PRACTOPIA: An Urban Community Land Trust for Forward-looking, Self-sustaining & Resilient Collective Living Environments.

Practopia proposes a concept of urban transformation that is both pragmatic and reminicent of utopian ideas of collective living. Located in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, Practopia seeks to introduce new affordable multifamily housing, new community and public spaces, as well as micro-commercial programs to foster a more resilient, self-sustaining, and inclusive neighborhood. Building on the hybrid ownership structure of the Community Land Trust (CLT) model, Practopia envisions a framework for participation, incremental change, adequate densification and preservation, as well as non-speculative housing options. As the CLT model, Practopia itself is a hybrid: creating pragmatic improvements for inhabitants and owners who join the CLT, and advocating for utopian ideas for collective living at the same time, it ultimately serves as a practical, realistic catalyst for a more sustainable, equitable, and community-centric future of a Koreatown block, the whole neighborhood, the city, and beyond.