Abandoned factories tagged with graffiti. Vacant properties marked by broken windows and overgrown lawns. This hour, we consider the impact of urban blight on communities and hear how some local municipalities are working to improve quality of life.
We check in with the cities of Waterbury and Hartford, where significant strides have been made to survey and address blight.
We also talk with Laura Bliss of CityLab and with a housing official in Baltimore. How effective has the Maryland city’s Vacants to Value program been at reducing the number of vacant, blighted properties? We find out.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
GUESTS:
- Dan Pesce - Community Development Planner for the City of Waterbury, Connecticut
- Laura Settlemyer - Director of Blight Remediation for the City of Hartford, Connecticut and Chairperson of the Hartford Land Bank, Inc. (@LauraSettlemyer)
- Laura Bliss - West coast bureau chief for CityLab (@mslaurabliss)
- Jalal "Jay" Greene - Chief Operations Officer for the Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development in Baltimore, Maryland
Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on June 20, 2019.
