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Block By Block: Equitable Sales Strategies for Detroit’s Claytown, Nardin Park, and Northeast

Cameron Carley, Kayla Hunter, Sam Kollar, Janney Lockman, Jiawen Qiao, Brittany Simmons, Sherelle Streeter, Rebeca Villegas, James Wooldridge
Abstract The Detroit Land Bank Authority owns nearly 90,000 properties, one-quarter of which contain vacant residential structures. DLBA houses are concentrated in areas with high rates of vacancy and low home values, and the agency sought creative strategies to return vacant houses to productive use in three challenged neighborhoods. Through best practice research, demographic analysis and interviews with residents, community leaders and real estate professionals, students developed six strategies with 16 recommendations for DLBA leadership. Block-level sales strategies, based on a unique block typology system, form a central focus of the report. Above all, proactive community engagement efforts are encouraged…