Vacant Land Elements Examples

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Vacant land stewardship requires four fundamental elements: knowing your community’s context, having clear goals and plans, committing to collaboration, and enacting facilitative policies. These four elements will look different in every community, but they are all critical components of implementing successful vacant land stewardship. To learn more about these elements and discover some next steps for your community's learning journey, explore the element examples below.

Element Type

Organization

The Groundwork New Orleans Green Infrastructure Map showing 902 green infrastructure features and 10,213 trees planted across the city, with a legend breaking down feature types including rain gardens, permeable pavement, rain barrels, and bioswales.
Collaboration, Context
New Orleans Green Infrastructure Map
Groundwork USA

The New Orleans Green Infrastructure Map is an ArcGIS map, created in partnership with Groundwork USA, Groundwork New Orleans and several community partners, seeks to document the various greening initiatives across the city of New Orleans.

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A program overview graphic describing community garden leader mini-grants and technical support services offered by GROW to 17 garden projects in Warren and surrounding communities, with photos of a gardener tending crops and fresh-cut flowers.
Collaboration
The Garden Resources of Warren (GROW) Program
Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership

The Garden Resources of Warren (GROW) Program provides technical support leadership development, and educational programming for Warren’s community gardens and operates the Warren Farmer’s Market. Operated by the Trumbull Neighborhood Partneship,

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Six people in hard hats pose with shovels at a groundbreaking ceremony on a residential lot, with mounds of fresh dirt in front of them.
Collaboration, Plans
Washington Heights Land Re-Use Strategy
Calhoun Land Bank Authority

Led by the Calhoun County Land Bank Authority the Washington Heights Land Re-Use Strategy seeks to revitalize the Neighborhood Planning Council 2 (NPC2) area of Battle Creek, Michigan. Led by the Calhoun County Land Bank Authority

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A screenshot of the National Zoning Atlas interactive map tool showing zoning data across the western and central United States, with color-coded jurisdictions and options to filter and view layers.
Collaboration, Context
National Zoning Atlas
Cornell University Legal Constructs Lab

The National Zoning Atlas enables users to visualize the prevalence and nature of regulatory constraints, particularly on housing. The Zoning Atlas is an important tool to help people understand what their local zoning codes say; compare codes across jurisdictions, illuminate regional and statewide trends, and strengthen national planning for housing production, transportation infrastructure, and climate response.

Read More »
A promotional graphic for the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation's Vacant Property Task Force, featuring the organization's logo over a photo of a well-maintained colonial-style brick home.
Collaboration
Vacant Property Task Force
Grandmont Rosedal Development Corporation

The Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation (GRDC)’s Vacant Property Task Force is a resident-led initiative to target and prevent blight and vacancy in the five neighborhoods GRDC serves. Working closely with resident volunteers, the task force monitors vacant homes with the goal of ensuring that every property is properly maintained.

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he Baltimore Environmental Equity Partnership logo featuring illustrated row houses and a tree, framed by aerial photos of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and waterways.
Collaboration
Baltimore Environmental Equity Partnership
Baltimore Environmental Equity Partnership (BEEP)

Baltimore Environmental Equity Partners (BEEP) aims to foster cross-sector collaboration to improve community and environmental well-being and sustainability in neighborhoods of East Baltimore. BEEP is comprised of nonprofit and government organizations working on community development, community organizing, environmental and health advocacy, and social justice.

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A screenshot of the Allegheny Green Web interactive website, describing a collaborative initiative among 20+ nonprofits to connect parks, open spaces, and trails throughout Allegheny County, with an aerial photo of rolling green farmland and hills.
Collaboration, Plans
Allegheny Green Web Collaboration
Allegheny Green Web Collaboration

The Allegheny Green Web Collaboration is a network of more than 20 nonprofit recreation and conservation organizations with a vision for connected parks, open spaces, and trails throughout Allegheny County to enhance the quality of people’s daily lives, promote healthy living, and encourage increased engagement with nature. The collaboration manages a website providing an interactive narrative of their efforts.

Read More »
Cover of the East Trenton Neighborhood Brownfields Area-Wide Plan, Summer 2020, featuring a rendering of a covered skate park and recreation area with community members skating and biking, published by the East Trenton Collaborative, Isles, the City of Trenton, and the EPA.
Collaboration, Plans
East Trenton Brownfields Area-Wide Plan
East Trenton Collaborative

The East Trenton Neighborhood (ETN) Brownfields Area-Wide Plan provides site-specific recommendations for 12 brownfield sites with an emphasis on two catalyst sites that have the greatest likelihood of development and impact. Cities dealing with high rates of vacant land and contamination may find this plan helpful in understanding the opportunities and challenges of putting properties back into productive use in a safe and healthy way.

