Posts by Community Progress
What is Code Enforcement?
Code enforcement from A to Z: when it works, when it doesn’t, and how local governments can make code enforcement systems more fair for all.
Read MoreWhat’s the Deal with Rural Land Banks? A Q&A with West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation Executive Director Taylor Bennett
Land banks can help rural communities deal with vacant, abandoned, and dilapidated properties.
Read MoreHow to Prevent and Reduce Illegal Dumping
Cities spend millions each year cleaning up illegal dumping. What if they tried to make vacant lots less appealing to dumping in the first place?
Read MoreNew Study Shows Land Bank Ownership of Vacant Lots Can Reduce Violent Crime
A vacant lot owned and cared for by a land bank sees a greater decrease in crime compared to privately owned lots, finds 2023 study in Flint, MI.
Read MoreState of Land Banking: 2023 Survey HighlightsÂ
Key takeaways, data, and charts from the 2023 State of Land Banking survey.
Read MoreWhat Is a Tax Lien Sale and Why Is It a Bad Way of Dealing with Vacant Properties?
Tax lien sales are one way that cities and counties try to recoup some of the public dollars they’ve spent maintaining properties abandoned by private owners. But tax lien sales rarely fix the problem, nor lead to a vacant property being returned to productive use.Â
Read MoreMeet Kat Guillaume-Delemar, President & CEO of Community Progress
For Kat Guillaume-Delemar, community revitalization is a deeply personal journey.
Read MoreTransforming Cleveland Vacant Lots into an Urban Farm
How the Cuyahoga Land Bank and a community activist worked together to transform a block one property at a time.
Read MoreExplaining the Cycle of Systemic Vacancy
Systemic vacancy is the community experience of widespread property vacancy caused by the combined actions of people, policies, and processes.
Read MoreCelebrating 20 Years of Land Banks in Michigan
In 2023, Michigan land banks mark two important milestones: 20 years since the passage of Michigan’s Land Bank Fast Track Act and incorporation of the 50th land bank in the state.
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