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What’s the deal with rural land banks? A Q&A with West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation Executive Director Taylor Bennett

Center for Community Progress

Land banks are a powerful tool to address vacant properties in rural communities, and West Virginia passed land bank enabling legislation in 2014. We spoke with Taylor Bennett , Executive Director of the West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation (WVLSC). Bennett has served as the Executive Director of WVLSC since 2021.

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Vacant Land is More Than a Single Lot—it’s a System.

Center for Community Progress

Vacant lots are often viewed as pieces within larger systems, such as urban planning or community development, or overlooked entirely. Redefining vacant land as a system also highlights the importance of engaging stakeholders in achieving community development goals. appeared first on Center for Community Progress.

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New Report on Ten Years of Land Banking in New York Offers Compelling Metrics of Success, Useful Lessons, and a Lot of Inspiration

Center for Community Progress

By Tarik Abdelazim , Director, National Technical Assistance, Center for Community Progress Before I came to Community Progress, I spent eight years in public service in my hometown, Binghamton, New York. They can break the cycle of disinvestment and decline and pave the way to more equitable, inclusive, and resilient communities.

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Lessons from 2022 VAD Academy

Center for Community Progress

But conditions in the community development landscape can also change quickly. In an example that West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation Executive Director Taylor Bennett shared, property tax sale process reform efforts in West Virginia had stalled.

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Revisiting the Community Land Trust: An Academic Literature Review

Community and Economic Development Program of UNC

CLTs offer reliable stewardship of community land assets and a long-term promise of affordable housing (Davis 2010). Community Land Trusts and State Legislation: A Model Act to Enable This Affordable Housing Tool.” Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law 26, no. Decker, Andrew.

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Resident Engagement in Vacant Lot Greening: Empowering Communities for Neighborhood Revitalization

Center for Community Progress

Greening not only remediates physical conditions, but also can add value by repurposing lots to benefit communities. Because of its connection to many critical development and ecological issues, vacant land maintenance and greening have the potential to be catalysts for broader community development and regeneration efforts.

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How the Tri-COG Land Bank is Transforming Vacant Properties in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Center for Community Progress

Established, in partnership with five other regional entities focused on community revitalization, the Equitable Communities Collaborative , to develop a more intentional, strategic, and comprehensive community development service delivery model. Click here to learn more about our services and approach.