CONVERGENCE in Action: Land Expo in Memphis
CONVERGENCE Memphis continues to unlock new pathways to affordable homeownership through its innovative Land Expo model—collaborative events designed to connect emerging developers, public agencies and capital providers around development-ready opportunities in priority neighborhoods.
The most recent Land Expo, held this spring, brought together more than 200 participants, including city officials, mortgage professionals and aspiring developers, many of whom are people of color. The event marked a historic collaboration among the Shelby County Land Bank, Memphis Metropolitan Land Bank Authority and Community Redevelopment Agency—all of which presented available properties, shared development guidelines and fielded questions from prospective buyers and builders.
The results were immediate:
• 20-plus applications submitted for properties owned by Community Redevelopment Agencies
• 12 lots purchased through the Metropolitan Land Bank Authority
• Participation from Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other key partners
Land Expos were created to address four persistent gaps in the housing system—trust, information, resources and market opportunity. These convenings make land access more transparent and equitable and support small-scale developers—often women and people of color—who have limited access to deal flow and capital.
“Land Expos provide more than just visibility into development opportunities—they create a space for collaboration and connection that wouldn’t otherwise exist,” one local housing leader noted.
By prioritizing affordable, starter-home construction in Memphis neighborhoods such as Frayser, Glenview and Whitehaven, the Land Expo model advances CONVERGENCE Memphis’ broader goals: to reduce the racial homeownership gap, revitalize historically disinvested areas and increase inventory of attainable housing for first-time buyers.
The Land Expo model is a core component of the place-based work supported by CONVERGENCE Memphis, a Mortgage Bankers Association initiative, and serves as a blueprint for communities across the country looking to align land, capacity and capital to expand housing opportunity.
Learn more about MBA’s CONVERGENCE place-based initiatives here.
