The Unitism Approach
From principle to practice.
What We Do
We help governments and organizations turn a simple principle — the value of land belongs to the community that creates it — into working policy.
- Treat land and the gifts of nature as community wealth
- Collect land value for public benefit
- Make housing affordable by ending land speculation
- Protect nature for future generations
- Build communities where prosperity is shared
How We Help
Policy Design
We work with governments to design policies that collect land value for public benefit — from land value taxation to community land trusts and resource revenue sharing.
- Land value assessment and collection systems
- Natural resource revenue policies
- Affordable housing strategies
- Economic development frameworks
Research & Analysis
Drawing on decades of research, we measure land value in real economies and show what sharing it would mean in practice.
- Measuring land value and economic rent
- Who gains and who pays: clear impact analysis
- Housing affordability studies
- Long-term public revenue projections
Education & Training
We help policymakers, community leaders, and citizens understand these principles — in plain language.
- Public seminars and lectures
- Government staff training
- Community engagement programs
- Educational materials and resources
Implementation Support
We help organizations move from idea to reality, step by step.
- Transition roadmaps and timelines
- Stakeholder engagement strategies
- Hands-on implementation support
- Monitoring and evaluation frameworks
Core
Martin Adams
Martin Adams is the author of Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World. His work addresses a structural problem in modern economies — that the rising value of land, created by the whole community, flows to private owners rather than back to the public. He coordinates a team of economists and specialists in support of creating fair and equitable economic frameworks in service of a common good.
Dan Murphy
Faculty member at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, where he has taught macroeconomics in the MBA program since 2013 and teaches courses on markets, government, and society. He holds a PhD in economics and public policy from the University of Michigan.
Stefan Horn
Economist and researcher specializing in land rents and housing systems. He received a PhD from University College London, where his research explores how housing systems can meet social needs within planetary boundaries, with a particular emphasis on housing space use, land rents, and ownership models.
Kristin Surak
Professor of Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and holds a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a leading expert on elite mobility, international migration, and investment migration, whose research has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Simon Dahonick
Data scientist with experience building data-intensive applications for organizations ranging from startups to industry-leading multinationals. Simon has a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia and is driven to put big visions into practice with predictive modeling, data pipelines, and software design.
Advisors
Floyd Marinescu
Founder of C4Media and co-founder and primary funder of Commonwealth (commonwealth.ca), which advances land value taxation research and policy in Canada. He commissions LVT micro-simulation modelling and writes publicly on land economics. Floyd is a lifelong meditator and practicing Buddhist.
Liam Wilkinson
Director of the School of Economic Science, a Canadian educational charity focused on land value taxation (LVT) and basic income. He leads a research project with Statistics Canada building a microsimulation model to examine revenue potential, distributional effects, and efficiency gains of LVT in Canada.
Ken Yang
Oversees media production, publications, and national campaigns at Commonwealth Canada. He writes on post-labour economics, sovereign wealth funds, AI, and housing. He co-founded a California-based project in decentralized governance and holds a JD/MBA from the University of Toronto.
Andrew Rose
Member of Commonwealth Canada and Georgist policy reformer. He writes on Georgism and urbanism, with work published in the Georgia Straight and the Progress & Poverty Institute, including pieces on taxation reform, land-value tax, and environmental policy.
Frank Peddle
Professor of Philosophy at the Dominican University College; Secretary-Treasurer of the Henry George Foundation of Canada; Past-President of the Progress and Poverty Institute; Co-editor and contributor of The Annotated Works of Henry George, six volumes; Advisor to Common Wealth Canada.
When Communities Share Land Value…
🏘️ Affordable Housing
When land can’t be hoarded for speculation, homes cost closer to what they cost to build.
📉 Less Inequality
Land wealth concentrates faster than any other kind. Sharing it stops the widening gap at its source.
💰 Reliable Public Revenue
Land cannot hide, move offshore, or be smuggled out. It is the most honest source of public revenue there is.
📈 A Stable Economy
Most financial crises begin with land speculation. Sharing land value removes the fuel.
🌳 Nature Protected
When using land has a fair price, no one wastes it — and what isn’t needed stays wild.
🤝 Stronger Communities
When everyone shares in growth, growth unites people instead of dividing them.
Partner Organizations
Common Wealth Canada
Conducting empirical research on economic rent and its role in society, with a focus on housing affordability and tax policy.
Visit commonwealth.ca →UBI Works
Research and advocacy for guaranteed basic income to alleviate poverty and support vulnerable communities. Over 100K+ supporters nationwide.
Visit ubiworks.ca →Progress.org
Online forum promoting equitable and scientific ideas in economics, society, nature, and technology to affirm a world that works for everyone.
Visit progress.org →Key Concepts
Tri-Factor Economics
Classical economics recognized three sources of wealth: land (nature), labor, and capital. Modern economics often blurs land into capital, hiding nature’s unique role. Restoring the distinction is the first step toward a fair economy.
Economic Rent
Income that comes from owning a desirable location or natural resource — not from work or investment. It is created by the community and by nature, which is why it should benefit the community rather than a few.
Land Value Taxation
A public charge on the value of land itself, not on the buildings or improvements on it. It rewards people for using land well, makes speculation unprofitable, and returns community-created value to the community.
Community Land Trusts
A model where people own their homes while the community owns the land beneath them. Families get secure, affordable housing; the community keeps land from being captured by speculation.
Ready to Put These Principles to Work?
Let’s talk about what sharing land value could mean for your community.
Get in Touch