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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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Remembering Ray Pianka
January 27, 2017
Remembering Ray Pianka

Raymond L. Pianka, judge of Cleveland’s Housing Court, died suddenly at the age of 65 early Sunday morning, January 22. As the city’s housing court judge for…

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#LoveThatLot: Show your love for revitalization projects!
January 24, 2017
#LoveThatLot: Show your love for revitalization projects!

Update: Curious about the 2018 #LoveThatLot campaign? Learn how to get involved! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Why not celebrate it by sending Valentine love…

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Celebrating placemaking: The role of arts and culture in community development
December 14, 2016
Celebrating placemaking: The role of arts and culture in community development

Placemaking, wielded skillfully, is a powerful tool to preserve, respect, lift up, and celebrate the culture of a community in ways that go far beyond aesthetics. Giving…

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Why do some cities have so many vacant properties?
December 1, 2016
Why do some cities have so many vacant properties?

  Tarik Abdelazim, our associate director for National Technical Assistance, wrote this blog post (cross-posted from Breathing Lights) to begin to unpack the causes of vacancy and…

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Land Banks & Community Land Trusts: Not Synonyms or Antonyms. Complements
November 22, 2016
Land Banks & Community Land Trusts: Not Synonyms or Antonyms. Complements

By: Emily Thaden, Kim Graziani, Annie Stup This blog post also appeared on the Shelterforce blog, rooflines.org. “For land banks to get into the affordable housing business,…

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Where the brave dare not go
November 2, 2016
Where the brave dare not go

Few topics will kill a conversation faster than inviting a discussion of property taxes. At the same time, however, the efficiency and effectiveness of our local governments…

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Bringing Michigan’s land bank leaders together in rural Marquette County
July 18, 2016
Bringing Michigan’s land bank leaders together in rural Marquette County

Land bank leaders gathered in Marquette, Michigan, last month, on June 13-14th, for the third annual Michigan Land Bank Leadership Summit. The event drew over 40 participants,…

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Heirs’ Property, Part II: Providing legal aid in rural South Carolina to build family wealth and prevent vacancy
June 30, 2016
Heirs’ Property, Part II: Providing legal aid in rural South Carolina to build family wealth and prevent vacancy

This is Part II of our series on heirs’ property. See Part I, “Preventing ‘tangled titles’ and subsequent blight in Philadelphia” here. What happens to a property after its…

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Heirs’ Property, Part I: Preventing “tangled titles” and subsequent blight in Philadelphia
June 28, 2016
Heirs’ Property, Part I: Preventing “tangled titles” and subsequent blight in Philadelphia

This is Part I of our series on heirs’ property. See Part II, “Providing legal aid in rural South Carolina to build family wealth and prevent vacancy” here….

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New report analyzes New Orleans’ rising rental costs
June 22, 2016
New report analyzes New Orleans’ rising rental costs

New Orleans has undergone many transformations in the 10+ years since Katrina. Today, with over half of New Orleans’ residents living in rental housing, and rents rising sharply…

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Proposed Housing Legislation in the 119th Congress: What Land Banks Need to Know

Guidance for land banks on emerging housing legislation moving through Congress.

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How Vacant and Abandoned Buildings Affect Communities

Learn how vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties—referred to by some as “blighted properties”—pose significant costs to public health, property values, and local taxpayers.

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How Land Banks and Under-Resourced Developers Can Collaborate to Build Affordable Housing

Ways that land banks and under-resourced developers can collaborate to build green, affordable infill housing.

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What are Proactive Rental Inspection Programs?: Keeping Homes Occupied and Communities Healthy

Proactive rental inspection programs shift code enforcement from reactive to strategic, identifying health hazards like lead paint, mold, and broken heating before they harm tenants or push properties toward vacancy. Learn how local governments design effective programs, with examples from cities across the country.

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How Land Banks Can Address Brownfields: Case Studies

Land banks are well-positioned to engage in brownfield redevelopment. As public entities with unique powers to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties, land banks can help communities return these properties to productive use in alignment with community goals. A growing number of communities across the country are seeing land banks…

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Why Home Repair Programs Are Essential for Preventing Property Vacancy and Abandonment

Home repair is a core strategy to stop properties from becoming vacant in the first place.

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How Better Data Helps Communities Address Vacancy

What data sources you should be looking at if you’re interested in understanding, tracking, and solving property vacancy in your community.

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

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

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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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