Newark Kicks Off $1 Home Sale Program

The city sold seven properties as part of an effort to revive blighted sites and encourage housing production.

1 minute read

March 5, 2024, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of mid-density neighborhod in Newark, New Jersey.

LT / ad

The city of Newark sold seven blighted or vacant properties for $1 each in a lottery aimed at supporting their rehabilitation, reports Gaby Galvin in Smart Cities Dive. According to Galvin, “Mayor Ras Baraka bills the $1-home program, which targets low- and moderate-income residents, as a way to close wealth gaps and prevent corporate investors from buying up homes and hiking up the rent.”

Buyers will have access to a low-interest mortgage to fund repairs or construction. The properties include vacant lots, single-family homes, and multifamily buildings. “Buyers can’t be current homeowners, they must have lived in Newark for at least five consecutive years — or have been recently displaced by gentrification — and they must live in the purchased home for at least 10 years.”

The program is meant to promote homeownership and boost the housing supply with new multifamily housing. Advocates see $1-home programs as one piece of the housing puzzle that cities can undertake alongside state and federal policies.

Friday, March 1, 2024 in Smart Cities Dive

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

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

July 14 - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press