| dc.description.abstract | Worldwide, cities struggle to provide sufficient affordable housing for their residents. This is
also the case in Amsterdam, where a change in demand in combination with the promotion of
homeownership led to a strong decline in the social housing stock. This led to gentrification in
some neighbourhoods. Every part of the city has its development regarding these processes,
but the community of the H-buurt in the southeast of Amsterdam currently experiences the
threat of gentrification.
Gentrification is a complex phenomenon that is not receptive to a single definition. Many
different authors have shed light on the concept and there are different schools of thought on
the exact functioning of the process. Distinctive for all gentrification processes is that they
revolve around neighbourhood change, whereby affluent people start to move into a
neighbourhood which is mainly inhabited by people with lower incomes. The influx of more
affluent citizens causes housing prices to rise and eventually leads to displacement pressure
or the displacement of people with lower incomes (Boterman & van Gent, 2014; Doucet, 2014;
Hamnett, 1991; Zukin et al., 2009).
This study aims to explore the potential application of community land trusts in the Netherlands
and their impact on gentrification processes. So, what are community land trusts? These are
non-profit organisations that hold land for a community. A characteristic of this community is
that the members are typically bound through the area they inhabit. A CLT functions as a
steward for affordable housing and other forms of community infrastructure in perpetuity, on
behalf of and in favour of the community (Center for Community Land Trust Innovation, 2022).
Even though there are studies that suggest a moderating effect of CLTs on gentrification, there
is not extensive enough research to give a definitive statement about this (Angotti, 2007;
Bunce, 2018; Choi et al., 2017; Engelsman, 2016). Therefore, more research is needed in
which different contexts are explored.
To fulfil the aim of this research, a case study was conducted. The chosen case is the CLT Hbuurt located in the aforementioned southeastern part of Amsterdam. Not only does this case
offer an outlook into the emergence of a CLT in a different context, but it is also the first CLT
that is set up in the Netherlands. This CLT aims to create affordable housing and community
infrastructure, all in favour of the local community.
The case was researched through qualitative research during which semi-structured interviews
were held with actors in the dynamic of the case study, as well as with experts in the field of
CLTs that were not directly involved in the case. The results of these interviews went into the
conditions that lead to the emergence of CLTs. The internal governance of CLTs. The
governance challenges of CLTs and the potential impact that CLTs could have on
communities. These topics were discussed in regard to the case, and the general information
gathered from the expert interviews.
The results of this study suggest that CLTs often result from the existence of a strong
community within a financialised housing system from which the community feels excluded,
even though the context in which CLTs are set up varies extensively. Besides these conditions,
the model itself has many variations to it. Therefore, it can be applied in many different contexts
and can be tailored to different systems. In the CLT H-buurt, this variation was also used as
the division of seats on the board is different from most CLTs as it has no public
representatives. A further characteristic of CLTs is the dependence on governments. In many
cases, governments provide CLTs with funding and/or land. This creates a certain level of
dependability which makes CLTs vulnerable to political developments that might change th | |
