Historic 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…

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Wheeling, WV’s code enforcement strategy contends with a graying city

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! Every city wants to know the secret to effective, budget-friendly code enforcement. But if there’s…

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“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 join us in Philadelphia from September 9-11, 2013, you’ll feel like you did! Zach Patten of Curbed Philly contributed to this story. The Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference turned its eye…

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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 join us in Philadelphia from September 9-11, 2013, you’ll feel like you did! Vacant properties and otherwise blighted and deeply undervalued parcels are one of the key challenges…

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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 strategic demolition of vacant properties. Part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the HHF was created in 2010 to stabilize housing markets and neighborhoods by assisting families…

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