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Spring cleaning: Vacant lot maintenance through community engagement in Flint
March 24, 2015
Spring cleaning: Vacant lot maintenance through community engagement in Flint

Spring is here at last, and for many Legacy City blight fighters, that means one thing – lot mowing and maintenance season. Maintenance, which includes mowing, waste…

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What does it take to eliminate blight? New framework offers a model
March 19, 2015
What does it take to eliminate blight? New framework offers a model

  The City of Flint Planning Commission recently adopted Beyond Blight: City of Flint Blight Elimination Framework. With a five-year implementation timeline, the Framework uses an in-depth, data-driven approach that…

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South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “We’re part of a movement”
March 19, 2015
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “We’re part of a movement”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, hit the nail on the head when he shared with us his thoughts on the value of the Reclaiming Vacant…

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Building a movement at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
March 2, 2015
Building a movement at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference

In just a few months, Detroit will play host to community development leaders from across the country for the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference (RVP), charting the course…

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The Next Frontier in Neighborhood Stabilization – The ReClaim Project
March 2, 2015
The Next Frontier in Neighborhood Stabilization – The ReClaim Project

By Craig Nickerson, National Community Stabilization Trust and Rebecca Regan, Housing Partnership Network In numerous communities today, REO inventories are declining and overall foreclosure rates are at five-year…

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

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#LoveThatLot: Your Valentines for formerly vacant lots
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…

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Seven Cities Selected for Community Progress Leadership Institute
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…

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

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Dallas, Detroit, Gary and Trenton awarded technical assistance scholarships
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…

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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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