Posts by Community Progress
From a Shipping Container to a Solar-Powered Greenhouse: Arts Meets Agriculture in Detroit
In Detroit, a recycled shipping container will soon become a community beacon for fresh food, job creation, and arts and culture. Part agricultural, part placemaking, the Liberty Harvest project officially launched in July 2017. It is an initiative spearheaded by Resurge Detroit, a nonprofit with a mission to “tackle blight in the city of Detroit…
Read MoreFrom Randyland to grand new plans: Albany and Flint residents learn from Pittsburgh successes
What can dinosaurs teach us about vacant land? Probably not very much. Dinosaurs are long extinct. Even plastic dino-toys – though ironic – have very little to offer us relative to vacancy or community health. I am surprised one would really even ponder this question. But do you know who can share some important insights…
Read MoreWestmoreland County’s redevelopment authority and land bank tackle affordability and accessibility
Westmoreland County, located southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has an active redevelopment authority and a land bank. It also has a large, and growing, aging population and a housing affordability problem. A new grant award will make it possible for the redevelopment authority and land bank to help with those challenges. The Redevelopment Authority of…
Read MoreBridging policy and placemaking to activate vacant properties in the Twin Cities
Placemaking–and creative placemaking–has received a lot of attention over the past few years in community development circles—but what is it? And how does it relate to vacant and abandoned spaces? The Project for Public Spaces defines placemaking in this way: “Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, Placemaking refers to a collaborative…
Read MoreFrom the Board Chair: Welcome to our new President and CEO
Dear Community Progress friends, It is with great pleasure that I share with you that Akilah Watkins-Butler will be joining the Center for Community Progress as its new President and CEO in early July 2017. Akilah comes to the organization with more than 20 years of experience working to develop successful and sustainable policies, practices,…
Read MoreYou really #LoveThatLot! Highlights from the 2017 campaign
Through this year’s #LoveThatLot campaign, hundreds of people held in-person celebrations and shared photos of revitalization projects across the country. You shared your love for vacant lots transformed into farms, gas stations transformed into buildings with small businesses, and demolition sites turned into children’s learning gardens. For example, the Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County “heart-bombed” several renovation projects that will…
Read More#LoveThatLot: Show your love for revitalization projects!
Update: Curious about the 2018 #LoveThatLot campaign? Learn how to get involved! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Why not celebrate it by sending Valentine love to your favorite revitalization projects and community champions? #LoveThatLot is back in its third annual campaign and we’re excited for you to share your love for revitalized spaces!…
Read MoreTreasury announces final allocation of $1B in Hardest Hit Funds
Thirteen of the 19 participating Hardest Hit Fund states will receive additional dollars allocated through a competitive application process that required state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to demonstrate an ongoing need for additional funding to prevent foreclosure and stabilize markets. According to Treasury, states receiving additional funds under the final allocation submitted reasonable plans of…
Read MoreThree new communities selected for the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program
Community Progress launched the competitive Technical Assistance Scholarship Program (TASP) in 2014, to help us find and support today’s pioneers in the work to reclaim and revitalize problem properties. TASP seeks out communities that are ready to effect positive change on the ground and that could become innovative models from which others will learn. Today,…
Read MoreWhat is the cost of blight? What new research from Atlanta tells us
What is the cost of blight? We know that vacant properties cost cities through lost property tax revenue, and that they also bring down the property values of surrounding homes in the neighborhood. We know that cities have to spend considerable funds on activities like mowing lots or boarding up abandoned structures. Vacant properties also…
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