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.

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.

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: Step by Step
A Brief Overview

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

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…

Land Banks

Progress Points: Land Banks and Community Land Trusts
A Brief Primer

Download a one-page explainer on what land banks and community land trusts are, the differences, and how they can provide lasting housing affordability.

Land Banks

Progress Points: Land Banks
A Brief Primer

Download a one-page explainer on what land banks are, and why they’re important.

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Land Banks and Community Land Trusts
Partnering to Provide Equitable Housing Opportunities Now and for Future Generations

In this report, you’ll learn about the key differences between land banks and community land trusts, and how together they have the potential to help reverse the trajectory of disinvestment to unlock a pipeline of vacant and deteriorated homes to quality, affordable housing for generations.

ARPA, Code Enforcement System, COVID-19, Land Banks, Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets, Property Tax System, State & Local Analysis, Vacant Land Stewardship

Tackling Vacancy and Abandonment
Strategies and Impacts after the Great Recession

Ten years on from the Great Recession, we take stock of lessons learned from that crisis and how they might be applied to future challenges. This edited volume, jointly produced by Community Progress and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Cleveland, contains twelve articles by national experts in the field of neighborhood revitalization.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Spokane, Washington
Preliminary Analysis of Land Banking and other tools to Address Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Create a Pipeline for Affordable Housing

Community Progress produced this report following a technical assistance engagement with Spokane, Washington to explore whether a land bank is the right tool to turn vacant property inventory into affordable housing.

Land Banks, Local Analysis, Parcel Data & Neighborhood Markets

BAM: In Partnership, In Action
A Flexible Action Plan for the Next Three Years

Community Progress provided technical support in the development of this action plan for the Blight Authority of Memphis, to help BAM play a meaningful role in the local fight against vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties.

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

An Assessment of Land Banking and other Tools to Transform VAD Properties into Affordable Housing in Prince George’s County, Maryland
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

Community Progress produced this report following a technical assistance engagement with Prince George’s County, Maryland to explore whether a land bank could be leveraged to support local affordable housing goals.

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

Exploring Equitable, Effective, and Efficient Solutions to Vacancy and Abandonment in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
A Community Progress Technical Assistance Report

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2019 technical assistance engagement with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina to help local officials and their partners better understand the systemic causes of and solutions to problem properties.

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Progress in Community, Excellence in Diversity
A Georgia Association of Land Bank Authorities Publication

This report introduces stakeholders to the wide diversity of Georgia land banks and lifts up the potential of Georgia land banks to achieve larger scale outcomes—the impact of which could benefit the work of housing authorities, community development organizations, neighborhood associations, and more.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Strengthening the Houston Land Bank
New Legislative Authority to Support Expanded Neighborhood Priorities and Resiliency in Houston

This report shares the findings of Community Progress’ 2017 technical assistance engagement with the Houston Land Bank to support the development of legislation and policy tools that would allow the land bank to ore flexibly address the local needs for land, particularly post-Hurricane Harvey.

Publications

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Geography