Partner Reports

Vacant Property Reclamation and Neighborhood Change in Southwest Center City Philadelphia (9.7mb PDF) - by Hallie Mittleman and Catherine Lamb, Fels Institute of Government

Using historical information obtained through the Neighborhood Information System and the Office of Housing and Community Development this report provides a longitudinal look at neighborhood transformation by evaluating formerly vacant properties in one Philadelphia neighborhood. The report re-surveys 553 houses that were identified as vacant by the City of Philadelphia in 1998; 10 years later the changes are striking – 56 percent have been renovated and occupied and another 12 percent are under development. The remainder of the properties are improved open space, have been developed for other use, or remain vacant (either land or building.) The study also looks at the characteristics of owner-occupants and neighboring properties, tax delinquency (a remarkable improvement) and sales transactions.

Managing Neighborhood Change: A Framework for Sustainable and Equitable Revitalization (492kb PDF) - by Alan Mallach, National Housing Institute

Based on the premise that change happens, this new publication offers stakeholders a new way to look at how they can manage that change and how to know when to pursue which strategies to bring about sustainable and equitable development.

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo c. City of New London, many states acted to limit the government's ability to condemn property for economic development purposes. However, few of these legislative initiatives addressed the urban renewal statutes through which many local governments condemn "blighted" property and transfer the condemned property to private parties for economic development or other stated public purposes. To help Realtors ® better understand this issue, the NAR worked with the law firm of Robinson and Cole in developing these two reports.

Urban Blight: An Analysis of State Blight Statutes and Their Implications for Eminent Domain Reform (864kb PDF) - National Association of Realtors & Robinson and Cole

This reviews blight statutes in all 50-states, tracing the origin of blight legislation, analyzing the statutes, and extracting commonalities and distinctions between them. The report also summarizes blight law in America.

Seven Principles for Reforming Blight Statutes: A Guide for State Realtor ® Associations (188kb PDF) - National Association of Realtors & Robinson and Cole

Identifies seven issues that need to be addressed for meaningful reform of blight statutes as they relate to eminent domain.

Mayor's Resource Guide to Vacant and Abandoned Properties (284kb PDF) – by Alan Mallach, National Housing Institute for the United States Conference of Mayors

Implementing a strategy to restore a community's abandoned properties to productive use is a long-term process, involving many different governmental agencies, the city's businesses and institutions, its residents, and its neighborhood organizations. In a new publication by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Vacant Properties Campaign, and the Fannie Mae Foundation, read about why a mayor's role is the central role in tackling vacant properties.

Combating Problems of Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Best Practices in 27 Cities (196kb PDF) – by the U.S. Conference of Mayors

This publication compiles information provided by mayors around the country about their approaches to realizing the potential of vacant and abandoned properties in their cities. The summaries describe the mayors' leadership, activities partnerships, challenges, and accomplishments. Mayor John M. Fabrizi, Chair of the Task Force, shares lessons he's learned in Bridgeport, Connecticut in the Foreword.

The Ripple Effect: Economic Impacts of Targeted Community Investments (2.1mb PDF) – by Richmond LISC & Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

This report, conducted for, and funded by, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, reviews the economic impact of Richmond, Virginia’s Neighborhoods in Bloom program – a policy that directed public and nonprofit investments to specific communities with the aim of attracting and sustaining additional private capital. The study reveals important information that should be useful to leaders in America’s urban centers and first-ring suburbs as they compete for new business, housing and economic opportunities.

Land Bank Authorities: A Guide for the Creation and Operation of Local Land Banks by Frank Alexander & LISC

In this guidebook, Emory Law Interim Dean and Professor Frank Alexander explores the development of land banks in St. Louis, Cleveland, Louisville, Atlanta, and Genesee County, Mich., addressing the conditions, history, and legal structures of each. In comparing and contrasting the legal approaches and policies of these five examples, Professor Alexander offers public officials and community leaders important findings derived from the work and experiences of the nation's first land banks. This guide can serve as a roadmap for cities and counties across America that are attempting to rediscover the value of urban land.

Bringing Buildings Back: from Abandoned Properties to Community Assets
by Alan Mallach, National Housing Institute, distributed by Rutgers UniversityPress 

In Bringing Buildings Back, Alan Mallach provides policymakers and practitioners with the first in-depth guide to understanding and dealing with the many ramifications that this issue holds for the future of our older cities.

Combining practical suggestions with a thoughtful exploration of policy, Mallach pulls together insights from law, economics, planning, and design to address all sides of the problem, from how abandonment can be prevented to how best to bring these properties back into productive reuse. Focusing on the need for sustainable reuse and revitalization of America's cities and neighborhoods, Bringing Buildings Back shows how finding solutions for individual buildings can and must be tied to the larger process of making our cities economically stronger and environmentally sounder places to live and work. The book is replete with examples of how cities, community development corporations, and others have come up with creative, effective solutions.

