Growth and development in Chicago’s suburbs and exurbs has stalled since the housing downturn. According to Census Bureau, Chicago’s surrounding areas were some of the fastest growing in the country until 2009/2010, and after which they’ve claimed the title of holding Illinois’ top foreclosure rates. Many of Chicago’s far-flung housing developments were the hardest hit by the
-> Continue reading Chicago Exurbs See a Bust After a Long Boom
Community residents throughout the country have seen properties abandoned and subjected to negligence. Hundreds of these deteriorated properties are owned by banks – Bank of America and Wells Fargo, among others. And although, these banks claim they strive to comply with property codes and act upon foreclosure policies “that aim to protect properties and communities,”
-> Continue reading The Public Protests Deterioration of Bank-Owned Vacant Property
Two years ago, the Cuyahoga Couty Land Reutilization Corporation (CCLRC) was created. The organization, also known as the Land Bank, is a non-profit corporation committed to community revitalization. Since its inception, CCLRC strives to acquire abandoned properties and give them to communities for redevelopment or designate them for demolition, effectively combating the real estate speculation
-> Continue reading Cuyahoga County Land Bank is Successful!
Census data has revealed that the deep recession, plunging property values, and rising foreclosures have combined to intensify the rising vacancy rate in west Michigan. Although plagued by property vacancies, west Michigan cities utilize many approaches to encourage homeownership in the area: The cities of Grand Rapids and of Wyoming and Kent county received $11 million
-> Continue reading West Michigan Cities Work to Restore Homeownership
Since 1980, the Superfund Program has made considerable progress toward cleaning up contaminated sites and responding to emergencies involving hazardous substances. Green remediation is the practice of considering all environmental effects of remedy implementation and incorporating options to minimize the environmental footprints of cleanup actions. Green remediation strategies may help decrease the ecological footprint and
-> Continue reading EPA’s Superfund Green Remediation Strategy