Posts Tagged ‘Blight’
At the heart of it all
We can point to the negative impact of vacant properties on health, crime, property values, and other areas. We can study vacancy numbers and property tax revenues, strained public budgets, and the impacts of demolition and preservation. But when we’re caught up in the day-to-day, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s at…
Read MoreHow the garden grows: A Q&A with Mark Covington
In our recent report, Placemaking in Legacy Cities: Opportunities and Good Practices, we share the story of Mark Covington, who, through his passion and hard work, was able to create the vibrant Georgia Street Community Collective on formerly vacant lots in Detroit. His story of how he was able to turn his passion for bettering his community…
Read MoreDemolition the right way: Using strategic demolition to revitalize communities
Though temperatures were in the low 40’s, spirits were high when I attended the 3rd Anniversary of the multifaceted Vacants to Value program in Baltimore last month. Over the past 3 years, Baltimore’s Vacants to Value (V2V) program has rehabbed 1,500 homes and demolished more than 700. Both blight reduction strategies were on display during the anniversary…
Read MoreCan we demolish our way to revitalization?
Originally posted on the National Housing Institute’s Rooflines blog While the answer to that question in the title of this piece is obvious, there’s a strong case to be made that a lot of the buildings that make up America’s older cities may have to go, if these cities are to find a path to…
Read MoreI Wish This Were a ______: A community re-imagines a blighted building in Lansing
Some chalkboard paint and a bucket of chalk turned a vacant eyesore into a canvas of possibilities in Lansing, Michigan’s Urbandale neighborhood. The abandoned, crumbling Paro Party Store had been a blight on Lansing’s East side for years. “I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat to have a co-op grocery store with local foods?’”…
Read MoreHistoric blight blitz is now underway in Flint, Saginaw
A historic new ‘blight blitz’ is now underway in Michigan, constituting the largest blight removal program in the state’s history. Both the state and the nation have a renewed interest in promoting urban revitalization in Michigan through thoughtfully attending to the state’s vacant, abandoned, and problem properties. Last week, the cities of Flint and Saginaw…
Read MoreBaltimore’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 join us in Philadelphia from September 9-11, 2013, you’ll feel like you did! Baltimore is no stranger to blight and urban decay. The city has lost roughly one-third…
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