Blight
Planting Parks to Remedy Blight
"Redfields to Greenfields," a project currently being developed at Georgia Tech in partnership with City Parks Alliance advocacy group, would convert empty commercial sites into parks, writes Nate Berg for The Atlantic Cities.
The Atlantic Cities
Slumlords Summoned to "Blight Court"
For years, absentee owners of Philadelphia eyesores avoided penalties from Licenses and Inspections, often because citations and warnings were sent to vacant properties. Now, commissioner Fran Burns can summon those owners back to the city.
Philadelphia Daily News
Dilapidated Properties and Delinquent Taxes Plague Philadelphia
Delinquent properties are scattered throughout Philadelphia, and they collectively owe nearly $500 million in taxes. This is a major problem for the city, and new legislation is hoping to tackle it.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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.
El Paso Times
Trying To Reclaim and Reuse Abandoned Land in Philadelphia
Community groups in Philadelphia are trying to remake blighted vacant properties into community gardens and neighborhood amenities.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Funds to Demolish Abandoned Buildings Grow
The city of Youngstown, Ohio, is heavily reliant on funding from grants and outside sources to help pay for the clearing of abandoned properties. Those funds have grown since last year.
Vindy
Redevelopment Agencies' Debt Overshadows Revenue
California's redevelopment agencies have almost as much if not more debt than what they pull in from tax revenues, according to this investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal
Fighting Blight in the Bronx
A New York man who has watched a Bronx neighborhood fall into despair over decades is hoping to help un-blight the troubled area.
The New York Times
Quantifying the Impact of Abandoned Properties in Philly
A new study suggests that Philadelphia's 40,000 vacant buildings reduce home values by as much as $8,000 and cost the city $20 million per year in maintenance.
Philadelphia Daily News
Transit Transformation in New Orleans
Jonna McKone asks, "How can transportation and urban development—from housing to public spaces to landscaping—repair a blighted American city?"
TheCityFix
Humongous Tree Irks Neighbors
The front yard of a home in suburban Plymouth, England is completely enveloped by a leylandii tree. Neighbors say it's an eyesore, the owner says he's being unfairly targeted.
The Guardian U.K.
Blight Camouflage?
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the city has begun covering the broken windows and doors of abandoned homes with plywood painted to look like functioning doors and windows as part of a program to fight blight.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Kelo Redux: Struggling Malls
The eminent domain case of Kelo vs. New London is seeing new relevance in cities across the country, as empty malls are being classified by locals as blight.
Retail Traffic
When Does a Failing Mall Become "Blighted"?
In Westminster, Colorado, the city's economic development department is attempting to have the Westminster Mall blighted and thus up for seizing through eminent domain.
Retail Traffic Magazine
Redefining Blight
From New London to the Atlantic Yards, the last month has seen a flood of news around the issue of eminent domain. Diana Lind wonders if we need a new definition of 'blighted.'
Next American City
Blight into Beauty in San Francisco
At a time when developers are having trouble getting loans to build, San Francisco is taking steps to improve empty lots with art, retail, and other temporary investments in neighborhood vitality until construction can resume.
San Francisco Chronicle
A Little Too Tough on Blight?
The City of Chula Vista has a highly successful anti-blight ordinance- so successful that some critics say they may actually be delaying the recovery of the local real estate market.
San Diego Union-Tribune
Friday Funny: Elected to the House, But Abandoned Her Own
Congresswoman Laura Richardson has gotten on the nerves of her Sacramento neighbors, mainly because she's never around. As a result, her home has gone untended and turned into a blight on the neighborhood.
Los Angeles Times
Whither Vacant Buildings?
Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, are searching for ways to deal with buildings left vacant by businesses struggling during the recession. Other cities and the state of Texas are also addressing the issue.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
The Planetizen News Brief - 3/19/09
4:15 minutes (3.9 MB)
Florida cans growth management, floundering retail leaves cities high and dry, and advertising takes over public spaces -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
www.flickr.com
|
