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Community Progress regularly posts to this blog on a range of related topics to help communities across the country turn vacant spaces into vibrant places. Please check back regularly, and sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news directly in your inbox.

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#LoveThatLot: Public Displays of Affection for revitalization projects!
January 14, 2016
#LoveThatLot: Public Displays of Affection for revitalization projects!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. That means it’s time for Public Displays of Affection – for revitalized vacant lots and buildings, that is! We’re kicking off the second…

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Small scale, big results: Asset-based micro-planning in Youngstown, Ohio
December 17, 2015
Small scale, big results: Asset-based micro-planning in Youngstown, Ohio

What if the next big thing in blight elimination is to think small? Staff at the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) think that just might be the…

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Vacant industrial spaces are reborn to support a new age of small-scale manufacturing
December 17, 2015
Vacant industrial spaces are reborn to support a new age of small-scale manufacturing

There’s a myth surrounding post-industrial economies, Dan Kinkead, acting executive director of Detroit Future City, shares in conversation about the rebirth of small-scale manufacturing in his hometown…

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President’s Corner: Fresh approaches to the “preventive medicine” of vacant property revitalization
December 17, 2015
President’s Corner: Fresh approaches to the “preventive medicine” of vacant property revitalization

At Community Progress, we seek to help communities that are dealing with entrenched, often large-scale vacancy and abandonment in their neighborhoods. This is critically important, but it…

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Charting a new way forward through attorney-practitioner partnerships: Part II —Milwaukee
December 15, 2015
Charting a new way forward through attorney-practitioner partnerships: Part II —Milwaukee

This is the second in a two-part series exploring how strong working partnerships between practitioners and attorneys can give rise to innovation in the work to reclaim…

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Charting a new way forward through attorney-practitioner partnerships: Part I—Syracuse
December 15, 2015
Charting a new way forward through attorney-practitioner partnerships: Part I—Syracuse

This is the first in a two-part series exploring how strong working partnerships between practitioners and attorneys can give rise to innovation in the work to reclaim…

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#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions
December 8, 2015
#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions

All across the country, dedicated leaders are working day and night to combat vacancy and transform their communities. From the scrappy grassroots organizers to the forward-thinking public servants…

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Two new resources to inform short- and long-term vacant land reuse
November 23, 2015
Two new resources to inform short- and long-term vacant land reuse

When it comes to vacant land reuse, perhaps no other city in the nation faces as great of a challenge and as much of an opportunity as…

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#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions!
November 17, 2015
#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions!

Last February, we decided to run a Valentine’s Day campaign we called #LoveThatLot, asking you to use the hashtag to share photos of formerly vacant lots that…

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New research finds investment in neighborhood stabilization pays off—and more is needed
October 9, 2015
New research finds investment in neighborhood stabilization pays off—and more is needed

“House prices have sufficiently recovered and foreclosure activities have sufficiently abated.” That was the faulty argument made this past July to support a U.S. Senate proposal that…

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Driving Change: A Mid-Year Reflection from Community Progress

A letter from our CEO & President about our work in the first six months of 2024.

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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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What is the Neighborhood Revitalization and Land Banking Act?

The bipartisan bill is an important step in giving rural, urban, and suburban communities the tools to address “blighted” properties. The key focus of the bill is providing support to land banks, a tool many communities are adopting to support economic and neighborhood revitalization.  

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The Problem with Calling Neighborhoods with Vacant Properties “Blighted” 

Blight is a shorthand term many people use to refer to properties they perceive as problematic in some way.

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How Vacant and Abandoned Buildings Affect the Community

Vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties—referred to by some as “blighted properties”—pose significant costs to public health, property values, local taxpayers, and more.

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What Can Neighbors Do about Vacant Buildings and Lots?

When neighbors come together, they can be a powerful voice for community revitalization.

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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.

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What’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.

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How 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?

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Tips for a Successful Session Proposal for the 2024 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference

How to write a session proposal for the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference that will get noticed.

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