Blight
Cook County Land Bank Expands Vacancy Program, Offers 4,400 Lots for Sale
The vacant lot program at the Cook County Land Bank Authority recently kicked into high gear—offering a huge number of vacant lots for sale, located around 27 neighborhoods and suburbs in the Chicago region.
Don't Forget to #LoveThatLot This Valentine's Day
What better way to show you love for your community than by transforming its underused spaces into gathering areas for activities and fun?
Myths and Realities About Cycles: Avoiding the Inevitability Trap
When we start to liken housing and neighborhood cycles to the kinds of predictable, unstoppable cycles found in nature, we may find ourselves in a dangerous trap.
The External Costs of Vacant Homes
It might seem obvious that vacant homes attract crime and other noxious elements to surrounding properties, but researchers are still working to quantify those external costs.
Philadelphia Goes High-Tech to Monitor Vacant Properties
The city of Philadelphia has deployed high-tech sensors and a new statistical model in its ongoing fight against the blight and health problems that follow vacant and abandoned properties.
New Ohio Law Fast Tracks Foreclosures for Vacant Properties
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland provides an early assessment of a new foreclosure law in Ohio designed to help reduce vacant and blighted properties in the state.
D.C. Raises Taxes on Vacant and Blighted Properties
It got more expensive to neglect properties in Washington, D.C. this week.
Reno, Throwing Away Benches to be 'Business Friendly'
Reno's blight initiative drew criticism when it removed 68 benches from a park it was renovating.
The Blight-Busting Tactic That Pays Huge Dividends for Real Estate Values
Neighborhoods achieve significantly more improvements by rehabilitating vacant rowhouses than by introducing new construction.
Military Veterans Deploy to Detroit to Take on Blight-Busting Volunteer Work
A volunteer organization called The Mission Continues connects veterans with volunteer work around the country. The healing power of their efforts goes both ways.
St. Louis Puts Renewed Effort Into Vacant Properties
St. Louis Public Radio explains the various efforts of the St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority.
Mapping Tool Enables Housing Action in Detroit and Beyond
A web tool that helped Detroit develop a housing plan may ultimately provide public data on every parcel in the country.
'Vacant Home Tour' Reimagines Blight
It's not your typical walking tour: A resident-led project in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania explores the history of a community through its blighted properties.
Federal Agencies Investigating the Rising Costs of Detroit's Blight Program
Detroit's aggressive blight reduction strategy, to demolish vacant homes by the thousands, is coming under scrutiny for rising costs. The FBI and the U.S. Inspector General are investigating.
Fresno's Troubled Housing History
The crisis facing many Fresno renters is nothing new. A history of housing in the city shows how, since the late 19th century, poor housing conditions have been "ingrained in Fresno's culture."
A New 'Learning Garden' for Detroit's Osborn Neighborhood
A new garden has opened in Detroit's Osborn neighborhood. It's described as the city's first outdoor learning garden.
Two Rustbelt Cities Take Similar Tacks to Future Planning
Erie, Pennsylvania and Canton, Ohio have faced the challenges of shrinking populations and fewer job prospects, but new comprehensive plans in each city may provide a pathway to resurgence
Expecting Investment, Reno Targets Blighted Properties
As a nascent tech economy tests the waters, Reno's Vice Mayor spearheads an effort to equitably clear out blight and revisit the purpose of the city's downtown.
Evansville, Indiana Looking to Land Bank to Solve Blight Problem
The city of Evansville will consider in the coming weeks a proposal to empower its land bank to take title and demolish roughly 200 properties. A recent report paid for by the city only bolsters the argument in favor of the action.
Treasury Department Announces $1 Billion for 'Hardest Hit Fund'
A $1 billion funding allocation from the Treasury Department to the Hardest Hit Fund is the fifth since 2010.
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
