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Our blog unpacks complex approaches to community revitalization so you feel ready to return vacant properties to productive use. Sign up for our newsletter to get solutions in your inbox.

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Community Progress Announces Juneteenth Closure
June 18, 2020
Community Progress Announces Juneteenth Closure

Dear Partners,  This Friday, June 19th, the Center for Community Progress will be closed in celebration of Juneteenth. As our staff and team enjoy the day as a…

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Filling the Gaps: Helping Struggling Property Owners Connect to Rehab and Repair Resources
June 16, 2020
Filling the Gaps: Helping Struggling Property Owners Connect to Rehab and Repair Resources

Today, property owners—homeowners, landlords and businesses—feeling the active COVID-19 impacts are also bracing for a possible larger real estate market downturn and more unknowns. These influences, especially…

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Life Should Not be Determined by a Person’s Race [the Death of George Floyd]
June 3, 2020
Life Should Not be Determined by a Person’s Race [the Death of George Floyd]

We at the Center for Community Progress are enraged and grief-stricken at the loss of yet another Black life at the hands of police.   Since 1619, the…

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Download Alan Mallach’s “Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst: Addressing the Aftermath Of The COVID-19 Pandemic In America’s Struggling Neighborhoods”
June 2, 2020
Download Alan Mallach’s “Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst: Addressing the Aftermath Of The COVID-19 Pandemic In America’s Struggling Neighborhoods”

“We don’t know what will happen – there are far too many unknowns at this point – but we can already anticipate many of the risks, and…

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From the Great Recession to COVID-19: Land Banks are Critical to Long-Term Equitable Recovery
June 1, 2020
From the Great Recession to COVID-19: Land Banks are Critical to Long-Term Equitable Recovery

Today’s COVID-19 public health crisis is evolving. As governments and business work to anticipate the potential housing and economic crisis that could follow, there is renewed focus…

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COVID-19 Impact on Michigan Communities: Risks, Interventions, Resources
May 20, 2020
COVID-19 Impact on Michigan Communities: Risks, Interventions, Resources

There is no question. Michigan communities are encountering and will continue to feel the impacts of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis.  As unemployment skyrockets, state…

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We Will Need Code Enforcement Now More Than Ever: Three COVID-19 Responses to Protect Neighborhoods
May 12, 2020
We Will Need Code Enforcement Now More Than Ever: Three COVID-19 Responses to Protect Neighborhoods

In the sea of COVID-19 uncertainty, there are a few neighborhood-level realities we know for sure. Our neighbor’s financial constraints may postpone planned repairs – like fixing…

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Your Support Means [Community] Progress
May 5, 2020
Your Support Means [Community] Progress

#GivingTuesdayNow 6 Ways Your Support Helps Create Community Progress  For more than 10 years, the Center for Community Progress has helped America’s highest-need communities respond to the challenges…

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About Tomorrow…Giving Tuesday
May 4, 2020
About Tomorrow…Giving Tuesday

Dear Progress Makers,  Your support matters. While the debates and data continue to evolve around our current public health crisis, there are at least two things we know:…

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Why Investing in Communities Matters More than Ever in the Time of Coronavirus (Webinar)
April 27, 2020
Why Investing in Communities Matters More than Ever in the Time of Coronavirus (Webinar)

Get answers! The COVID-19 pandemic is emerging as not just a health crisis but as a community crisis. What is the role of community development investment and cross-sector…

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How a New Jersey Land Bank is Converting Vacant Properties into Homes for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Holders

Learn how Newark, New Jersey is leveraging an underutilized HCV provision to make homeownership a reality for low-income residents.

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How Philanthropy Powers Land Bank Success 

Examples of how philanthropic partnerships have helped land banks launch new programs to revitalize communities.

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Five Creative Placemaking Projects Reimagining Live-Work Spaces

Examples of live-work unit projects that are transforming their neighborhoods through creative placemaking.

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How to Explain Vacant Property Work: A Plain Language Guide

Talking about community revitalization is hard. Here’s some ways to explain vacancy when people don’t understand your work.

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How Land Banks are Reusing Vacant Land to Build Climate Resilience

Examples of how land banks are transforming vacant land into climate resilience assets through flood mitigation, greening, and partnerships.

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Why You Should Attend the NLBN Summit—Even if You Don’t Work at a Land Bank

The NLBN Summit is your chance to better understand how land banks work and how they can support your goals around developing housing, reusing vacant land, and helping neighborhoods bounce back from economic decline.

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The Basics of Brownfield Redevelopment: Finding and Assessing Brownfields

Brownfield redevelopment reclaims the potential of underutilized properties, improves a neighborhood’s health and wellbeing, and can spark community revitalization.

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How Opportunity Zones 2.0 Can Leverage Existing Vacant Property Inventories

Ideas for Opportunity Zones 2.0 to leverage existing vacant properties in distressed communities, with land bank support.

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What is a Land Bank?

A land bank is a public entity with unique powers to put vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties back to productive use according to community goals.

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What is a Brownfield?

Brownfield properties, often referred to as “brownfields,” are properties where the presence or potential presence of hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant makes redevelopment challenging and costly.

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