Preventing Abandonment, a summary of issues from Bringing Buildings Back: From Abandoned Properties to Community Assets by Alan Mallach, published by the National Housing Institute (64kb DOC)

The best strategy for dealing with abandoned properties is to prevent them from being abandoned in the first place. Effective local strategies can significantly reduce the number of properties that are lost. This paper summarizes five elements that make up an abandonment prevention strategy: property information systems, strategies to preserve absentee owned properties, strategies to preserve owner-occupied housing, code enforcement and nuisance abatement, and receivership.

Fostering Sustainable Reuse of Abandoned Properties, a summary of issues from Bringing Buildings Back: From Abandoned Properties to Community Assets by Alan Mallach, published by the National Housing Institute (96kb DOC)

The ultimate goal of any abandoned property strategy is to reuse properties in ways that improve the neighborhood and the community as a whole. Sound reuse strategies must be based first and foremost on the principle that properties be reused in ways that are both appropriate and sustainable. By combining sound planning with a market-oriented approach, reuse strategies can be developed that are not only appropriate and sustainable, but also achievable.

Taking Control of Abandoned Properties, a summary of issues from Bringing Buildings Back: From Abandoned Properties to Community Assets by Alan Mallach, published by the National Housing Institute (84kb DOC)

A city’s ability to reduce the period a property is abandoned and move it toward reuse depends on its ability either to compel the owner of the property to take appropriate action, or take title to the property and convey it to a third party. A successful abandoned property strategy requires that the city be able to gain physical and legal control of properties. Risk factors – including environmental concerns, liability, and the uncertainty of future reuse – cannot be ignored, but can be managed through careful planning and program management.

Renewing Public Assets for Community Development by Emory University Interim Dean and Law Professor Frank S. Alexander. This article provides a concise description of the nature of tax liens, the ways in which most municipalities deal with tax delinquent and publicly owned properties, and specific reforms which can help convert these properties into productive and performing community assets. Professor Alexander played a pivotal role in reforming key Georgia statutes that govern tax foreclosure and property disposition, and he has become a leading national expert on the legal, political and practical obstacles communities face in dealing with publicly owned and encumbered properties.

Building a Better Urban Future: New Directions for Housing Policies in Weak Market Cities by Alan Mallach, published by Community Development Partnership Network, The Enterprise Foundation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and National Housing Institute (464kb PDF)

Changes in the American economy have given rise to new opportunities and new risks for the nation’s older cities. Over the past decade, the revitalization of downtowns and urban neighborhoods has brought new vitality to communities that were all but written off only a few years earlier. America’s cities have not shared equally, however, in the economic gains of the past decade. While many cities have thrived, gaining new residents, companies, and visitors, others have not. Those “weak market cities” continue to lose population, jobs, and businesses into the new century. Their threats are not land and housing shortages, but population loss and stagnant economies. The information in this paper should help CDCs, government officials and agencies, lenders, community members, and local foundations that provide resources for housing and community development in weak market cities assess the effectiveness of current revitalization efforts; develop more potent goals and strategies; and allocate resources to best achieve these goals.

The Brookings Institution’s Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy has a wealth of information about vacant properties specifically, and urban revitalization in general. Visit www.brookings.edu/urban to read these and all of their publications:

Seizing City Assets: Ten Steps to Urban Land Reform by Paul C. Brophy and Jennifer S. Vey, co-published with CEOs for Cities. October 2002.
One of a city's greatest assets is its available land for development. Unfortunately, many cities have land and properties that are vacant, abandoned, or under-used, with few policies and regulations in place to convert these assets into valuable, revenue-generating sites. This brief outlines ten action steps that state and local governments can follow to facilitate the development of urban land and buildings. The brief highlights examples of successful practices implemented in states and localities throughout the U.S.

Vacant Property Policy And Practice: Baltimore And Philadelphia by John Kromer, co-published with CEOs for Cities. October 2002.

Both Baltimore and Philadelphia are classic examples of cities in which vacant land and buildings are visible manifestations of enduring economic disinvestment and decline. While improvements in both cities' downtowns have attracted more visitors during the past decade and have generated high-end residential development in or near the downtown areas, conditions of blight and deterioration in many neighborhoods have worsened during this period. In response, the new mayors in both cities committed to change local government policy and programming related to vacant-property acquisition, conveyance, and development. This paper reports on extensive case studies of Baltimore and Philadelphia, conducted through research, interviews, and local discussion panels. It provides an in-depth review of local policies and practices regarding vacant properties that might help urban leaders respond to this complex issue.

Vacant Land in Cities: An Urban Resource by Michael A. Pagano and Ann O’M. Bowman, co-published with CEOs for Cities. January 2001.

