Abandoned factories litter the landscapes of cities and towns throughout the Rust Belt. A new paper proposes an innovative solution to help prevent vacant buildings from plaguing a community before a building is ever constructed.
"Buildings crumble much less easily than the companies inside them do. And because of this reality, whole communities, particularly in the industrial Midwest, are littered with ghostly manufacturing plants that once produced automobiles, or the parts that went into them, or the components of those parts," writes Emily Badger.
Many communities have been successful in utilizing tax credits, grants, and private investment to reuse these legacy assets, but Rex LaMore and Michelle LeBlanc, at Michigan State University, have proposed [PDF] a solution that would use property insurance to "force companies to financially plan for a property's end-game" from the start.
"LaMore envisions that an entirely new industry could form around commercial property insurance and deconstruction, with some interesting consequences," adds Badger. "Insurers would be motivated to keep close tabs on the condition of properties and what goes on inside of them. Irresponsible companies and the dirty industries most likely to leave a mess at the end of the day would have higher insurance premiums. The whole system, LaMore suggests, might even prompt the development of new building techniques or materials that leave a lighter footprint on the land."
FULL STORY: A Remarkably Simple Idea to End the Cycle of Abandoned Factories
Reining in Rising Property Insurance Rates
There are many proposed ways to mitigate the property insurance cost crisis. They all require action from federal or state governments.
Commentary: We Need to Build for Disaster, Not Simply Focus on Recovery
As the frequency and severity of weather events increases, building codes need to be adjusted to include resilience principles.
Pennsylvania Law Removes Obstacles to Blight Reduction
“We don’t need every old coal miner’s house” to stay standing, says Sen. David Argall (R-Schuylkill).
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research