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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.

March 2, 2015

After the last bell rings, cities explore options for vacant school buildings

Urban school districts are seeing schools close due to population declines, the buildings’ age, and other factors. The trend is particularly pronounced in cities that have faced…

February 13, 2015

#LoveThatLot: Your Valentines for formerly vacant lots

Parcel by parcel, on blocks across the country, transformations are underway: local champions are turning vacant, abandoned lots into local gems. These projects are changing neighborhoods and touching lives but, too…

February 10, 2015

Seven Cities Selected for Community Progress Leadership Institute

Delegations from seven cities across three states have been selected to attend the 2015 Community Progress Leadership Institute (CPLI), a training program focused on equipping leaders with…

February 5, 2015

Send your favorite revitalized lot some Valentine’s love with #LoveThatLot

Around the country, vacant lots and abandoned properties are being transformed into everything from new housing to urban orchards to pop-up beer gardens to go-kart race tracks….

January 29, 2015

Dallas, Detroit, Gary and Trenton awarded technical assistance scholarships

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…

December 18, 2014

How the Cuyahoga Land Bank is helping refugees “Discover Home”

Land banks can work in concert with a whole host of private, public, and nonprofit partners, using those creative partnerships to help the communities they serve. An…

December 17, 2014

Easy as A-B-C: The Chautauqua acquisition model

How should a land bank decide which properties to acquire? Researching our recent national land bank report confirmed it’s a major question that virtually all land banks…

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,…

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….

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…

How to Buy Property From a Land Bank

Find a land bank near you and make sure you understand what makes them different from traditional real estate sellers.

To Prevent Illegal Dumping, You Have to Know the Scale of the Problem

How to conduct a neighborhood survey to assess the scale of illegal dumping and prioritize city resources for cleanup and prevention.

Five Innovative Approaches from Land Banks Across the Country

Five examples of creative approaches land banks have taken to addressing vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties.

Meet the 2024-25 Cohort of Community Revitalization Fellows

Grassroots community leaders from Lafayette, Memphis, and Rochester share their stories and motivations for community revitalization.

Our Commitment to Code Enforcement: 2024 Recap

In 2024, Community Progress doubled down on its commitment to helping local governments use code enforcement to address VAD properties.

Opportunities to Connect Urban Conservation and Vacant Land Stewardship

In many communities, tackling vacant lots can feel like an impossible challenge. Local officials, land banks, and community organizations recognize the importance of finding effective strategies to maintain and repurpose vacant lots to meet community needs. According to the National Land Bank Network’s 2023 State of Land Banking Survey, vacant…

2024 Year in Review: National Land Bank Network

Learn how the National Land Bank Network served land banks across the country in 2024.

Looking for a Land Bank Near You? This Map Will Help!

Learn what a land bank is, how it works, how to buy vacant property from a land bank, and if any land banks serve your community.

Why Land Banks Matter

For neighborhoods burdened by systemic disinvestment; vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties often become symbols of neglect. They pose social, economic, health, and environmental hazards to communities and residents. Addressing these properties requires intervention at multiple points and systems—and one powerful tool many communities use to address vacancy and promote equitable…

That’s a Wrap on RVP 2024!

This month, we were excited to put another Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference (RVP) on the books. Our 2024 conference brought 900 people from across the country to St. Louis for three days of learning, exploration, and even dance! Day 1: The Service Project and Welcome Ceremony Every RVP, Community Progress…

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