Abandoned Buildings

Dealing With Vacant Mansions in London

In a posh borough of London, empty homes are causing problems for officials, who are tasked with finding the owners of these vacant or abandoned mansions.

17 July 2009 - 10:00am

The Wall Street Journal

The Planetizen News Brief - 7/16/09

4:30 minutes (4.13 MB)

L.A. uses park lights to fight crime, New Orleans debates tearing down a freeway, and New York turns abandoned homes to affordable housing -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.

16 July 2009 - 9:00am

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A Look Inside the Busted Building Market

This slideshow from The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the abandoned and stalled buildings form around the country that epitomize the bust of the building market.

7 July 2009 - 9:00am

The New York Times Magazine

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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.

12 June 2009 - 2:00pm

Los Angeles Times

One in Nine U.S. Homes Empty

Empty homes are littered in cities across the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of every nine U.S. homes is unoccupied.

13 April 2009 - 8:00am

USA Today

What Can Cities Do About 'Property Outlaws'?

More homeless people are squatting in abandoned suburban housing. Eduardo M. Peñalver, co-author of the forthcoming book "Property Outlaws" thinks cities should acquire these properties and allow the former owners to live in them as renters.

27 March 2009 - 9:00am

Slate.com

Rebirth Through Art in Abandoned Detroit

This piece from NPR looks at what artists are doing in Detroit to snatch up abandoned homes and convert them into community centers and art spaces.

24 March 2009 - 11:00am

NPR

On the Ground, In the Heart of the Foreclosure Crisis

This video from KCET takes a look inside one of the formerly fastest-growing parts of the country as it grapples with a flood of foreclosures and abandoned properties.

6 October 2008 - 7:00am

KCET

Urban Explorers Venture into the Abandoned and Unknown

A growing group of people in Britain have taken to breaking into abandoned buildings and facilities. But they're not breaking in to steal things, or to squat. They just want to check the places out, which they call "urban exploring".

5 October 2008 - 9:00am

The Independent