Two recent initiatives have been introduced by the National League of Cities (NLC). Landlord Engagement Lab Toolkit Per NLC “Engaging mom-and-pop landlords is key to longer-term eviction prevention efforts, housing stability, and supporting both vulnerableREAD MORE
The Price Effects of Greening Vacant Lots: How Neighborhood Attributes Matter
Recent article discusses a University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School June 2022 study on the “economic effects of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia LandCare program on thousands of homes in the city” that resulted inREAD MORE
JAMA Study abandoned house repairs reduced nearby gun violence
Installing new doors and windows, trash cleanup, and weeding at abandoned houses in Philadelphia led to substantial drops in nearby gun violence, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia UniversityREAD MORE
Reimagine Delinquent Property Tax Enforcement
In its newest publication, the Center for Community Progress “lays a general foundation for understanding the property tax system, but specifically focuses on ways to reform the delinquent property tax enforcement process for vacant properties—thoseREAD MORE
The State of Land Banking 2022
The Center for Community Progress created the National Land Bank Network (NLBN). At the 2022 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, they provided an overview of what NLBN is, the state of land banks in the UnitedREAD MORE
Virginia Commonwealth University Study: Negligent landlords predictor of neighborhood violence
A study by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers found that the tax delinquency of company-owned properties was the only variable that predicted violence in all but four of the city’s 148 neighborhoods. According to lead authorREAD MORE
Measuring Urban Blight
The newest edition of HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research Journal discusses methodologies for measuring urban blight. “Across the United States, communities struggle with blighted urban environments and associated negative outcomes, including reduced propertyREAD MORE
Code Enforcement Educators Interview
MuniReg President Michael Halpern was recently interviewed by Pete Roque and Rachel Patterson at https://codeenforcementeducators.com/ where Halpern discussed the creation and evolution of MuniReg, beginning with his extensive work with code enforcement and local governmentsREAD MORE
CCP Webinar Strengthening Community Relationships to Achieve Equitable Code Enforcement
Once again, the Center for Community Progress has provided an informative resource on building a strong code enforcement program and partnering it with strong community engagement. Featured was the City of Peoria several of itsREAD MORE
CCP and Lincoln Institute Report “State Policy and Problem Property Regulation”
February 2022 report titled “State Policy and Problem Property Regulation” is derived is derived from a working paper prepared by Alan Mallach pursuant to a joint program agreement between the Center for Community Progress and the Lincoln Institute of LandREAD MORE
LISC & Urban Institute White Paper “Reclaiming Vacant Houses & Preventing Foreclosure”
A new white paper by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Urban Institute assesses the effectiveness of New York State’s 2016 “Zombie Law” (also known as the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act) and LISC’s “VacantsREAD MORE
NLC Eviction Prevention: A Guide for Local Governments
The National League of Cities and the Legal Design Lab have a new report out: “Eviction Prevention: A Guide for Local Governments” Released January, 2022, “it helps local coalitions establish new eviction prevention measures thatREAD MORE