Memphis hopes its coordinated action plan on blight can be a model for cities nationwide.
In May, community institutions in Memphis will host a two-day intensive "academy" on strategies to reduce blight for housing and code enforcement officials from around the country. The summit will share progress made since city leaders and organizations adopted a Blight Elimination Charter—the first in the nation—in 2016.
"At least 9,500 single-family houses, 4,500 apartment units, and thousands of vacant lots in the city are blighted," writes Urban Institute fellow Joseph Schilling in How Housing Matters. The city's action plan centers on bringing these properties up to code, and is organized around four basic principles: data and information, community partnerships, code enforcement, and a "reclamation, reuse, and revitalization" approach.
One product of the plan to date is the Memphis Property Hub, an inventory of blighted properties in the city that includes data from multiple public sources on the properties' location, ownership, and economic impact. In 2015, Memphis launched a program that offers credits to residents for maintaining vacant properties, which can be applied to their purchase.
FULL STORY: Memphis Expands Its Coordinated Campaign Against Blight
Memphis Vehicle Fee Would Help Fund Transit
The proposed fee on households with multiple vehicles would generate $9 million to improve the region’s transit system.
Multi-Car Owners May Pay Sustainability Fee to Fund Memphis Area Transit
Called a 'sustainability fee' by Mayor Lee Harris of Shelby County, the proposed fee would apply only to households that have three or more registered vehicles, about 17 percent of county residents. The first two vehicles would be exempt.
Memphis Tells Residents: If You Mow It You Can Own It
Residents who put in the effort of maintaining vacant property will have their hard work rewarded and will be offered the opportunity to purchase the property.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
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.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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