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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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Omaha Habitat honors Community Progress with Nebraska leaders
December 15, 2014
Omaha Habitat honors Community Progress with Nebraska leaders

There is much to celebrate in Omaha. Over the past year, the State of Nebraska passed a land bank statute, and a diverse group of businesses, nonprofits,…

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What does a successful land bank look like?
December 10, 2014
What does a successful land bank look like?

What does a successful land bank look like? It’s one of the questions our new report, Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, explores….

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Do Urban Neighborhoods Need Homeowners?
December 9, 2014
Do Urban Neighborhoods Need Homeowners?

Originally posted on the National Housing Institute’s Rooflines blog At a conference I attended last week, one of the speakers, a colleague whose judgment and knowledge I…

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How Marquette County Land Bank took on property at an abandoned air force base
December 2, 2014
How Marquette County Land Bank took on property at an abandoned air force base

Land banks can be useful in communities of all sizes. While land banking has been established as an important tool in the urban revitalization toolbox, our new…

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Advice for land banks from Cuyahoga Land Bank’s Gus Frangos
November 24, 2014
Advice for land banks from Cuyahoga Land Bank’s Gus Frangos

Our new report, Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, takes an in-depth look at how the Cuyahoga Land Bank serves the community in…

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Justin Godard comes on board with the National Leadership and Education team
November 21, 2014
Justin Godard comes on board with the National Leadership and Education team

We are pleased to welcome Justin Godard as a program associate on the National Leadership and Education team at Community Progress. Here’s what he has to say about coming on…

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Louisiana passes ballot initiative to return properties to the tax rolls faster
November 12, 2014
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,…

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Strengthening communities through veteran homeownership in Cuyahoga County
November 11, 2014
Strengthening 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…

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Flint explores community schools as a tool to support neighborhood stability
November 6, 2014
Flint 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…

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Election day: Local leadership is critical to revitalization
November 4, 2014
Election day: Local leadership is critical to revitalization

Voters across the nation stream to the polls today in our annual democratic exercise, weighing the promises from candidates in how best to address some of our…

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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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