Flint, Michigan has adopted a new strategy to deal with shrinkage and blight: tear down abandoned properties and sell the plots to nearby neighbors for a dollar.
"Abandoned homes are a big problem in Flint, Mich., a former manufacturing stronghold that is losing jobs and residents."
"In some neighborhoods five or more houses in a row are boarded up, as one owner after another packs up and leaves. Once they have sat vacant too long bulldozers come to demolish them."
"But the county is stepping in and taking control of the city's tax-foreclosed properties, selling plots to neighbors for a dollar or paying churches to maintain them."
"The Genesee County Land Bank is demolishing the abandoned homes in an attempt to end decay and help Flint downsize gracefully."
"The lots are sold to the neighbor for a dollar, or turned into parks."
FULL STORY: Flint, Michigan Sheds Foreclosed Properties
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
Zero-Emission Bus Fleets Grow, But Federal Funding Is in Jeopardy
Transit agencies around the country have purchased over 7,000 zero-emission buses, but a federal program that funds the shift could be eliminated under the new administration.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Wisconsin Governor Opens Window for Regional Transit Authority
The proposed state budget includes a provision that allows local governments to establish a dedicated transit tax.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Strategic Economics Inc
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service