In Mobile, an Institutional Revamp to Tackle Blight

Mobile, Alabama, has changed the way it deals with blight, and the results have been substantial.

2 minute read

June 17, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By Camille Fink


Vacant Home, Cleveland

Ed Kohler / Flickr

Hana Schank explores the legal and policy changes in Mobile, Alabama, that have helped the city turn around a blight problem that was consuming neighborhoods, exacerbating segregation, and hindering economic development.

The city's innovation team, a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, and a mayor who made blight a priority have been instrumental in altering how blight is defined, identified, and addressed as well as the legal underpinnings related to ownership of properties.

The innovation team started identifying "blight zones," instead of individual structures, and developed an index that has helped the city’s blight task force more effectively pinpoint properties where action is needed. The city also stopped issuing fines and instead started giving owners the opportunity to make repairs. If they failed to do so, the city would take on the task and then place a lien on the property for the costs.

Schank details the history of the onerous state property laws that made it difficult for the city to get new owners into repaired homes. "Last year, prompted in large part by the Mobile innovation team’s work, the Alabama state house passed HB430, which allows cities to use municipal liens, rather than tax delinquency, to claim ownership of a property."

The number of blighted properties in Mobile has dropped by almost half in four years, says Schank. "This is the story of how one city reduced blight, but it is also the story of what happens when cities think differently about how to solve their problems, when politicians are willing to embrace policies that might not line up with the party line, when city workers look beyond band-aid solutions."

Monday, June 10, 2019 in Fast Company

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today