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.

Creative Placemaking, Local Analysis

Creative Placemaking on Vacant Properties
Lessons Learned from Four Cities

This report offers a definition of creative placemaking and describes how arts and culture can be used to revive vacant properties.

Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, State/National Analysis

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.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Catalyzing Residential Property Repair and Rehabilitation in Flint, Michigan
A Community Progress Memo to the Flint Community Development Working Group

This 2018 memo outlines recommendations for Flint, MI leaders to develop a strategic approach to residential property rehab.

Land Banks

Houston Land Banks and Community Land Trusts
A Primer for the Houston Land Bank

As the City of Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey, local leaders are considering how tools like land banks and community land trusts can work together to transform vacant and damaged properties into affordable housing opportunities for generations to come.

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

Neighborhood Stabilization in Waterbury, Connecticut
Recommendations to Build a More Proactive and Comprehensive Approach to Vacancy and Abandonment

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2017 technical assistance engagement with Waterbury, Connecticut to assess existing systems, policies, and tools used to address vacant and abandoned properties.

Property Tax System, State/National Analysis

What Does the Sale of Property Tax Debt Mean for West Virginia Communities?
A Report on Delinquent Property Tax Enforcement and Vacant Property for West Virginia Reformers

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2017 technical assistance engagement with the Huntington Urban Renewal Authority and its partners in West Virginia to build awareness around the urgency to solve VAD property issues in the state.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Piloting New Partnership Opportunities Between a Land Bank and a Community Land Trust in Albany, New York
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2017 technical assistance engagement with the Albany County Land Bank and Albany Community Land Trust to help these entities pilot a more effective, sustainable partnership.

Code Enforcement System, Land Banks, Property Tax System, State/National Analysis

Aligning the Tools: Addressing Vacant, Abandoned, and Deteriorated Properties in Tennessee
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2017 technical assistance engagement with Memphis, Tennessee to coordinate three key legal tools to address vacancy and abandonment.

Creative Placemaking, Local Analysis

Bridging Policy and Placemaking to Activate Vacant Properties
Exploring Barriers and Potential in St. Paul

The report explores how placemaking has (or has not) been incorporated into St Paul city systems, the effectiveness of such programs, and how that integration of arts and culture into city systems has impacted , or could more effectively impact, placemaking projects on vacant land.

Land Banks, State/National Analysis

New York State Land Banks
A New National Standard

This report offers a history of the land bank movement in New York, including an assessment of the work completed to date, the factors key to success, and what to expect of this maturing movement in the years to come.

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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.

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.

Publications

Topic

Geography