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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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Finding common ground in the fight against blight
May 20, 2014
Finding common ground in the fight against blight

Originally posted on The Catalyst: Ideas and Insights from Living Cities As a part of the Project on Municipal Innovation (PMI) – A network of Mayoral chiefs of staff…

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New release! Guide to redeveloping vacant commercial properties
May 6, 2014
New release! Guide to redeveloping vacant commercial properties

There’s a new resource available for communities tackling a challenging subset of blighted properties: commercial vacant properties. Redeveloping Commercial Vacant Properties in Legacy Cities: A Guidebook for…

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Webcast: Community Progress speaks on vacant properties and land banks at HUD
April 18, 2014
Webcast: Community Progress speaks on vacant properties and land banks at HUD

In conjunction with the release of HUD’s latest issue of “Evidence Matters,” Kim Graziani and Alan Mallach were invited to speak at HUD’s Quarterly Briefing last week….

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In Honor of Tax Day: A Crash Course in Tax Foreclosure Reform 101
April 15, 2014
In Honor of Tax Day: A Crash Course in Tax Foreclosure Reform 101

In the midst of flurries of W-2s and fingers crossed for refunds, we’re taking the opportunity on this Tax Day to break down a different tax-related challenge:…

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Breaking down deconstruction: What Detroit gained from dismantling instead of destroying
March 31, 2014
Breaking down deconstruction: What Detroit gained from dismantling instead of destroying

It might not be immediately obvious, but in the rubble and decay of vacant, dilapidated properties — those that are so far deteriorated, they’ve been slated for…

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Can Youngstown Make It On Its Own?
March 26, 2014
Can Youngstown Make It On Its Own?

Originally posted on the National Housing Institute’s Rooflines blog Youngstown is a small city in the hills of northeast Ohio, once famous for steelmaking; and sadly, if…

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Is gentrification different in Legacy Cities?
March 10, 2014
Is gentrification different in Legacy Cities?

Originally posted on Legacy Cities by American Assembly Most research on revitalizing neighborhoods views them as instances of “gentrification,” the movement of young, often single, professionals into low-income,…

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Raising the bar in The Big Easy: Remediating 10,000 blighted properties in less than four years
February 27, 2014
Raising the bar in The Big Easy: Remediating 10,000 blighted properties in less than four years

In January 2014, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that the City of New Orleans had not only met, but actually exceeded a major goal set back in September…

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President’s Preview:  Communities across the country are turning to creative board-ups
February 27, 2014
President’s Preview: Communities across the country are turning to creative board-ups

Like many of you, I envision a future in which entrenched blight and vacancy in our communities is no more than a bad memory. While we work…

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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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