The Empty House Next Door : Understanding and Reducing Vacancy and Hypervacancy in the United States

Renowned city planner and housing advocate Alan Mallach assesses the problem of vacant properties in the United States and recommends mitigation strategies for local officials, nonprofits, and community leaders. Vacancies in the United States skyrocketed during the Great Recession. While many cities with robust demand for housing have recovered, the picture is very different in the nation's legacy cities--the former industrial centers of the American heartland. The examples in this report illustrate creative strategies to reduce the harm caused by vacant properties, jump-start housing markets in struggling neighborhoods, create the potential for future revival, and transform vacant properties into community assets.