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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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“A lot of tiny pieces lost”
October 2, 2013
“A lot of tiny pieces lost”

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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When trash bags and gardening tools can help fight crime
October 1, 2013
When trash bags and gardening tools can help fight crime

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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The case for federal investment in electronic county property records
September 30, 2013
The case for federal investment in electronic county property records

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania shares land banking videos, feat. Kim Graziani and Frank Alexander
September 27, 2013
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania shares land banking videos, feat. Kim Graziani and Frank Alexander

The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania put together a Land Bank Headquarters page on its website, featuring training videos and in-depth interviews with experts from Community Progress and…

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Op-Ed: ‘Demolition’ is not a bad word — Just keep it strategic
September 26, 2013
Op-Ed: ‘Demolition’ is not a bad word — Just keep it strategic

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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The Mayors’ Exchange on Unlocking Value in Vacancy: Full Video
September 25, 2013
The Mayors’ Exchange on Unlocking Value in Vacancy: Full Video

Five mayors from cities across the country joined us at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference to share how their own communities are putting innovative programs into practice….

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Baltimore’s Three-Part System for Dealing With Vacant Properties
September 24, 2013
Baltimore’s Three-Part System for Dealing With Vacant Properties

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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Top headlines from the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
September 19, 2013
Top headlines from the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference last week in Philadelphia!  Below, we’ve shared some of the most interesting headlines related…

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Group hug: Institutions join together to revitalize west Philadelphia
September 11, 2013
Group hug: Institutions join together to revitalize west Philadelphia

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t able to…

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Tax lien sales are no panacea for local governments
September 11, 2013
Tax lien sales are no panacea for local governments

Cross-posted from Next City, this article is part of the 2013 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference liveblog series. Check out all the in-depth content — even if you weren’t…

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Mourning Gus Frangos (1955 – 2024)

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Gus Frangos, Founder and President of the Cuyahoga Land Bank.

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FHA Updates 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program to Increase Accessibility

Revisions to the 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program aim to make it more accessible and effective and increase the number of 203(k) consultants.

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How to Convince Your Boss to Send You to the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference

So you want to attend the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference (RVP). It sounds awesome, right? Three days of networking, learning relevant skills, and seeing real-life examples of neighborhood revitalization up close. But your boss needs some convincing. After all, you’ll have to be away from your day job and spend…

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How Community Partners and Local Governments Collaborate to Address Heirs’ Property

Residents who live near vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties acutely understand their negative physical, mental, and financial impacts. But each VAD property has a unique story—and that property’s history is not always obvious. Imagine your family has a home that has been passed down through multiple generations. Your grandparents…

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Why Heirs’ Property is a Problem for Vacancy and Abandonment

To address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties, local governments must first identify what types of VAD properties exist in the community. Some properties are abandoned with no mortgage and near tax foreclosure. Some fall into disrepair during a long mortgage foreclosure process. In other cases, a property owner may…

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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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