Land Use Law Commons^™

Second Chances For The Second City's Vacant Properties: An Analysis Of Chicago's Policy Approaches To Vacancy, Abandonment, & Blight, Elizabeth Butler

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Addressing the externalities of vacancy and blight is a major challenge for the Chicago metropolitan area. While neighborhoods on the South and West sides of Chicago struggle with blight, neglect, and abandonment, downtown Chicago and the northern neighborhoods and suburbs experience stronger market conditions. This crisis has amplified entrenched socioeconomic divisions and ultimately burdens the entire region by perpetuating a cycle of poverty, violence, and physical and social disorder that tarnish Chicago’s image.

This Note outlines Chicago’s vacant property challenge by discussing the history of urban decline in Chicago. It examines factors that led to a high level of vacant …

Superiority Of Remediation Liens: A Cure To The Virus Of Blight, Marilyn Uzdavines

University of Baltimore Law Review

Blight in a neighborhood is like a virus that spreads throughout the community. If left unchecked, that virus will destroy the community. In cities like Detroit, the spread of blight has ruined the economy and led to a dramatic plunge in population and the underfunding of city services. Blighted communities have transformed into vast swathes of abandoned properties that attract crime and create hazardous conditions to anyone who dares to remain in them. Although cities like Detroit have received exceptional media attention due to their overwhelming problems, blight continues to affect Detroit and communities in many states across the United …