A recent article by Anthony A. Braga, Jerry Lee Professor of Criminology and Director, Crime and Justice Policy Lab, at the University of Pennsylvania revisits the 1982 landmark article in Atlantic, written by James Q.READ MORE
Rising Costs of Homeownership Are a Growing Burden
In January we reported on articles in the Wall Street Journal and other major outlets that highlighted a concerning trend in some housing market, hidden costs and the potential for it to result in higherREAD MORE
Civil Nuisance Law – Private Nuisance Lawsuits
One Georgia municipality is working to develop “a civil nuisance law that would allow private citizens to file nuisance complaints in Municipal Court.” The stated intent is to assist in scenarios where a violation exists thatREAD MORE
Webinar: REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE: A Path to Equitable & Efficient Neighborhood Revitalization
MuniReg President Michael Halpern was privileged to co-present on a recent webinar titled “REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE: A Path to Equitable & Efficient Neighborhood Revitalization” Hosted by former Kansas City, MO Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Michael wasREAD MORE
Local Housing Solutions Rental Registries Brief
Earlier this year, Local Housing Solutions released a brief reviewing “empirical evidence about rental registries’ efficacy in promoting housing quality and affordability. This brief is designed to be a resource for local governments considering establishingREAD MORE
Creating Effective, Comprehensive, and Accessible Home Repair Programs
In August 2024 The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies issued a report titled “Catalyzing a Movement to Produce Greater Public, Private, and Civil Resources to Improve Housing Conditions Through Home Repair Programs” In October,READ MORE
Challenges with “Heir Property”
Please see for resources from Fannie Mae and the Center of Community Progress. Fannie Mae In a recent post on their “Perspectives Blog” Tim Carpenter Senior Director – Community Impact discusses the challenges they initially encounteredREAD MORE
PA Local Government Commission “Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Report”
The Local Government Commission of Pennsylvania General Assembly, a bicameral and bipartisan legislative agency released a new report titled “Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Report” Contributions to the report came from Pennsylvania Statewide Blight Task ForceREAD MORE
CCP Reevaluating Code Enforcement: A New Approach to Addressing Problem Properties
The Center for Community Progress has released a new report titles “Reevaluating Code Enforcement: A New Approach to Addressing Problem Properties” advocating for shifting from traditional code enforcement to the more strategic approach of code compliance. Per the Center’sREAD MORE
Cleaning up the built environment to reduce crime
Below please find a recent post by the Niskanen Center, a nonprofit public policy organization named the “The Most Interesting Think Tank in America” by TIME Magazine in 2023. Key Takeaways: In cities crime isREAD MORE
Illegal Dumping Creating Mental Health Challenges
Bernadette Hohl, a senior research investigator with the Penn Injury Science Center and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Injury Prevention Program partnered with the University of Michigan Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center to analyzeREAD MORE
Landlord Engagement Lab Toolkit
A collaboration between National League of Cities and the Stanford Legal Design Lab has created an updated Landlord Engagement Lab Toolkit. “This toolkit includes a series of resources developed for city leaders interested in buildingREAD MORE