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

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

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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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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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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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