On the history of community-led land trusts with Chiyi Tam
THE GREEN LINE'S
CHANGEMAKER INTERVIEW
ON THE HISTORY OF COMMUNITY-LED LAND TRUSTS with Chiyi Tam
For one of our Changemakers newsletters, we spoke with urban planner and anti-displacement organizer Chiyi Tam about the history of community organizing in Chinatown.

A PORTRAIT OF CHIYI TAM.
📸: MATTHEW KARIATSUMARI

Adele Lukusa
A graduate of TMU, Kitchener native enamoured with Toronto and lover of Jamila Woods. Currently working on supporting mutual aid efforts and unpacking the nuances of Black haircare.
Nov. 1, 2023
When I first get on the phone with urban planner and anti-displacement organizer Chiyi Tam, her excitement is palpable — contagious even.
Fresh off a summit with the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts (CNCLT), she makes it so easy to understand the complex, but worthy task of organizing land trusts, which is when a collective comes together to own private property as a non-profit charity (often to preserve history-rich areas.) If Chiyi’s name is familiar, she’s one of the brains behind Toronto's Chinatown Land Trust.
Community land trusts have their origins in Georgia’s African-American communities, and have now spread across our city, from Parkdale to Kensington Market to Chinatown. Just like her dad did in Hong Kong, Chiyi is using her planning skills to ensure Chinatown is managed by its residents, business owners and their descendants.
You’ve spoken on your blog about how you got into urban planning, but I learned that your father has also been in the planning field. Though it might not have crossed your mind the first go-around, looking back, how has that impacted you?
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