Vacant Home Tour changes the conversation around vacancy in Wilkinsburg

A creative new project in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, is all about changing the conversation around vacancy and abandonment in the community. In its second year, the Vacant Home Tour tells the story behind several vacant homes and businesses, reminding visitors of the rich history of the neighborhood, and inviting participants to view properties as opportunities instead…

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#LoveThatLot: A Valentine’s celebration for neighborhood revitalization champions in Baltimore

This year, as part of our Valentine’s Day #LoveThatLot campaign, we were lucky to have the chance to visit a revitalized vacant lot in Baltimore’s Barclay neighborhood and bring some much-deserved attention to the work of the amazing community members who helped transform the space. Though it was freezing cold, staff from Community Progress, Community…

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Vacant industrial spaces are reborn to support a new age of small-scale manufacturing

There’s a myth surrounding post-industrial economies, Dan Kinkead, acting executive director of Detroit Future City, shares in conversation about the rebirth of small-scale manufacturing in his hometown of Detroit. “The myth is that we need to build new economies around technology and innovation completely divorced from industry,” said Kinkead. “But industry is actually evolving and…

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#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions

All across the country, dedicated leaders are working day and night to combat vacancy and transform their communities. From the scrappy grassroots organizers to the forward-thinking public servants to the national thought leaders, together we are building a movement united in the fight against blight. That’s why, over the last few weeks leading up to the…

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#LotsofThanks: Recognizing revitalization champions!

Last February, we decided to run a Valentine’s Day campaign we called #LoveThatLot, asking you to use the hashtag to share photos of formerly vacant lots that have been transformed into “something downright lovable.” The response was amazing! People shared photos of revitalized vacant spaces from all across the country, and across the world. These…

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Inequality in America’s housing: 5 findings from the State of the Nation’s Housing Report

The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University recently released its annual State of the Nation’s Housing report. The report takes a sweeping look at housing trends in America, finding an increasingly competitive rental market and falling homeownership numbers. The report also provides compelling data depicting the sober reality of social and racial inequality in our nation’s housing.…

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Dollars and sense: The search for sustainable land bank funding

Frank Alexander, in his newly released second edition of Land Banks and Land Banking, talks about well-run land banks as nimble, flexible tools. No two land banks are exactly the same, as each is adapted to its own particular local conditions. If there is one common challenge that binds together nearly all of the estimated 120 land banks nationwide, however, it would probably be…

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