From public investment to community ownership: How government spending, land, infrastructure, and risk-sharing can build lasting public and community wealth

Abstract

Public money creates ownership outcomes whether or not anyone decides them. The question is whether the public claim is designed at the point of contribution — or released quietly at the first transition. This is the seventh paper in IIBD's Community Wealth Infrastructure series. It examines what the public should retain when it pays: matching public contributions to public claims across housing, infrastructure, and enterprise. Part of the Community Wealth Infrastructure Series (Working Paper No. 7), published by IIBD. Suggested citation: Williams, R., & Dillon, D. (2026). From public investment to community ownership: How government spending, land, infrastructure, and risk-sharing can build lasting public and community wealth (Community Wealth Infrastructure Series, Working Paper No. 7). IIBD.