality has been a predominant source of affordable housing for the urban poor in the Global South. Despite many efforts to eliminate and/or improve informal settlements, these communities still prevail as one of the only housing options for low-income households burdened by exclusion, dispossession, and stigma. This article evaluates the potential for and impediments to community land trusts (CLTs) as an alternative response to informality. We compare the CLT model to predominant policy responses to informality to understand it strengths and weaknesses. Based on this analysis, we propose a conceptual framework delineating the main conditions necessary to implement the CLT model within informal settlements in the Global South. This framework informs the work of communities, governments, practitioners, and researchers pursuing an alternative response to housing informality. This study expands the existing understanding about CLTs and their possibilities for application in the Global South.