Blight
Ohio to Demolish Thousands of Vacant Buildings
The state is funding a $150 million effort to raze blighted buildings to accelerate revitalization.
What Is Urban Renewal?
Ostensibly intended to improve "blighted" neighborhoods and provide better housing conditions, urban renewal often involved displacement and the wholesale destruction of urban communities.
$160 Million in Bond Funding for Demolitions on the Ballot in Detroit
Proposal N, on the ballot for Detroit voters next week, will provide $160 million in bond funding for demolitions and $90 million to mothball homes for future rehab, but, according to this opinion, it won't solve the city's blight challenges.
Detroit Continues Demolition Program After Lead Risks Revealed
The city of Detroit said it would halt a demolition program after a report revealed the amount of lead released by demolitions into the environment, risking the health of children and other local residents.
Neighborhood Homes Investment Act Picks Up Momentum
A proposed tax credit designed to stabilize single-family neighborhoods facing growing numbers of vacancies is making its way through Congress.
Neighborhood Homes Investment Act Offers Tax Incentives for Single-Family Rehabs
In struggling communities full of single-family homes, the cost is too high for developers to acquire and renovate blighted properties. The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act would offer an incentive for investment in existing building stock.
'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.
Can Reparations Right the Wrongs Caused by a Highway?
An elevated highway destroyed an African American community in Syracuse, New York. Is just removing it enough?
Demolitions Can't Keep Pace With Vacancies in Baltimore
As the city of Baltimore grapples with a declining population, it faces obstinate challenges in controlling the problems associated with vacant buildings, including the "vicious cycle" of vacancies causing more vacancies.
Watch: The Dark Side of Eminent Domain
In cities like Boston, the government’s right to take private property displaced residents and destroyed vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.
The Dark Side of the Rust Belt Revival
Cities in flyover country are facing new redevelopment challenges as companies relocate from costly coastal cities. In St. Louis, downtown revitalization has also brought plans to tackle blight, and the consequences for residents could be immense.
Why Are These Prime Boston Properties Sitting Vacant?
Even though they often occupy valuable real estate, some Boston properties have sat vacant in various states of limbo for years.
In Mobile, an Institutional Revamp to Tackle Blight
Mobile, Alabama, has changed the way it deals with blight, and the results have been substantial.
From Vacant Property to Affordable Housing Development
The city of St. Petersburg provides a model for transforming blight to a blessing.
Measuring the Effect of Blight Remediation Programs
Tulane researchers received major funding support from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of blight remediation on youth and family violence.
Court Restores 'Doors and Windows' Code Enforcement Ordinance in Philadelphia
One of Philadelphia's most potent code enforcement tools is back in effect after the state Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling by a lower court.
Why L.A.'s Boyle Heights Matters to Anti-Gentrification Activists
The historically Latino working class neighborhood is a frequent touchstone in debates over gentrification in Los Angeles. That history goes back decades and colors residents' perceptions.
Are Vacancy Taxes a 'Blunt Instrument'?
A number of cities are considering hiking up taxes on vacant properties. But does that actually lead to a reduction in blight?
Where Vacant Properties Are Still Increasing in Number
In some cities and neighborhoods, the number of vacant properties is the only thing growing.
St. Louis Groups Come Together to Form Neighborhood Vacancy Coalition
Legal and community groups in St. Louis align to curb ill-effects of the city's many vacant properties.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
York County, Human Resources
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Culver City
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
City of Piedmont, CA
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.
