In a recent blog post, the Center for Community Progress in addition to its fully updated version of their National Land Bank Map, provides a thorough overview of “land banks” covering the topics of; WhatREAD MORE
NLC Local Eviction Prevention Policy and Program Tool
The National League of Cities has developed the Local Eviction Prevention Policy and Program Tool. This tool is an “interactive resource that aims to help elected officials, city staff, non-profits, service providers, researchers and others,READ MORE
Coordinating the Authority and Resources to Remediate Blight
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan (not-for-profit public affairs research organization, founded in 1916) recently released a report titled, “Coordinating the Authority and Resources to Remediate Blight”. From the summary; In a nutshell The termREAD MORE
Public CEO Op-Ed “How to prevent dangerous properties and increase revenue” – Value of a VPRO
Following up on a January Op-Ed (by Ryan Griffith Bay Area Receivership Group) discussing the benefits of receiverships, MuniReg’s President Michael Halpern discusses the value of a “VPRO”. To view the Op-Ed, please click here.
National League of Cities Resources “Housing Supply Accelerator” & “Landlord Engagement Lab Toolkit”
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