Posts by Community Progress
Seven Cities Selected for Community Progress Leadership Institute
Delegations from seven cities across three states have been selected to attend the 2015 Community Progress Leadership Institute (CPLI), a training program focused on equipping leaders with the skills to address large inventories of blighted and vacant properties for the benefit of their communities. The cities that will be sending delegations of up to six…
Read MoreDallas, Detroit, Gary and Trenton awarded technical assistance scholarships
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 “changemakers” who are improving the field of practice, and it helps those leaders effect positive change on the ground. Today, we’re pleased to…
Read MoreJustin Godard comes on board with the National Leadership and Education team
We are pleased to welcome Justin Godard as a program associate on the National Leadership and Education team at Community Progress. Here’s what he has to say about coming on board: How did you first become interested in the community development and urban planning fields? I feel as though the story behind how I got into community development…
Read MoreNew York’s land banks report statewide progress
Today, the New York Land Bank Association (NYLBA) released New York State Land Banks: Combating Blight and Vacancy in New York Communities, a report on the early accomplishments of the state’s first nine land banks over the last two years. It’s the first publication to be released by NYLBA, a statewide network of the nine land…
Read MoreNatalie Pruett: New Community Progress hire lends unique viewpoint as Flint native
We are pleased to welcome our newest staff member, Natalie Pruett, Program Officer of Michigan Initiatives, to the Community Progress team. To introduce her, we asked her a few questions about her work and her perspective as a native Flintonian. Here are her thoughts: How did you first get interested in working on urban revitalization,…
Read MoreNew release! Guide to redeveloping vacant commercial properties
There’s a new resource available for communities tackling a challenging subset of blighted properties: commercial vacant properties. Redeveloping Commercial Vacant Properties in Legacy Cities: A Guidebook for Linking Property Reuse and Economic Growth is available to download for free. Greater Ohio Policy Center developed the free guidebook – the first of its kind – in…
Read MoreIn Honor of Tax Day: A Crash Course in Tax Foreclosure Reform 101
In the midst of flurries of W-2s and fingers crossed for refunds, we’re taking the opportunity on this Tax Day to break down a different tax-related challenge: delinquent property tax foreclosure reform. It’s a mouthful, and it can be complex, but tax foreclosure systems have a big impact on the fight to reclaim blighted, vacant…
Read MoreOur new Technical Assistance Scholarship Program RFA (applications due 3/24!)
For years, through our technical assistance services, we’ve had the privilege of working with communities around the country to reclaim their neighborhoods from blight, vacancy, and abandonment. Today, we’re excited to introduce a new direction for that work, designed to bring significant TA within reach of the places that need it most, while piloting innovative…
Read MoreSeason’s greetings from Community Progress
Season’s greetings from Community Progress! As 2013 comes to a close, we took some time to reflect on the last twelve months. It’s easy to declare, “It was such a busy year!” – when is it not a busy year? – but we’d like to say, sincerely: it was a remarkable year. Here are just…
Read MoreWhat we’re thankful for today
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in this line of work it’s that, all over the country, there are thousands of talented, passionate leaders doggedly fighting the good fight to reclaim their communities from the scourge of blight. And, in the face of challenges that can seem insurmountable, these leaders are succeeding. In fact, if…
Read More