Reducing the Number of Abandoned Properties in Louisville

Louisville, like many other cities around the country, has been working hard to reduce the number of abandoned buildings. Recent efforts have provided the city with a new road map for blight reduction.

1 minute read

June 23, 2014, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Matthew Glowicki explains Louisville's ongoing blight reduction efforts: "In Louisville, 6,519 buildings and lots sit stagnant and unoccupied, blights on the community and weights on attempts to raise property values. They're the reason Mayor Greg Fischer announced in 2013 a goal to reduce the number of abandoned buildings by 40 percent by July 2015 through demolitions and foreclosures."

The city has already reached 24 percent, on the way to that 40 percent goal, according to Glowicki.

The article provides the hard news of the ongoing effort while also serving as a primer on the causes of vacant properties, their impact on property values and government coffers, and the measures available to cities looking to mitigate the blight caused by vacant properties.

The article details especially the work of Vacant and Abandoned Property Statistics, also known as VAPStat, a new city program launched in 2013 to mitigate the city's vacant properties—the total of which grew quickly between 2006 and 2008 and is supplemented by persistent foreclosures.

The Courier-Journal's coverage of the city's vacant and abandoned properties includes an interactive map.

Monday, June 23, 2014 in The Courier-Journal

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.

3 hours ago - 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.

4 hours ago - 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.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press