Baltimore is increasing lawsuits against negligent property owners with outstanding code violations. As part of the city's "Vacants to Value" initiative, forfeited properties are transferred to receivership and auctioned to new owners.
The Vacants to Value program has multiplied the number of properties that enter receivership by about four times, according to Sherman: "In the mid-2000s, the organization appointed by the District Court to organize auctions of the forfeited properties handled about 60 each year, according to Grant Colledge, the former board president of One House at a Time. Last year, the Hampden-based nonprofit was appointed the receiver for 271…"
The Vacants to Value program launched in 2010, "after [a] 2009 city ordinance gave inspectors the power to issue tickets. Attorneys previously had go to court over violations."
"Since Vacants to Value started in late 2010, Baltimore Housing attorneys have filed nearly 1,350 receivership cases, and another 200 or so are pending, according to the city."
The ordinance allowed Baltimore Housing to "re-engineer" their code enforcement efforts, which Sherman details in the article.
FULL STORY: Auctions rise as city cracks down on code violations
Landlords Owe NYC $1.5 Billion for Building Code Violations
Violations of the building code go unenforced in New York City.
Baltimore Could See a TOD Boom
Developers are calling on city leaders to support transit-oriented development amidst an influx of federal funding opportunities.
EPA Awards $4 Million for Baltimore Composting Facility
The city wants to build the nation’s largest composting facility as part of its ‘zero waste’ efforts.
Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side
The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Why College Campuses Make Ideal Models for Cities
College campuses serve as ideal models for cities, with their integrated infrastructure, vibrant communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation hubs inspiring urban planning and development for a brighter future.
Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk
Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.
Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage
Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’
The Largest U.S. City Lacking Mass Transit
Arlington, Texas has the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation with no fixed-route public transit system.
University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning
Placer County
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Arizona State University, Ten Across
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
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.