Read More »
Screenshot of the Restoring Trenton vacant property and crime dashboard, showing an interactive map of Trenton, New Jersey with filters for property type and condition, tax lien data by owner, and summary statistics including 10% vacant buildings, 330.4 acres of vacant lots, and 515.7 acres of parks and open space.
Collaboration, Context
Restoring Trenton Vacancy Map
Trenton Neighborhood Restoration Campaign

In 2014, the Trenton Neighborhood Restoration Campaign (TNRC) organized the first truly comprehensive, parcel-level survey of all the vacant properties in Trenton — mapped, published, and updated on this interactive website. The TNRC also organized residents and local groups to draw attention to the problems caused by vacant and abandoned properties.

Read More »
Promotional graphic for the PGH Mobile Toolbox from Grounded Pittsburgh, featuring a teal-tinted photo of a decorated trailer with garden tools and supplies spread out on a lawn next to a branded pickup truck.
Collaboration
PGH Mobile Toolbox
Grounded Strategies

The PGH Mobile Toolbox is a library of landscaping tools available for free to resident groups and community organizations in Allegheny County to use in the care and stewardship of vacant land and community green spaces.

Read More »
Collaboration, Context
New Orleans Green Infrastructure Map
Groundwork USA

The New Orleans Green Infrastructure Map is an ArcGIS map, created in partnership with Groundwork USA, Groundwork New Orleans and several community partners, seeks to document the various greening initiatives across the city of New Orleans.

Read More »
Collaboration
The Garden Resources of Warren (GROW) Program
Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership

The Garden Resources of Warren (GROW) Program provides technical support leadership development, and educational programming for Warren’s community gardens and operates the Warren Farmer’s Market. Operated by the Trumbull Neighborhood Partneship,

Read More »
Collaboration, Plans
Washington Heights Land Re-Use Strategy
Calhoun Land Bank Authority

Led by the Calhoun County Land Bank Authority the Washington Heights Land Re-Use Strategy seeks to revitalize the Neighborhood Planning Council 2 (NPC2) area of Battle Creek, Michigan. Led by the Calhoun County Land Bank Authority

Read More »
Collaboration, Context
National Zoning Atlas
Cornell University Legal Constructs Lab

The National Zoning Atlas enables users to visualize the prevalence and nature of regulatory constraints, particularly on housing. The Zoning Atlas is an important tool to help people understand what their local zoning codes say; compare codes across jurisdictions, illuminate regional and statewide trends, and strengthen national planning for housing production, transportation infrastructure, and climate response.

Read More »
Collaboration
Vacant Property Task Force
Grandmont Rosedal Development Corporation

The Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation (GRDC)’s Vacant Property Task Force is a resident-led initiative to target and prevent blight and vacancy in the five neighborhoods GRDC serves. Working closely with resident volunteers, the task force monitors vacant homes with the goal of ensuring that every property is properly maintained.

Read More »
Collaboration
Baltimore Environmental Equity Partnership
Baltimore Environmental Equity Partnership (BEEP)

Baltimore Environmental Equity Partners (BEEP) aims to foster cross-sector collaboration to improve community and environmental well-being and sustainability in neighborhoods of East Baltimore. BEEP is comprised of nonprofit and government organizations working on community development, community organizing, environmental and health advocacy, and social justice.

Read More »
Collaboration, Plans
Allegheny Green Web Collaboration
Allegheny Green Web Collaboration

The Allegheny Green Web Collaboration is a network of more than 20 nonprofit recreation and conservation organizations with a vision for connected parks, open spaces, and trails throughout Allegheny County to enhance the quality of people’s daily lives, promote healthy living, and encourage increased engagement with nature. The collaboration manages a website providing an interactive narrative of their efforts.

Read More »
Collaboration, Plans
East Trenton Brownfields Area-Wide Plan
East Trenton Collaborative

The East Trenton Neighborhood (ETN) Brownfields Area-Wide Plan provides site-specific recommendations for 12 brownfield sites with an emphasis on two catalyst sites that have the greatest likelihood of development and impact. Cities dealing with high rates of vacant land and contamination may find this plan helpful in understanding the opportunities and challenges of putting properties back into productive use in a safe and healthy way.

Read More »
Collaboration, Context
Restoring Trenton Vacancy Map
Trenton Neighborhood Restoration Campaign

In 2014, the Trenton Neighborhood Restoration Campaign (TNRC) organized the first truly comprehensive, parcel-level survey of all the vacant properties in Trenton — mapped, published, and updated on this interactive website. The TNRC also organized residents and local groups to draw attention to the problems caused by vacant and abandoned properties.

Read More »
Collaboration
PGH Mobile Toolbox
Grounded Strategies

The PGH Mobile Toolbox is a library of landscaping tools available for free to resident groups and community organizations in Allegheny County to use in the care and stewardship of vacant land and community green spaces.

Read More »