CASE STUDY
Case Study: The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative | Structure
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The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative is an ambitious community revitalization project in a low-income area of Boston. The initiative began in 1984 from grassroots efforts, when Dudley Street area residents came together to revive their neighborhood and protect it from outside speculation. Eventually, the city of Boston gave the organization’s CLT, Dudley Neighbors, Inc., the power of eminent domain to acquire privatelyowned vacant land in the area designated as the “Dudley Triangle,� which it combines with city-owned parcels to lease to private and non-profit developers for affordable housing. At its worst, the neighborhood had 1,300 vacant parcels, a total of 21% of the area. More than half of these parcels have since been redeveloped through the efforts of the Dudley Street Neighbors, including over 400 residential units, 227 of which are considered to be within the land trust. The trust is unique in its approach to land acquisition, only using eminent domain to acquire unmaintained parcels held by absentee owners, most of whom are delinquent on taxes. These parcels have been turned into community centers, schools, a town common, a greenhouse, parks, playgrounds, community gardens and an orchard, in addition to the apartments and singlefamily houses mentioned before. New residential units within the trust have resale value limited to a .5% annual increase for first 10 years and 5% for
each year after.7 This not only encourages residents to stay longer, strengthening community ties, but it also prevents speculation. Over half of the 35-member Board of Directors is composed of neighborhood residents, with a specific intent to include all major ethnic groups living in the neighborhood, while the remainder is comprised of residents of local nonprofits, churches, businesses and communitybased organizations.
Site plan of the Dudley Street Community Land Trust, with developed parcels in black.