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
Land Bank Ownership’s Impact on Violent Crime Reduction
A Center for Community Progress report discusses a study that found land bank ownership was associated with net declines in both the density of all crime and serious violent crimes over time. Study compared theREAD MORE
Uncooperative Judge – Share This Perspective
In a November 2022 blog post we discussed that though property owners have rights that must be protected, the rights of the neighbors to be protected from the negative consequences of vacant or blighted propertiesREAD MORE
White House Initiative: Converting Commercial Properties to Residential Use
The White House has announced new actions to increase the supply of affordable housing through the support of converting high-vacancy commercial buildings to residential use. Actions include: Sparking Investment through New Federal Funding and RepurposingREAD MORE
CCP The Resident’s Workbook for Dealing with Vacant Buildings and Lots
The Center for Community Progress has released its “Resident’s Workbook for Dealing with Vacant Buildings and Lots”. The workbook offers tools and worksheets including; Ideas for how to get involved in community revitalization whether you’reREAD MORE
“Mule Addresses” – Criminologists explain how vacant properties serve as depots for illegal online purchases
Once again, another reason not to publicize vacant property lists. Though the criminal element may just use properties listed for sale (which need to be publicized), these properties have better solutions to avoid the (newlyREAD MORE
CDBG Coalition Report “Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities”
In April 2022, the CDBG Coalition released a report titled, “Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities” “This report serves to inform stakeholders on the importance of CDBG to community advancement and success.” The CDBG Coalition consistsREAD MORE