The Center For Community Progress Blog

Dan Kildee, President, Center for Community Progress In May of 2005, at the conclusion of the first land bank conference we ever held, I was approached by two sweet sounding women from Arkansas. They had made the trek to my hometown of Flint to learn about how a land bank might help their hometown of…

Last week the nation took a welcome and much-needed step towards confronting some of the root causes of the foreclosure crisis that has struck cities and towns across the nation. The CFPB – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – released new regulations to ensure that “non-banks” – independent lenders, brokers, servicers, and others unaffiliated with…

Where else but Little Italy in Baltimore in 2011 could you find 20 people from across the country on a Monday night deeply engaged in dialogue about the intricacies of code enforcement systems and processes? And who would sponsor such a gathering if not the Center for Community Progress? “Turning Vacant Spaces into Vibrant Places”…

As policy analysts and pundits unpack President Obama’s Thursday address on jobs and the economy, Eric Scorsone of Michigan State University reminds us in Community Progress’ latest blog entry that the fiscal health of our cities is a core driver of the larger economic health of their regions. He argues that comprehensive strategies to address…

Back in March, a team of municipal and community leaders from New Jersey were fortunate enough to participate in Community Progress’ Leadership Institute in Cambridge. While representatives from Jersey City, Orange, Irvington, Newark, and Millville were able to take part in this great learning experience, there was also tremendous interest from leaders from a number…

“In the past, local governments and private entities have mostly dealt with vacant property on a case-by-case, deal-by-deal basis. But with thousands of properties vacant in a single community or region, that process is not efficient enough to process property in a timely fashion and either return it to productive use or minimize its negative…

With legislation on land banks, code enforcement, and other means of grappling with foreclosures and abandoned property in play in a half-dozen states, we want to make certain that the successes and challenges that advocates are finding can be shared. What follows is a highly informative piece by Jaimye Bartak, who has been working with…

Definition of blorft: An adjective made up by the actress, author, producer, Renaissance woman, Tina Fey, meaning “completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.” Only a few weeks on the job here at the Center for Community Progress and I am constantly…

As fallout from the mortgage foreclosure crisis continues to weaken even the nation’s strongest and steadiest housing markets  – economically diversified cities like Dallas and Denver – it’s time for a new perspective on what those falling home prices mean for all of us … and what we should do about them. It’s easy to…

   By Patrick Morrissy “Comprehensive and successful community stabilization is a goal that eludes most of us – especially in the wake of the foreclosure crisis and in a down housing market – but one organization knows how to do it really well.” Kind words from Patrick Morrissy, Executive Director of HANDS Inc. We always…