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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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This Tax Day, making the case for property tax reform in Detroit
April 15, 2016
This Tax Day, making the case for property tax reform in Detroit

  Ineffective property tax systems can have a detrimental community impact. They weaken the delivery of services that improve quality of life for local residents – from…

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The REAL rental housing issue
March 16, 2016
The REAL rental housing issue

Originally posted on the National Housing Institute’s Rooflines blog We know a few things about the majority of very low-income renters: They live in private market housing,…

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Three new communities selected for the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program
March 8, 2016
Three new communities selected for the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program

Community Progress launched the competitive Technical Assistance Scholarship Program (TASP) in 2014, to help us find and support today’s pioneers in the work to reclaim and revitalize…

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Lots to Love in Beall’s Hill
February 29, 2016
Lots to Love in Beall’s Hill

We’re pleased to share this guest post from Emily Hopkins with the Historic Macon Foundation about their participation in this year’s national #LoveThatLot campaign. A once-vacant lot…

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What is the cost of blight? What new research from Atlanta tells us
February 26, 2016
What is the cost of blight? What new research from Atlanta tells us

What is the cost of blight? We know that vacant properties cost cities through lost property tax revenue, and that they also bring down the property values…

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Making the connection between vacant properties, community wellbeing, and social justice
February 25, 2016
Making the connection between vacant properties, community wellbeing, and social justice

In the wake of continued police violence in communities of color across the nation, we have witnessed the strengthening of movements against brutality. With its origins in…

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#LoveThatLot: A Valentine’s celebration for neighborhood revitalization champions in Baltimore
February 19, 2016
#LoveThatLot: A Valentine’s celebration for neighborhood revitalization champions in Baltimore

This year, as part of our Valentine’s Day #LoveThatLot campaign, we were lucky to have the chance to visit a revitalized vacant lot in Baltimore’s Barclay neighborhood…

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Treasury announces how $2 billion for Hardest Hit Fund will be allocated
February 19, 2016
Treasury announces how $2 billion for Hardest Hit Fund will be allocated

  Today, Treasury announced how it will allocate the additional $2 billion dollars for the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) program approved by Congress last December. HHF funding…

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So much PDA! Highlights from the 2016 #LoveThatLot campaign
February 16, 2016
So much PDA! Highlights from the 2016 #LoveThatLot campaign

In a nationwide Valentine’s Day “Public Display of Affection,” many of you shared your love for revitalized vacant places and the people who have poured their hearts into transforming…

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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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How Communities Can Partner with Land Banks to Address Housing Insecurity

Three case studies of land banks working with community partners to address housing insecurity.

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Two Decades of Reclaiming Vacant Properties: A Conversation with Wells Fargo

We interview Sarah Bainton Kahn, Head of Housing Access and Affordability Philanthropy at Wells Fargo and Company, about what’s changed in community revitalization and what she hopes attendees take away from RVP 2026 in Pittsburgh.

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Ira Goldstein on Lessons in Redevelopment Without Displacement from Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Neighborhood: An RVP Speaker Spotlight

We asked one of our speakers to preview his session at the 2026 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, and what you’ll learn by attending.

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Jack BeVier on Rethinking Vacant Property Strategy in an Era of Private Reinvestment: An RVP Speaker Spotlight

We asked one of our speakers to preview his session at the 2026 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, and what you’ll learn by attending.

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Aaron Sukenik and Cate Irvin on Sustaining Storefront Activation in Downtown Pittsburgh: An RVP Speaker Spotlight

We asked our speakers to preview their walking tour at the 2026 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, and what you’ll learn by attending.

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Get Ready for the ROAD to Housing Act: Steps to Take Before Accessing New Housing Funds

What the ROAD to Housing Act contains relating to community revitalization and vacant property reuse.

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What Pung v. Isabella Means for Communities Dealing with Vacant, Tax-Delinquent Property

What communities dealing with property vacancy, abandonment, and tax delinquency should expect following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Pung.

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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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