CAMPAIGN GOALS

The overarching goal of the Campaign is to help communities prevent abandonment, reclaim vacant properties, and once again become vital places to live. We fulfill this mission through four actions:

Developing a national network of vacant property practitioners and experts
We engage a diverse coalition of national and local partners, including experts, academics, elected officials, local practitioners, foundations, lenders, and community developers. Our challenge now is to cultivate new leaders in every community.

Providing tools and research
We collect and disseminate compelling evidence of the economic, environmental, and community benefits of vacant property reclamation. We share lessons learned by individual communities, give civic leaders the information they need to embolden them to take action, and help policymakers craft reforms that will bring vacant and abandoned properties back to life.

Making the case for reclamation efforts
We help transform ideas into action by developing persuasive messages for spokespersons, determining the best ways to influence decisionmakers, and inspire the public to demand the best for their communities.

Building the capacity of local, regional, and national practitioners and decisionmakers through technical assistance and training
We provide expert assistance to practitioners and policymakers from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to jump-start and improve their vacant property efforts.

Our Work

Our policy research and technical assistance provide leaders around the country with the innovative strategies and tools to effectively transform abandoned houses, boarded factories, vandalized stores, and vacant lots into safe, inviting places for people to work, live, and play.

Highlights of our work include:

• Coordinating teams of national experts and practitioners to help local officials, nonprofits, and residents adopt cutting-edge strategies for reclaiming their communities in more than 14 states.

• Organizing local and statewide forums to bring together constituencies interested in vacant property reclamation. Over 150 participants attended the Land Bank Authority forum in Flint, Mich., sponsored by the C.S. Mott and Ford Foundations. Campaign leaders have since met with six cities to develop local land bank authorities. Members of the state legislature came together with practitioners from throughout Ohio in the state’s first vacant property forum, funded by the Ford Foundation. In 2007, the Campaign will host the first national conference on vacant properties.

• Partnering with the United States Conferenceof Mayors and the Fannie Mae Foundation to develop a vacant properties task force to provide mayors with in-depth knowledge and experience in vacant property issues and with the ability to be national spokespersons to educate other municipalities.

• Producing information resources to guide citizens and decisionmakers in their efforts at revitalization. Reports include Vacant Properties: The True Costs to Communities, Land Bank Authorities: A Guide for the Creation and Operation of Local Land Banks, and an upcoming guidebook on community-based code enforcement.

• Building an internet portal for policies, best practices, research, and news. The Campaign web site, supported by the U.S. EPA, compiles the most relevant information for anyone interested in issues related to vacant properties, how communities throughout the country are addressing them, and how to reach the experts.

• Contributing to conferences and making more than 50 presentations before national groups, such as the American Planning Association, Local Government Commission, ICMA, National League of Cities, and National Trust for Historic Preservation.