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.

Code Enforcement System, Local Analysis

Code Compliance in Providence, Rhode Island
Recommendations to Promote Equitable Code Compliance for Substandard Rental Properties

Community Progress assessed Providence’s code enforcement approach for deteriorating, occupied rental properties and recommended improvements.

Cover page of the Rochester Land Bank Corporation Strategic Plan

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Rochester Land Bank Five-Year Strategic Plan
2026–2030

The Rochester Land Bank’s new strategic plan reimagines its role in revitalizing vacant properties, expanding homeownership, and strengthening neighborhoods.

Cover page of the Cleveland Code Enforcement Training Guide

Code Enforcement System

Cleveland Code Enforcement Training Guide
A Strategic Curriculum for Local Practitioners

A curriculum for training code enforcement officers, focused on compliance without unintended harm.

cover image of recommendations to wayne county report

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Recommendations for the Wayne County Land Bank
Regarding Approach to Acquisition and Disposition of Nontraditional Properties

The memo outlines 12 recommendations for the WCLB to improve disposition of challenging properties, strengthen partnerships, and align operations with broader goals for housing, sustainability, and economic development.

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.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Vacant Land Stewardship

An Open Space Action Plan for the Junction Neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This Action Plan shares a practical plan resulting from our technical assistance engagement with the Lucas County Land Reutilization Corporation about the Junction neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio.

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

Developing a Shared Vision and Strategies to Address Vacancy and Abandonment in the City of St. Louis
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings from our technical assistance engagement with the City of St. Louis, Missouri.

Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Neighborhoods by Numbers
An Introduction to Finding and Using Small Area Data

This guide aims to make data on properties more accessible and to encourage people to use it to make better decisions about the future of their communities.

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

Vacancy and Abandonment in the City of Indianapolis, Indiana
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2016 technical assistance engagement with the City of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Local Analysis, Property Tax System

Catch or Release
An Analysis of Residential Tax-Foreclosure Conveyance in Flint, Michigan, between 2008 and 2015

This report examines and compares indicators related to tax-foreclosed residential properties in Flint, Michigan via the two existing systems: the Treasurer’s public auction and the land bank authority.

Local Analysis, Property Tax System

Detroit’s Property Tax Policies and Practices
An Opportunity for Reform

This brief calls attention to the importance of Detroit’s property tax policies and practices in the city’s overall revitalization efforts, and offers some recommended actions, and longer term considerations for improving this system.

Code Enforcement System

Raising the Bar
Linking Landlord Incentives and Regulation through Rental Licensing – A Short Guide for Local Officials

Regulating the condition and operation of rental housing is a major challenge for local governments. This report offers guidance on helping municipalities get the most out of a licensing system, improving the quality of rental management, and offering incentives to responsible landlords.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Gentrification and Neighborhood Decline in a Legacy City
Looking at Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2000-2012

Gentrification is the subject of extensive, often intense, discussion. This report focuses the conversation toward legacy cities, assessing potential gentrification alongside parallel neighborhood decline, using Milwaukee as an example.

Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

Laying the Foundation for Strong Neighborhoods in Trenton, New Jersey
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report looks at conditions and trends in the City of Trenton and its neighborhoods, and explores the strategic options available to city government and other stakeholders to address the challenges the city is facing.

Local Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

Open Space in Detroit
Key Ownership and Funding Considerations to Inform a Comprehensive Open Space Planning Process

This study was commissioned by Detroit Future City Implementation Office to examine the viability of long-term open space options identified in the Detroit Future City Strategic Framework.

Publications

Topic

Geography