The Rural Urban Synthesis Society

Who we are

RUSS is a Community Land Trust that builds sustainable, permanently affordable and community-led housing in London. Established in 2009, it has grown from a small group of friends meeting around a dinner table to an organisation with over 1000 members, widely regarded as a pioneer in the community-led housing sector.

We empower residents to shape all stages of development, from design to construction. By learning and working together, residents form a collaborative community who take on the ongoing stewardship of completed developments.

In October 2021, we started construction of our first development at Church Grove in Lewisham, due to be completed in May 2023. Church Grove is a pioneering scheme of 36 new affordable homes, with an 'affordability in perpetuity' model in place that means they remain genuinely affordable for future generations. The development includes a communal garden, a publicly accessible playground and a community hub. The development was recently nominated for the upcoming Open City Stewardship Awards.

We spread our model and support the community housing sector through the RUSS School of Community-Led Housing and a busy calendar of public events. The School delivers a rotating programme of modules sharing the lessons from RUSS’s many years of experience on how to set up and run a community-led housing project.

Our Community Hub in Lewisham, built by over 90 volunteers in 2019, serves as RUSS’s administrative base. It is also available for hire to individuals, groups and organisations as an affordable, eco-friendly hot-desking, meeting or event space.