Land Banks: Combating Blight and Vacancy in New York Communities

Posted by Center for Community Progress on December 01, 2014

Land banks’ adaptability yields results for communities tackling vacant and problem properties, according to report

Land Banks: Combating Blight and Vacancy in New York Communities

An estimated 120 land banks exist in the United States, and their ability to adapt to local conditions and needs is helping communities, large and small, address the negative impacts of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties, according to Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, a new report from the Center for Community Progress.

“What we found confirms that land banks are not one-size-fits-all,” said Kim Graziani, vice president and director of national technical assistance at the Center for Community Progress, who oversaw the research.

The report finds that local factors, such as the scale of vacancy and abandonment, influence nearly all aspects of a land bank’s operations. Land banks vary in staff size and structure, the number of properties each takes on (ranging from a handful to tens of thousands), and the strategies for maintaining those properties and returning them to productive use.

See more at: http://www.communityprogress.net/our-press-releases-pages-31.php