The Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS)
About us
The Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS) is a community land trust based in south London. Founded in 2009, and now with over 1000 members, we aim to create sustainable community-led neighbourhoods and truly affordable homes right across the city. In 2021, we started work on a mixed-tenure, mixed-income development of 36 residential dwellings that will be permanently affordable and partly self-built by a team of dedicated volunteers. As we aim to establish a precedent in environmentally just, community-led housing provision, the project includes a range of design features that reduce the residents’ dependence on fossil fuels and facilitate biodiversity within the shared garden space.
“We are keen to measure the impact of the trees and plants on air pollution, and to help ourselves and our neighbours reduce the impact and production of pollution. We are building 36 new flats alongside the river Ravensbourne in Lewisham on what was a bare brownfield site and will be planting trees and shrubs, hanging baskets outside each flat, vegetables and fruit, as well as living green roofs and screens of climbing plants. The Breathe London Node will help us measure what difference these might make.”