Posts by Luke Telander
Louisiana passes ballot initiative to return properties to the tax rolls faster
Election Day was a noisy affair: big headlines, big news stories, and a deluge of television coverage, focused mainly on federal elections. Flying mostly below the radar, however, voters also opted “yay” or “nay” on a number of ballot initiatives that could have a big impact on their states. In Louisiana, 54% of voters passed a…
Read MoreStrengthening communities through veteran homeownership in Cuyahoga County
(Stay tuned for more information on the Homefront Veterans Home Ownership Program and much more about land banking in our new report, “Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods,” coming out next Tuesday. Subscribe to our email list to receive notice when the report is available.) This Veterans Day, we’re lifting…
Read MoreFlint explores community schools as a tool to support neighborhood stability
Can a renewed focus on community schools support neighborhood stabilization — and even vacant property revitalization? That’s one of the questions at hand as Flint looks for a new model for public education. Community schools have deep roots in the City of Flint, and the city has, based on community input, identified reestablishing a strong…
Read MoreNeighborWorks honors Alan Mallach as a “visionary leader in community development”
For anyone who knows Alan Mallach, senior fellow at Community Progress, it shouldn’t be a shock that he’s being honored as a “visionary leader in community development.” He has dedicated his life’s work to helping communities across the country develop creative, equitable community revitalization strategies. NeighborWorks America chose Alan as one of their 2014 “visionary leaders in community development”…
Read MoreNew York Attorney General announces $20M in land bank funding
The New York Attorney General announced yesterday that he is allocating $20 million to be awarded to land banks across the State. This is the second year that the Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, has allocated funding for land banking, bringing the total financial commitment up to $33 million. The press conference was held in Syracuse at a vacant home being…
Read MoreOn World Food Day, a look at food justice & urban ag with Garden Justice Legal Initiative in Philadelphia
On World Food Day, which is themed “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth” this year, we’re exploring how the reuse of vacant properties can be a critical component of achieving food security and justice. In order to successfully eliminate entrenched, systemic blight communities must support a wide array of reuse strategies, and urban agriculture is…
Read MoreFlint’s framework for the future
This article was originally published in the Summer 2014 issue of Breaking Ground, our quarterly newsletter. To receive Breaking Ground in your inbox, please join our email list. It might go without saying, but the City of Flint in 2014 is very different from the Flint of 1960. Decades of population loss have brought about…
Read MoreBuilding a movement: Michigan Land Bank Leadership Summit
“You’re going to be the vanguard for what will become a movement across the nation.” That was the call to action George McCarthy issued during a keynote address to the nearly 100 attendees at the Michigan Land Bank Leadership Summit (MLBLS), who represented over 30 counties throughout the State of Michigan, primarily as land bank staff…
Read More10 new land banks authorized in New York!
(Learn more about what New York”s land banks are up to in the new report, “New York State Land Banks: Combating Blight and Vacancy in New York Communities.”) The number of land banks in New York is now set to double in the coming years. The New York State Legislature passed a bill yesterday to…
Read MoreWebcast: Community Progress speaks on vacant properties and land banks at HUD
In conjunction with the release of HUD’s latest issue of “Evidence Matters,” Kim Graziani and Alan Mallach were invited to speak at HUD’s Quarterly Briefing last week. They were joined by U.S. Representative and Community Progress co-founder Dan Kildee (MI), Yolanda Chavez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs in HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development, and…
Read More