Abandoned Homes
Japan Offers Up Free Abandoned Houses
Due to an aging populace, lackluster construction quality, and other factors, Japan is facing a glut of abandoned homes. For those with the ability to live there, these homes can be had for next to nothing.
Managing Abandoned Homes in North Braddock
The usual litany of Rust Belt woes hit North Braddock, Pennsylvania particularly hard. The Pittsburgh suburb has shed two-thirds of its population and is burdened with 350 abandoned properties.
Vacant Properties Persist in Cuyahoga County—and Not Just in Cleveland
Cleveland.com provides in-depth analysis of the ongoing challenge to account for and improve the large number of vacant properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
How Risky Lending Hollowed Out Detroit
Over one half of Detroit's foreclosed homes are blighted or abandoned. Buyers who purchased the homes for as little as $1 have little incentive to keep them in good shape—or pay taxes.
New Jersey Communities Build Coalition to Track Abandoned Properties
The residents of Camden County in New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, banded together to catalog the abandoned properties in their neighborhoods, where the problem of abandoned, or "zombie" properties, is growing.
After the Drug War: Ciudad Juárez Working to Attract Visitors
The murder rate in Ciudad Juárez is in sharp decline: from 3,075 in 2010 to 487 in 2013. Juárez officials are launching initiatives to revitalize the city and attract visitors from across the border in Texas and New Mexico.
Ohio Makes it Easier to Fight Blight
Ohio has been one of the hardest hit states by the recent wave of foreclosures, with filings continuing to rise. Susie Cagle looks at the variety of state and local policies and programs arming communities with new tools to fight blight.
Baltimore's Strategic Ignorance of Its Abandoned Homes
Yepoka Yeebo reports on Baltimore's newest plan to deal with the tens of thousands of abandoned houses that mar the city.
Drug War Leaves Wake of Empty Homes
The border city of Juarez, Mexico, has been a flashpoint in the drug-fueled violence that has plagued many parts of Mexico. Recent figures show that nearly 25% of the homes there have been abandoned.
A Photographic Tour of a Foreclosure Hotbed
Modesto, California has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the U.S. This collection of photography documents the city's abandoned homes.
Derelict Detroit Home Used as Architecture Studio Project
Five young architects have taken over a derelict home in Detroit and are using it as a full-scale studio for new design ideas.
The De-Evolution of a Suburban Gated Community
Inside this gated community in the L.A. suburb of Hemet, the recession is taking a tough toll and making life difficult for the families that had moved there for quiet calm.
Detroit Mayor Makes Big Plans in State of City Speech
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recently delivered his first "state of the city" speech since taking office, and included a broad list of proposals that could bring about a widespread revisioning of the struggling city.
Tough Times in Detroit, But Some Hope Remains
One in five Detroit homes is in foreclosure and asking prices are dropping to extreme lows. Many in the city question what lies in the future for the struggling city.
Detroit's $20 Million Demolition Plan
The city of Detroit has enough money to tear down between one-quarter and one-third of the city's 10,000 abandoned houses.
The Feral Houses of Detroit
Plant life is taking over the abandoned houses of Detroit. These photos from James D. Griffioen offer a tour.
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 Santa Clarita
Ascent Environmental
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
