Pandemic or no, the Madison / Dane County real estate market is hot.  According to recent real estate sales, the median home price rose to $311,000 in November of 2020.  Meanwhile rents have skyrocketed by 23% over the last five years, well more than the pace of inflation. There are more buyers than sellers in Dane County, and that’s pushing buyers into neighborhoods like Madison’s North Side that have traditionally been bastions of affordable housing.  On Wednesday, December 9th the North Side Planning Council sponsors a virtual talk by Olivia Williams, the new executive director of the Madison Area Community Land Trust and member of the Dane County Affordable Housing Action Alliance.  Williams will discuss how land trusts and other tools can help resist gentrification.