Urban Property Abandonment: From Blight to Opportunity KnowledgePlex/Government Innovators Network Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Alan Mallach, FAICP Research Director National Housing Institute

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity What is abandonment? Abandonment = vacancy + neglect (a vastly oversimplified but still useful definition)

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  What properties are abandoned? Single family residential Multifamily residential Commercial Industrial  Each type of property is subject to distinct abandonment ‘triggers’

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Where are abandoned properties found? Big cities Small cities Small towns and rural areas  Every part of the United States

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Thinking about abandonment as three stages of a cycle Abandonment risk Abandonment Reuse

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Dealing with abandonment risk: preventing abandonment Creating early warning systems Maintaining the economic viability of absentee-owned property Supporting home owners Enforcement and receivership

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Taking control of abandoned properties Gaining legal control of abandoned properties Maintaining, securing and removing abandoned properties Disposing of properties for reuse Managing the abandoned property system Getting action on privately owned properties

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Fostering sustainable reuse of abandoned properties Making markets Targeting strategies to neighborhood market dynamics Using incentives to generate investment Brownfields Density and open space issues

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Framing an abandoned property strategy Define the problem Identify the resources Understand the market Frame the strategies Put it all together

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Defining the problem What types of abandoned properties are there in the community? How many abandoned properties are there in the community? How are the abandoned properties distributed by location and concentration in the community? What specific properties represent particular problems or opportunities?

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Identifying resources Human resources (quality and quantity) Partners Commitment Political will Technology Money

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Understanding the market

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Framing strategies Motivating owners to restore abandoned properties to productive use Eliminating scattered abandoned houses in an improving neighborhood by helping families buy and restore those houses for owner-occupancy Combining abandoned property reuse with other community improvements to revitalize a neighborhood Redeveloping a seriously disinvested neighborhood Reusing the community’s brownfield sites Preserving valuable buildings at risk of ‘demolition by neglect’

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity  Putting it all together: a few examples Project 5000 in Baltimore Abandoned property law reform in New Jersey Vacant property registration fee in Wilmington Delaware Vacant property strategy in Davenport Iowa CDC-led problem property strategy in Orange New Jersey Land bank authority in Genesee County Michigan

Urban property abandonment: from blight to opportunity Alan Mallach, FAICP Research Director National Housing Institute