Redevelopment of vacant land in the blighted neighbourhoods of Cleveland, Ohio, resulting from the housing foreclosure crisis

Abstract

This paper reviews the causes and impacts of the housing and subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis in the US and the responses of the federal, state and municipal governments. In particular, its focus is the impact of the large number of housing foreclosures and abandoned vacant houses on the city of Cleveland, OH, and its neighbourhoods. Despite the absence of a housing bubble, this city, long in decline, has been one of the earliest and hardest hit by the crisis. In addition to identifying the responses of the city and the surrounding county, the future of the city once the crisis subsides is discussed. Four different scenarios for the reuse of vacant land resulting from the abandonment and demolition of blighted housing are reviewed, concluding with the need for engaging residents and coordinating the complex planning needed for redevelopment.