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.

Local Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

Understanding and Addressing Non-Structural Blight and Vacant Land in Flint, MI
A Memo to the Flint Non-Structural Blight Work Group

Outcomes of the Flint Non-Structural Blight Work Group and next steps Flint can take in stewarding its inventory of vacant land.

Code Enforcement System

Reevaluating Code Enforcement
A New Approach to Addressing Problem Properties

Traditional code enforcement—focused on issuing citations and fines—isn’t working in the places that need it most. A more strategic approach could change that.

Local Analysis

State of Vacant Properties in Rural Georgia
A Policy Brief

When it comes to vacant, abandoned,
and deteriorated properties, rural communities face specific barriers.

Creative Placemaking, Local Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

The Resident’s Workbook
for Dealing with Vacant Buildings and Lots

A workbook and guide and workbook for residents who want to help address problem properties in their neighborhoods.

Land Banks

2023 State of Land Banking Survey

The State of Land Banking Survey, first conducted in 2021, represents the only opportunity for the land banking field to tell its story with comprehensive data. Key…

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Establishing a Land Bank in South Bend & St. Joseph County
A Decision-Making Roadmap

The City of South Bend, Indiana engaged Community Progress to assess the feasibility of a land bank and provide a road map of critical decision points. This report identifies what keeps vacant lots and buildings stuck in a cycle of decline, and how a land bank might help.

State/National Analysis

Unlocking the Potential in Heirs’ Properties
Examining Heirs' Property in Three Rural Georgia Counties

This project of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government examines the scale of heirs’ property across three Georgia counties.

Property Tax System

Policy Brief: Tyler v. Hennepin County
Analysis and Policy Reform Options for State and Local Governments

What state and local government leaders need to know to reform their property tax foreclosure systems after Tyler v. Hennepin County.

Land Banks, Local Analysis, Property Tax System

Transforming Raton’s Abandoned Properties into Community Assets
A Community Progress Report for Raton, New Mexico

This report outlines state and local policy and practice recommendations to tackle vacant and abandoned properties in Raton, NM.

Code Enforcement System

Code Enforcement Process Improvements for the City of St. Louis
Workshop Recommendations

Recommendations to make code enforcement more equitable, efficient, and effective in St. Louis, following a workshop.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Creating Homeownership Opportunities in Newark through Housing Choice Vouchers
A Newark Land Bank Case Study

How the Newark Land Bank is using Housing Choice Vouchers to help people become homeowners.

Brownfields, Land Banks

Land Banks & Brownfield Redevelopment
A Step-by-Step Overview

A step-by-step guide for how land banks can redevelop polluted or contaminated properties and put them back to productive use.

Local Analysis

Addressing Vacant, Abandoned, and Deteriorated Properties in Arkansas
A Policy Brief

Arkansas communities face sizable challenges with vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties—what many call “blighted” properties. These challenges encompass vacant commercial properties in the state’s rural main streets and urban downtowns, abandoned houses and overgrown lots in residential neighborhoods, and deteriorated structures scattered throughout rural and agricultural communities. Nearly 30…

Code Enforcement System, Land Banks, Local Analysis, Property Tax System

Enhancing Capacity to Repurpose New Jersey’s Vacant Properties
How to Advance Community Goals Through Land Banking and Other Tools

This brief is a product of the New Jersey Land Bank Launch Initiative. The competition for land (with and without structures) is being felt acutely across the Garden State. Since the pandemic, many New Jersey communities have seen markets flip almost overnight, with an influx of new residents who had…

Land Banks, Racial Equity

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

For nearly 15 years, the Center for Community Progress has tirelessly worked with hundreds of land bank leaders, practitioners, partners, and allies to help land banks revitalize their communities. Through our expert guidance, resources, leadership programming, policy advocacy, and the National Land Bank Network (NLBN), we have been an integral…

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 memo is a product of the New Jersey Land Bank Launch Initiative. 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,…

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 brief is a product of the New Jersey Land Bank Launch Initiative. 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,…

Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Exploring Open Data Portals and Data Consortia for VAD Property Interventions
A Memorandum for Dayton, Ohio

This memorandum explores the benefits of both data consortia and open data portals as tools for local governments to monitor, manage, and address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. The purpose of this research is to help inform the City of Dayton and its partners as they embark on better…

Publications

Topic

Geography