May 1, 2015

Briefs

VPRN’s Research and Policy Brief series offers practitioners, policymakers and researchers a convenient and simple way to quickly digest the latest developments within this emerging field.

Our Research and Policy Brief series bridges the traditional divide between research and practice by explaining the methods behind recent research along with the context and findings so that practitioners and community leaders can better understand:

  • what the research says
  • what the research does not say, and
  • How it might be relevant to their respective initiatives.

By understanding how current research may or may not apply to local efforts, we believe practitioners and policymakers will be better equipped to make better decisions, improve policy and program implementation, and ultimately facilitate the regeneration of their communities.

Several of the briefs focus on translating and synthesizing current research for practitioners and policymakers on priority topics, such as urban greening and code enforcement.  Other briefs discuss the policy and practice dimensions of important vacant property strategies and tools, such as real property information systems, vacant property inventories, and neighborhood typologies. A few of our briefs take a more scholarly approach by examining the research and conceptual foundations of important community development topics such as blight and neighborhood change.

Greening Legacy Cities

Greening Legacy Cities

A translation brief on urban greening strategies to reclaim vacant lots.
The Basics of Blight

The Basics of Blight

A research brief that examines blight’s multiple dimensions, offers a definition of blight, summarizes recent scholarship, and discusses the meaning of this concept for scholars and practitioners who work with the issues of reclaiming distressed property and regenerating legacy cities.
Neighborhood Change

Neighborhood Change

A brief to help practitioners not only better understand what drives neighborhood change, but to better understand what factors are associated with neighborhood vitality and what impact a particular intervention might have on a neighborhood’s trajectory.
Data Systems

Data Systems

This brief examines the latest strategies, tools, and techniques for using real property data to help communities facilitate neighborhood revitalization through a strategic, data-driven approach to code enforcement policies, programs, and tactics.
Public Health

Public Health

This brief synthesizes recent studies on the complexities of how blight affects the health of individuals and neighborhoods while offering a blend of policy and program recommendations
Strategic Code Enforcement

Strategic Code Enforcement

This brief outlines the policy and program contours of Strategic Code Enforcement including the core elements, principles, players, and policies within the political, market, and community dynamics.