Community Wealth Building

Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a people-centred approach to local economic development. CWB keeps the value created in local hands: with employees, communities and institutions rooted in that place. The model emerged in cities such as Cleveland and Preston and grew into an international movement.

CWB and steward ownership share the same core. Steward ownership anchors mission and control within the company; CWB anchors wealth and democratic control within the place. Combined, they form a practical blueprint for democratic, steward-owned businesses in which both profit and control are shared.

Scotland now has its own CWB legislation, and in Amsterdam pioneers such as Community Wealth Building Amsterdam (Nieuw-West) and Reclaim het Centrum are contributing to the same movement. What can we learn from international examples?

Together, we explore the three pillars of CWB and connect them to steward ownership:

- democratising a company or organisation

- sharing resources

- building and engaging a community