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 of the Kalamazoo County Land Bank's 30 for 2030 Strategic Plan for 2026–2030, subtitled Creating a Vibrant Kalamazoo County for All, featuring a twilight photo of a downtown waterway with city buildings and a construction crane reflected in the water.

Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

30 for (20)30
Kalamazoo County Land Bank 2026–2030 Strategic Plan

Executive Summary Since 2010, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority (KCLBA) has worked to address vacant, abandoned, deteriorated, and tax-foreclosed properties in the city of Kalamazoo and…

Cover of the report "Breaking Barriers for Under-Resourced Developers: Insights and Recommendations for Developers, Philanthropists, Land Banks, and Other Stakeholders" published by the Center for Community Progress in March 2026.

Community Revitalization, Land Banks, State & Local Analysis

Breaking Barriers for Under-Resourced Developers
Insights and Recommendations for Developers, Philanthropists, Land Banks, and Other Stakeholders

The challenges under-resourced affordable housing developments face and how key partners can support them.

Report cover of the Chesapeake Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan by Community Progress.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Chesapeake Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan
Building on a Strong Foundation for the Next Stage of Growth

Community Progress worked with the Chesapeake Land Bank Authority to develop an ambitious strategic plan for the next five years.

Cover image of the "2025 State of Land Banking Survey Snapshot" by Community Progress.

Land Banks

2025 State of Land Banking Survey Snapshot
Key Takeaways

This one-pager of our 2025 State of Land Banking summarizes survey results.

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.

Cover image of Next Five: the 2025-2030 strategic plan of the Detroit Land Bank Authority

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.

Cover of a Center for Community Progress report titled Recommendations for the Hopkinsville and Christian County Landbank Authority: Addressing Vacant and Abandoned Properties through Code Lien Foreclosure, with an orange and white geometric design.

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.

Cover a Community Progress report titled "Land Banks and Brownfield Redevelopment: Emerging Practices and Practical Considerations" published January 2025

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.

Cover of a January 2025 Center for Community Progress report titled Land Banks and Brownfields: Case Studies — Examples of Brownfield Redevelopment from Three Land Banks, featuring a photo of large industrial smokestacks at a former industrial site.

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, State & Local Analysis

Resource Guide for Georgia Land Banks
An A-to-Z Toolkit of Sample Documents

The 2022 Resource Guide for Georgia Land Banks is designed to provide new and updated documents for land bank leaders as their operations mature and become more complex. The 2013 manual templates and example documents have proven to be essential tools for community leaders seeking to create land banks under…

Land Banks, Property Tax System, State & Local Analysis

The Scale and Cost of Blight in Michigan
A One-Page Brief

This one-page explainer provides an overview of what it would cost to tackle all of Michigan’s vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties.

Land Banks, Local Analysis

Progress Points: Michigan Land Banks
A Brief Primer

This one-page explainer provides an overview of land banks and their impact in Michigan.

Land Banks

Progress Points: Demonstrating the Positive Impacts of Land Banks
A Brief Primer

Download a one-page explainer on how land banks provide positive impact on the communities they serve.

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, COVID-19, Code Enforcement System, 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.

Publications

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