Blog

Home » Blog

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.

Filter by Date

Topics

Forget NSP, Tax Credits Will Save Neighborhoods by Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress
June 28, 2013
Forget NSP, Tax Credits Will Save Neighborhoods by Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress

Originally posted by Alan Mallach in the National Housing Institute’s Rooflines Blog, June 21, 2013. In my last two posts, I tried first to explain why NSP…

Read More »
Detroit and four other Michigan cities to receive additional federal dollars for strategic demolition
June 12, 2013
Detroit and four other Michigan cities to receive additional federal dollars for strategic demolition

In an exciting development, the U.S. Treasury Department announced last week that Michigan may use up to $100 Million—or 20%—of its Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) allocation for…

Read More »
What Creating a Stable Neighborhood Really Means by Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress
May 21, 2013
What Creating a Stable Neighborhood Really Means by Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress

Originally posted by Alan Mallach in National Housing Institute’s Rooflines Blog, May 14, 2013. Community Progress Senior Fellow, Alan Mallach, discusses the basic principles of neighborhood stabilization…

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.  

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
What Can Neighbors Do about Vacant Buildings and Lots?

When neighbors come together, they can be a powerful voice for community revitalization.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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?

Read More »
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.

Read More »