'Extremely Blighted' Designation Spurs Investment in Nebraska Cities

Neighborhoods in Nebraska, located in areas already deemed blighted, will receive priority funding and homebuyer tax credits from the state.

1 minute read

December 28, 2019, 11:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


Omaha Nebraska

OmahaUSACE / Flickr

The term "blight" and the designation of blighted areas are part of a long history rooted in racist urban policies, writes Jared Brey. "But in Nebraska, some cities are taking advantage of a change in state law that doubles down on the term, hoping it will help generate economic development and new affordable housing in areas that need it the most."

Last year the state started recognizing "extremely blighted" areas in neighborhoods already deemed blighted, with very high poverty and unemployment levels. "A bill approved by the legislature this spring gives priority to extremely blighted areas in applications for funding from the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund," says Brey.

Brey considers in more depth the implications of equating blight with disinvestment and urban renewal policies that decimated neighborhoods, many of which were communities of color. But advocates of the state legislation in Nebraska say it is a way to draw investment back into those communities and help residents build wealth through homeownership.

Thursday, December 12, 2019 in Next City

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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

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.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder