Publications

Community Progress publishes reports, case studies, and toolkits to help communities across the country turn vacant spaces into vibrant places. Download hundreds of free resources today, and sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest publications directly in your inbox.

Land Banks

Land Banks and Land Banking, 2nd Edition
The Authoritative Resource on Modern Land Banking

Land Banks and Land Banking, 2nd Ed., provides clear historic context about the development of land banking and foundational information about when a land bank is the right tool, and the fundamentals of how land banks work.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Evaluation of the Tri-COG Land Bank Business Plan
A Solid Foundation for a Regional Approach to Vacancy and Abandonment in the Mon Valley and Beyond

Community Progress evaluates the 2014 Tri-COG Land Bank Business Plan, recognizes and commends key elements, and details areas for further improvement.

Code Enforcement System, Local Analysis

Judicial In Rem Code Enforcement and Judicial In Rem Tax Sales
Optimum Tools to Combat Vacancy and Abandonment in Atlanta

This report identifies the optimum legal and policy response to vacant, abandoned, and substandard properties—single family, multi-family and commercial units—in light of the tools currently available to the City of Atlanta.

Code Enforcement System, Land Banks, Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Property Tax System

An Assessment of Vacant and Abandoned Properties in Wilmington, Delaware
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2014 technical assistance engagement with the City of Wilmington, Delaware.

Code Enforcement System, Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Community Assessment and Recommendations to Address Vacancy and Abandonment in Uptown Butte
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings from our technical assistance engagement with the City and County of Butte-Silver Bow, Montana.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Improving Data and Information Systems to Tackle Vacant and Abandoned Property in Lafayette, Louisana
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

In this report, we share our observations and findings from our research and interviews with Lafayette stakeholders and offer a number of organizational, technical, and information sharing recommendations.

Land Banks, State/National Analysis

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

In Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, the Center for Community Progress’ research of more than half the nation’s land banks reveals this and other trends in the growing land bank movement.

Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, State/National Analysis

Who’s Moving to the Cities, Who Isn’t
Comparing American Cities

The fact that something is happening in American cities is beyond dispute. Is it just about the march of the millennials to the cities, or, as many writers claim, is it about a shift in preferences cutting across generations; and is it affecting all American cities to roughly the same extent, or are certain cities benefiting, while others are falling behind?

Code Enforcement System, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Racial Equity

Just, Smart
Civil Rights Protections and Market-Sensitive Vacant Property Strategies

This report explore primary areas of civil rights protections and reviews the civil rights vulnerabilities of code enforcement and land banking strategies that manage properties differently based on the neighborhood market context in which they are located.

State/National Analysis

State of Vacancy in Michigan (2014)
A Community Progress Research Brief

This report illustrates general trends in residential vacancy and distressed property between 2000 and 2013 across Michigan counties and select Michigan cities.

Land Banks, Racial Equity

The Road Ahead for Land Banks
Opportunities for Growth and Greater Equity

There are over 300 land banks and land banking programs operating across the United States, and the field has come a long way since the first land banks formed in the early 1970s. For over 40 years, land banks have kept a sharp focus on removing harmful vacant, abandoned, and…

Land Banks, Racial Equity

How Land Banks Are Leading Racial Justice Efforts
Moving from Vision to Action for Equitable Development

It is not a coincidence that systemic vacancy—and its associated social, economic, and environmental harms—disproportionately affects Black and Brown neighborhoods. This is the result of decades of racist, inequitable policies and institutional disinvestment. Land banks are a powerful tool to break this cycle of vacancy, coordinate new investments in long-neglected…

Property Tax System

Policy Brief: Tyler v. Hennepin County in 2024
Updated Analysis and Policy Reform Options

On May 25, 2023, the US Supreme Court handed down its decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, making a significant incursion into the state and local government practice of property tax foreclosure. In short, the Tyler decision posits that tax foreclosure is solely a debt collection tool and that local…

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Exploring the Utility and Value of Creating a Land Bank in Atlantic City
New Jersey Land Bank Launch Technical Assistance Scholarship

This memorandum summarizes key takeaways, observations, and recommendations for the U.S. HART CARES leadership team (US HART) and the City of Atlantic City (City) to consider as they explore implementation of a land bank to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties in Atlantic City. Program Background Virtually all communities…

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Assessment of VAD Strategies and a Land Bank in Salem, New Jersey
New Jersey Land Bank Launch Technical Assistance Scholarship

This memorandum summarizes key takeaways, observations, and recommendations for the City of Salem (City) and its partner, the Cumberland County Improvement Authority (The Authority) to consider as they explore implementation of a land bank to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties in Salem City and the region. Program Background …

Creative Placemaking

How Local Governments Can Facilitate Creative Placemaking on Vacant Property
Recommendations for Policy and Practice

Creative placemaking is the practice of enhancing a neighborhood’s quality of life through arts, culture, and intentional community development to meet the vision of the people who live, work, and play there. This practice takes various forms, including but not limited to temporary visual art installations, performance events, and permanent…

Land Banks

Sample Land Bank Long-Term Housing Affordability Disposition Policy
A Resource for Land Banks and Their Community Land Trust Partners

A resource for land banks and their community land trust partners outlining a framework for disposition policies that incentivize long-term affordable housing.

Brownfields

Brownfield Remediation & Reuse
A Brief Primer

Brownfield properties, often referred to as “brownfields,” are properties where the presence or potential presence of a hazardous chemical or pollutant makes it challenging, risky, and costly to redevelop. While many people think of brownfields as large, abandoned factories or chemical processing plants, the true scope of brownfield properties is…

Land Banks

Land Banks in New Jersey
A Tool for Addressing Problem Properties to Serve Community Goals

Across the country, over 300 land banks are mitigating the harms of vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties on neighbors and neighborhoods, and advancing equitable, inclusive, and resilient communities. Land banks have profound positive impact in the communities they serve including stabilizing neighborhoods and property values of neighboring homes, addressing…

Brownfields, Land Banks

How to Form a Land Bank
A 10-Step Guide

A ten-step guide to forming a land bank in your community.

Publications

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