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, State & Local 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 & Local 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

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 & Local 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.

Local Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

Every Neighborhood Has A Future…And It Doesn’t Include Blight
Detroit Blight Removal Task Force Plan

The Blight Removal Task Force was created in 2013 to develop a straightforward and detailed set of recommendations to address vacancy and abandonment in Detroit. This publication is a summary of this work.

Creative Placemaking, State & Local Analysis

Placemaking in Legacy Cities
Opportunities and Good Practices

Placemaking in Legacy Cities: Opportunities and Good Practices explores how residents and leaders in Legacy Cities have used placemaking principles to transform blighted public spaces into revitalized community assets.

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Georgia Land Bank Resource Manual
A Guide and Toolkit for Land Banking Professionals

The comprehensive Georgia Land Bank Resource Manual guides stakeholders through the process of creating new – and working with existing – land bank authorities, providing template legal documents that can save land bank operators thousands of hours in legal fees.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Property Tax System

Analysis of Bulk Tax Lien Sale
City of Rochester

This report shares the findings of Community Progress 2012 assessment Rochester, New York’s bulk tax lien sale process and in rem tax foreclosure process.

Detroit Future City Strategic Framework 2012

Local Analysis

Detroit Future City
2012 Detroit Strategic Framework Plan

The 2012 Detroit Strategic Framework articulates a shared vision for Detroit’s future, and recommends specific actions or reaching that future.

Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Property Tax System, State & Local Analysis

Long-Term Stress and Systemic Failure
Taking Seriously the Fiscal Crisis of America’s Older Cities

This report – written for America’s older cities in the wake of the recession, but with lessons for all cities that face fiscal stress – suggests a new approach to end the cycle of decline that has trapped many municipalities.

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

30 for (20)30
Kalamazoo County Land Bank 2026–2030 Strategic Plan

Executive Summary Since 2010, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority (KCLBA) has worked to address vacant, abandoned, deteriorated, and tax-foreclosed properties in the city of Kalamazoo and throughout the county. As vacancy challenges and market conditions have shifted over the last 15 years, the KCLBA has proven to be a…

Community Revitalization

Progress Points: The Cost of Systemic Vacancy
A Brief Primer

What is systemic vacancy and how is it different from just a couple of vacant properties? This onepager provides a brief explainer.

Community Revitalization, Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Breaking Barriers for Under-Resourced Developers
Insights and Recommendations for Developers, Philanthropists, Land Banks, and Other Stakeholders

The challenges under-resourced affordable housing developments face and how key partners can support them.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

West Jackson Property Condition and Resident Perception Survey Findings
Assessing the Cost of Vacant Properties

What we know about vacant properties in Mississippi’s West Jackson neighborhood.

Vacant Land Stewardship

Progress Points: Vacant Land Stewardship
A Brief Primer

Download a one-page explainer on what vacant land stewardship is, and why it’s important.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Chesapeake Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan
Building on a Strong Foundation for the Next Stage of Growth

Community Progress worked with the Chesapeake Land Bank Authority to develop an ambitious strategic plan for the next five years.

Land Banks

2025 State of Land Banking Survey Snapshot
Key Takeaways

This one-pager of our 2025 State of Land Banking summarizes survey results.

Code Enforcement System, State & Local Analysis

Assessment of Code Enforcement Activities and Priorities to Consider in Jackson, Mississippi
Community Progress Code Enforcement TA Scholarship Memo

How the City of Jackson, Mississippi is using code enforcement strategies to address vacant and abandoned properties and revitalize neighborhoods.

Code Enforcement System

Code Enforcement Training Guide
A Strategic Curriculum for Local Practitioners Nationwide

A guide to training your code enforcement officers to help achieve your department’s ultimate goal: Compliance.

Code Enforcement System, Property Tax System

Louisville Metro Government Code Liens Analysis
Analysis and Recommendations

Analysis and strategy recommendations for using code lien foreclosure in service of neighborhood revitalization while minimizing unintended harm.

Publications

Topic

Geography