The John Emmeus Davis Archives consist of 6 collections, labeled #2-#7. The materials were donated by John Emmeus Davis, Ph. D., a community organizer and scholar of community land trusts (CLTs), community development corporations, land theory, housing policy, and community theory. Davis was one of the founders of Burlington Associates and is co-director of the Center for Community Land Trust Innovation.
See below for specific topics of interest and which materials are most useful for each topic as well as a breakdown of the Davis Archives by collection.
Topics of Interest
This list consists of potential topics for research and what specific folders or items to use. Call numbers listed (ex: DAVIS 2.01) can be searched for using the archives catalog where a description of the item or folder is located. Use the call phrase “DAVIS” before the numbers listed to isolate the Davis archives. Many other topics are covered within the archives. To find information regarding a specific topic, search “John Emmeus Davis” along with the topic using “all words” as the search clarifier.
Creating a Community Land Trust
Consult DAVIS 2.31, 3.32, 3.33, 3.41, 3.56, 4.25, and 4.29.
Community Development Corporations
Consult DAVIS 3.29, 4.71, 5.146, 5.153, 5.171, 5.172, 5.223, 5.227, 6.14, 6.51, and 6.53
Institute for Community Economics (ICE)
Consult DAVIS 2.30, 2.31, 2.33, 3.51, 4.35, 4.42, 4.55, and 4.56.
Marxist/Communist/Socialist Theory and Urban Sociology
Consult DAVIS 5.36, 5.52, 5.56, 5.60, 5.68, 5.70, 5.86, 5.89, 5.92, 5.95, 5.101, 5.111, 5.128, 5.144, 5.147, 5.148, 5.162, 5.167, 5.168, 5.179, 5.183, 5.187, 5.201, 5.203, 5.219, 5.224, 5.229, 6.02, 6.05, 6.10, 6.11, 6.15, 6.17, 6.18, 6.20, 6.21, 6.22, 6.30, 6.31, 6.42, 6.43, and 7.03.
Neighborhood Planning
Consult DAVIS 5.07, 5.08, 5.32, 5.34, 5.37, 5.41, 5.44, 5.45, 5.61, 5.74, 5.87, 5.88, 5.93, 5.103, 5.120, 5.122, 5.151, 5.154, 5.159, 5.166, 5.168, 5.173, 5.189, 5.190, 5.191, 5.197, 5.208, 5.210, 5.229, 6.09, 6.12, 6.13, and 6.45.
Neighborhood Theory
Consult DAVIS 5.16, 5.36, 5.45, 5.120, 5.142, 5.162, 5.166, 5.174, 5.210, 6.09, 6.11, 6.21, 6.30, 6.44, 7.03, and 7.04.
Shared Equity Homeownership
Consult DAVIS 3.21, 3.26, 3.37, 3.67, 4.01, 4.06, 4.45, 4.46, 4.51, 6.24, and 6.28.
Tenants
Consult DAVIS 5.36, 5.42, 5.57, 5.58, 5.88, 5.148, 5.197, 5.220, 6.19, 6.23, and 6.27.
Urban Planning Profession
Consult DAVIS 5.28, 5.45, 5.79, 5.184, and 6.50.
John Emmeus Davis Archives Organization
Collection #2
Collection 2 contains materials related to CLT precursors, pioneers, institutions, and conferences. This collection consists of 1 box of items. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #2” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 2.01-2.57.
Contains materials by and about the following organizations: Celo Community, North Carolina, early CLTs, Heritage Lands Initiative (National CLT Network), International Foundation for Independence, International Independence Institute, School of Living, Koinonia Farm, New Communities Inc., Institute for Community Economics, National CLT Network, National CLT Academy, national and regional CLT conferences and trainings, and Voluntown.
Contains materials by and about the following individuals: Fay Bennett, Vinoba Bhave, Ralph Borsodi, Marie Cirillo, Shimon Gottschalk, Erick Hansch, Ebenezer Howard, Clarence Jordan, Mildrid Loomis, Chuck Matthei, John McClaughry, Terry Mollner, Arthur E. Morgan, Porter Sargent, Shirley Sherrod, Bob Swann, Marjorie Swann, and Ted Webster.
Collection #3
Collection 3 contains presentations, reports, and publications related to CLTs which were created or authored by John Emmeus Davis. This collection consists of 1 box of items. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #3” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 3.01-3.68.
Contains books, manuals, reports, DVDs, and CDs regarding community land trusts and related forms of community-led development on community-owned land which were authored, co-authored, produced, or edited by John Emmeus Davis. Includes notes from speeches delivered by John Emmeus Davis or interviews conducted with him.
Collection #4
Collection 4 contains presentations, reports, and publications related to CLTs which were created or authored by someone other than John Emmeus Davis. This collection consists of 1 box of items. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #4” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 4.01-4.73.
Contains books, manuals, reports, DVDs, and CDs regarding community land trusts and related forms of community-led development on community-owned land which were not a direct product of John Emmeus Davis.
Collection #5
Collection 5 contains general articles regarding community, land, and housing, organized alphabetically by author. This collection consists of 2 boxes of items. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #5” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 5.01-5.232.
Box #1
Box 1 contains general articles about community, land & housing from authors A-H. To isolate this box, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #5 Box #1” in the archives catalog and look for items with call number 5.01-5.117.
Examples of authors include: Saul D. Alinsky, Norman Fainstein, Susan Fainstein, Charles C. Geisler, Herbert J. Gans, Matthew Edel, Kevin Cox, Michael Harloe, Dolored Hayden, Chester Hartman, Rachel G. Bratt, and Pierre Clavel.
Box #2
Box 2 contains general articles about community, land & housing from authors J-Z. To isolate this box, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #5 Box #2” in the archives catalog and look for items with call number 5.118-5.232.
Examples of authors include: Bertell Ollman, Debbie Sultemeier, Avis C. Vidal, Richard P. Taub, Harvey Molotch, Charles TIlly, Sidney Plotkin, Lewis Mumford, John McKnight, John Kretzmann, and Constance Perin.
Collection #6
Collection 6 contains general articles regarding community, land, and housing, organized alphabetically by topic. This collection consists of 2 boxes of items. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #6” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 6.01-6.56.
Box #1
Box 1 contains general articles about community, land & housing regarding topics A-I. To isolate this box, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #6 Box #1” in the archives catalog and look for items with call number 6.01-6.24.
Examples of topics include: Alinksy, anarchism, anti-sprawl, British land policies, community action and community organizing, neighborhood theory, community planning, housing theory, Marxist theory, and Gramsci.
Box #2
Box 2 contains general articles about community, land & housing regarding topics J-Z. To isolate this box, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #6 Box #2” in the archives catalog and look for items with call number 6.25-6.56.
Examples of topics include: land banks, leasing, local control, mixed income housing, property rights, property theory, redlining, rent control, Shelterforce, land speculation, Weber, women in organizing, and more.
Collection #7
Collection 7 contains the first installment of John Emmeus Davis’s personal library, received by the Schumacher Center in 2021. To isolate this collection, search for “John Emmeus Davis Collection #7” in the archives catalog and look for items with call numbers 7.01-7.04.
Materials include a poster titled “50 Years of Community Land Trusts” commemorating New Communities Inc., a thesis by John Emmeus Davis titled “In the Interest of Property Group Formation and Inter-Group Conflict in the Residential Urban Neighborhood,” and a book written in French titled “Manuel D’Antispéculation Immobiliere.”