Foreclosures and vacancy: Stopping the spread

The foreclosure crisis raging through cities across America is leading to the the man-made catastrophes of vacancy and abandonment. The damage caused by vacancy and abandonment is undeniable: Abandoned buildings and empty homes, storefronts, and lots decrease property values, breed crime, create environmental hazards, and drain municipal budgets.

There’s no easy fix, but the Campaign wants to help communities stabilize neighborhoods and residents keep their homes. Helping homes stay occupied by their owners is the critical first step to preventing the contagion of vacancy and abandonment from taking root.

To that end, the Campaign has been compiling information on the multiple waves of the foreclosure crises and how cities and organizations are responding. To make it easier for you, they’ve started to compile resources that are available online. Visit their foreclosure clearinghouse to find links to organizations, research, and relevant news articles.

Visit the Campaign to browse the resources and learn more about their work.

After a comprehensive review of dozens of research studies, the book’s authors conclude that addressing global warming without seeing a change in development trends will be nearly impossible. The positive news, however, is that meeting the growing demand for conveniently located homes in walkable neighborhoods could significantly reduce the growth in the number of miles Americans drive, shrinking the nation’s carbon footprint while giving people more, and better, living options.

Download the full executive summary and learn more about smart growth, climate change, and energy security on the study's home. You can also find a link to order the full book from the Urban Land Institute Bookstore.

Want to dig deeper? Learn more about energy security, climate change and sustainability, and how smart growth relates to them all? Check out our Energy and Climate page.

The human side of Growing Cooler

National Public Radio's Climate Connections series featured a two-part segment this week exploring the choices made by two different families in Atlanta, and how those choices impact climate emissions (and the budget) of each family. SGA President Geoff Anderson is quoted in the second story about a family that moved from the suburbs into the city, not out of any great desire to cut personal emissions or save the planet, but in the words of the mother, merely to "get her life back." But along the way to getting more time with her daughter, less time in the car, easier access to work and daily needs; she cut their carbon footprint drastically. Read and listen to Part One, and Part Two on National Public Radio.

Our Work

Revitalizing Cities	Leadership	Complete Streets	State Policy	Second Chances
Restoring prosperity to our older industrial cities won't happen by chance.	Empowering state and local leaders to embrace growth with a plan.	Making roads accessible for everyone and safe for all.	Advising governors and state leaders on crucial growth and development issues.	Vacant property can comprise 15% of land in large cities. Creating opportunity from abandonment

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