The Center For Community Progress Blog

“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…

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…

As Director of Community Progress’ New Orleans Vacant Properties Initiative, I am particularly thrilled to announce the location of our fourth national Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in 2012. It’s New Orleans! The theme for next year’s conference is “Remaking America for the 21st Century.” New Orleans, of course, is a perfect setting in which to…

As evidenced in the recent census, the Syracuse, New York region is turning a corner on investment, development and growth.  While these trends suggest a bright future, decades of population loss and economic turmoil have left a resurgent Syracuse area with many legacy issues to wrestle with, most notably, vacant property. Nearly 2,000 unoccupied and…

Once again demonstrating its leadership in urban land reform, the state of Georgia stands ready to consider modernizing and strengthening the land bank statutes already in place. While land banks are already being used by communities around the state to help deal with vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties, a new piece of legislation, Senate Bill…

I’ll happily take any opportunity to tout the success of The Muskegon County Land Bank Authority.  After all, we’ve sold 54 properties altogether, including a healthy mix of “old” properties that had been held for some time, “new” dwellings that required only clean-up or minor rehab, and, in the county’s outlying townships, several vacant side…