If you haven’t seen the Shelterforce interview with Ocwen CEO, Ron Faris, see it here. Faris looked early at what was happening to loan collateral on streets and in neighborhoods in 2004 and attributes Ocwen’s early progressive approach to loan modification, including principal reduction, to a recognition of realities on the ground. True, the GSEs
-> Continue reading Good News From A Servicer
Professionals in neighborhood development organizations, code enforcement and eviction courts have unhesitatingly panned the concept of putting vacant REO housing into the hands of national corporate landlords. The main beneficiaries of this may be civil rights and tenant rights attorneys in states where they can get fees from landlords in litigation. The enthusiasm for the
-> Continue reading REO to Rental — A Good Idea?
Distressed Cities Sponsored by the Ridenour Faculty Fellowship Fund, Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs will be hosting a two day conference on Distressed Cities, on April 12-13, 2012, in Blacksburg, VA. The conference will foster a broad, interdisciplinary exploration of the concept of distressed cities and the implications for policy and practice.
-> Continue reading Distressed Cities
Funders play an essential role in repurposing vacant properties for productive reuse. The Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities recently released a report that provides a comprehensive definition of urban agriculture and outlines several ways in which funders can support this innovative reuse strategy. For the full report, click: Investing in Healthy, Sustainable Places
-> Continue reading Investing in Healthy, Sustainable Places through Urban Agriculture
In January 2011, Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Neighborhood Progress Inc. collaborated to develop a new resource for the productive reuse of vacant property. Re-Imagining Cleveland: Ideas to Action Resource Book describes 11 reuse strategies, provides recommendations on how to plan a community reuse project, and gives an overiview of cost estimates for each
-> Continue reading Re-Imagining Cleveland: Ideas to Action Resource Book