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.

Brownfields

Brownfield Remediation & Reuse
A Brief Primer

Guidance for reusing brownfield properties, particularly for land banks that want to tackle contaminated property.

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.

cover image of the land banks and brownfields factsheet

Brownfields, Land Banks

Land Banks & Brownfields
A Brief Primer

Land banks are uniquely positioned to tackle contaminated and potentially contaminated vacant properties. Learn more.

Code Enforcement System, Property Tax System, Racial Equity

Progress Points: Heirs’ Property
How Tangled Title Can Lead to Property Vacancy, Abandonment, and Deterioration

This factsheet explains why it’s important to deal with heirs’ property in order to prevent future vacancy and abandonment.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Preliminary Assessment of Vacant Properties in Lockport, NY
Strategies for Coordinating with the Niagara Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corporation

Recommendations for the City of Lockport to better address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties.

Code Enforcement System, Local Analysis

Investing in the Vitality of Detroit’s Neighborhoods Through Improved Rental Regulation
A Report for the City of Detroit

Recommendations for changes to Detroit’s Rental Ordinance to help more renter households access safe, healthy housing.

Code Enforcement System

Progress Points: Strategic Code Compliance
A Brief Primer

This brief explains how equitable, efficient, and effective code enforcement can be successful in preventing vacancy.

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.

Land Banks

Detroit Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan
Next Five: 2025–2030 Strategic Plan

“Next Five” is a strategic plan for the Detroit Land Bank Authority for 2025-2030, developed by Community Progress in partnership with DLBA.

Code Enforcement System, Land Banks

Recommendations for the Hopkinsville and Christian County Landbank Authority
Addressing Vacant and Abandoned Properties through Code Lien Foreclosure

Guidance for dealing with the community’s vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties.

Land Banks

Emergency Housing in Rural Upstate New York
How Land Banks May Help Address the Crisis

Ways that land banks in rural communities can use their powers to help address homelessness and emergency housing needs.

Brownfields, Land Banks

Emerging Practices & Practical Considerations for Land Banks & Brownfield Redevelopment
A Practical Guide

Practical guidance and case studies for land banks that want to redevelop contaminated vacant and abandoned properties.

Brownfields, Land Banks

Land Banks and Brownfields: Case Studies
Examples of Brownfield Redevelopment from Three Land Banks

Examples of how land banks have converted vacant, abandoned, and contaminated properties into community assets.

Land Banks

Transforming the Southland by Expanding Vacant Property Development
Recommendations for the South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority

Recommendations for improving strategic development outcomes of the land bank’s inventory, specifically focusing on developing housing.

Code Enforcement System, Local Analysis

An Assessment of Code Enforcement Strategies in Lima, Ohio
Observations and Recommendations

How Lima can address its vacant and abandoned buildings and lots to improve community wellbeing.

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…

Publications

Topic

Geography