A proposal to create a land bank authority in Detroit has been before city Council since spring, but the fate of the plan is uncertain. "There are very few neighborhoods in Detroit where the prospects of gentrification are so strong that the need to preserve affordable housing is a crucial challenge," says George Galster, professor of urban affairs at Wayne State . "...the distinction that's being fought over is the land bank, which would have a variety of members who would not be directly appointed by city council, versus the trust, which would be a nonprofit organization that could have a board appointed by council."