A report on the findings of a survey sent to U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more to estimate the amount of usable vacant land within the corporate boundaries and to estimate the number of abandoned structures in the city. The report concludes that without a reliable database on how much vacant property exists and a formal data collecting process, a systematic response to this problem will be elusive. The survey also demonstrated that the disposition of vacant land must be part of an overall and ongoing discussion in city governments and the stakeholders outside the government need to be part of the discussions. The report emphasizes the differences in circumstances in cities, suggesting that different questions need to be asked for each, and city governments need to understand their unique circumstances and be open to innovative ideas for improving their vacant land policies and procedures.

Case Studies

In 2002, ICMA produced three vacant property case studies to survey the success and challenges of three different cities in reclaiming vacant and abandoned properties. These studies, and others, are available from ICMA's Community and Economic Development Programs and are part of ICMA's "The Revitalization of Vacant Properties" Series. To read these studies, please visit www.icma.org/vacantproperties.

San Diego, California Vacant Property Case Study: This case study illustrates how code enforcement can reduce the negative impacts of vacant properties. The city applies a variety of strategies (i.e. incentives and disincentives) to encourage private property owners to rehabilitate their substandard and vacant residential properties. The study further highlights the benefits of building strong relationships with community groups, nonprofit building and construction organizations, and the real estate industry. The study provides a good model of internal coordination among city departments.

Richmond, Virginia Vacant Property Case Study: This case study examines the Neighborhoods in Bloom (NIB) program, an innovative strategy that Richmond, Virginia is using to combat vacant properties. Since 1999, Richmond's NIB program has brought positive results through intra city cooperation, targeted investment of federal and state resources, active code enforcement, more efficient transfer of properties to community development corporations, and a companion public safety and community empowerment program.

Portland, Oregon Vacant Property Case Study: Portland, Oregon is a national model for turning around a perceived problem with excessive vacant property. Since the late 1980s, regulatory changes, proactive code enforcement, new programs, and partnerships with nonprofit organizations have helped the city stabilize this situation. By linking vacant properties with city and regional growth planning and housing goals, the city has created market demand for vacant lands.

Vacant Properties: Revitalization Strategies: This IQ Report gives an overview of vacant-property issues, discusses the vacant-property revitalization cycle, and describes vacant-property programs in three local governments. The report also provides a discussion of future challenges and a list of additional resources.

The Local Initiative Support Corporation’s website has several detailed examples of tools and resources that practitioners have used to promote vacant property reclamation. These resources can be accessed on LISC’s website at: www.liscnet.org/resources/vacant_abandoned.shtml?Planning+&+Land+Use.

Indianapolis Case Study: Model Practices in Tax Foreclosure and Property Disposition: This is the first in a series of case studies written by LISC in 2000 describing effective local efforts to return tax delinquent or vacant/abandoned properties to productive use. The City of Indianapolis and Marion County seek to return unproductive land to revenue-generating status and to advance the redevelopment efforts of community development organizations through a property disposition model built upon enabling legislation and a cooperative relationship between government entities. The expedited tax-sale (assemblage and transfer of property to community development corporations [CDCs] with specific redevelopment plans) and a state statute authorizing the transfer of property from the City to CDCs for redevelopment purposes promote this agenda.

Atlanta Case Study: Model Practices in Tax Foreclosure and Property DispositionThis is the second in a series of case studies written by LISC in 2000 describing effective local efforts to return tax delinquent or vacant/abandoned properties to productive use. The City of Atlanta and Fulton County are working to address the issue of property tax delinquency in many of Atlanta's neighborhoods, based on an acknowledgment that restoring properties to the tax rolls will enhance local government tax collection, as well as improve the neighborhoods. The implementation of several new legislative measures since 1990 has streamlined the property disposition in Atlanta significantly.

Cleveland Case Study: Model Practices in Tax Foreclosure and Property Disposition This is the third in a series of case studies written by LISC in 2000 describing effective local efforts to return tax delinquent or vacant/abandoned properties to productive use. The Cleveland Land Bank serves as the primary vehicle for the acquisition and disposition of tax-delinquent properties to community based organizations in the City of Cleveland. A 1976 state statute allows any Ohio municipality to establish a Land Reutilization Program (or, a land bank) for purposes of acquiring, managing and disposing of delinquent land to reinstate such properties to tax revenue status. In 1988, House Bill 503 strengthened the 1976 state statute.

New York City Case Study: Third Party Transfer Initiative: A Solution to Property Abandonment: This 2002 study describes New York City's effective strategies to return tax delinquent or vacant/abandoned properties to productive use. While tax liens against relatively stable properties are packaged and sold to investors, the Third Party Transfer Initiative was created to ensure the expeditious transfer of distressed, tax delinquent properties to responsible third parties, accompanied by development assistance from the City for third parties receiving properties. In the South Bronx, where a pilot third party transfer program is in its final stages, the positive impact of the new system is already evident.