Detroit Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan

Since its founding in 2008, the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) has evolved to meet the challenges posed by vacant and abandoned properties in Detroit. The DLBA’s role expanded significantly in 2014 when most of Detroit’s publicly owned residential property was consolidated into the DLBA’s inventory. As of 2024, the DLBA manages the largest land bank inventory in the United States—over 66,000 properties—five times larger than the nation’s second-largest land bank.

The DLBA only handles residential properties, unlike other land banks, yet still owns more structures than any other land bank. Over 75 percent of current DLBA inventory comprises vacant residential lots, which is on par with most land banks. Being so different from even the closest peers presents challenges and opportunities.

As the DLBA looks toward the next decade, there are immense opportunities to learn, innovate, improve, and partner with Detroiters to ensure Detroit neighborhoods are safe, healthy, and thriving places.

What is a Strategic Plan?

The Center for Community Progress is proud to have supported the DLBA in developing this strategic plan.

Strategic planning is the process of creating a vision of a desired future for an organization and then translating it into goals and a series of steps which, if taken, will result in the achievement of the vision (adapted from Leading Governance).

Strategic plans are a critical tool to set organizational direction and priorities, drive alignment, simplify decision making, and communicate to partners and stakeholders (adapted from Leadership Strategies). Plans should be structured yet agile, allowing organizations to stay on course but adjust to changing conditions.

Next Five is the DLBA’s course, designed from a nearly year-long collaborative planning process. Next Five is a roadmap to ensure DLBA continues to evolve, reflect, and act on the lessons learned in our next five years.

In these pages you will find immediate actions, long-term ideas to explore, achievable and ambitious goals, and a commitment to partnering with Detroiters to support Detroit neighborhoods.

Download the Strategic Plan »