National Archives - Center for Community Progress

Land Banks

Land Banks and Community Land Trusts
Partnering to Provide Equitable Housing Opportunities Now and for Future Generations

Across the country, communities are still struggling with inventories of properties that are causing harm – properties that are vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD).i Many of these properties are underwater in value – meaning the amount of delinquent taxes, liens, and other liabilities are more than what the property is worth. Often times these…

State/National Analysis

Tackling Vacancy and Abandonment
Strategies and Impacts after the Great Recession

More than 10 years have passed since the Great Recession and the residential foreclosure crisis it unleashed. This crisis caused millions of Americans to lose their homes, leaving many neighborhoods with concentrated vacancy, disinvestment, and erosion of their local social fabric. In the aftermath of this crisis, researchers, practitioners, and organizations like the Center for Community Progress set to work analyzing vacancy interventions and shaping redevelopment strategies to stabilize neighborhoods.

Land Banks, Local Analysis, State/National Analysis

Preliminary Analysis of Land Banking and other tools for Spokane Washington
Analysis of Land Banking and other tools for Spokane, Washington to Address Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Create a Pipeline for Affordable Housing

In January 2021, the Center for Community Progress (Community Progress) was engaged by Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP) on behalf of the Invest Health Spokane team to explore whether a land bank is the right tool to address the inventory of vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties and create a pipeline of affordable housing in Spokane.

State/National Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

The Empty House Next Door
Understanding and Reducing Vacancy and Hypervacancy in the United States

In this Lincoln Institute of Land Policy publication, renowned city planner and housing advocate Alan Mallach presents effective strategies for community leaders, local officials, and nonprofits contending with vacant properties in the United States. Examples illustrate creative ways to reduce the harm cause by vacant properties, jump-start housing markets in struggling neighborhoods, create the potential for future revival, and transform vacant properties into community assets.

Land Banks

Take it to the Bank
How Land Banks Are Strengthening America's Neighborhoods

An estimated 120 land banks exist in the United States, and their ability to adapt to local conditions and needs is helping communities, large and small, address the negative impacts of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties.