In communities from Baltimore, Maryland to San Francisco, California; from Tacoma, Washington, to Edenton, North Carolina, people are transforming vacant properties from eyesores into assets that can provide new housing, revive commercial districts, encourage new industries to invest, and offer parkland and green space where it is most needed. The regenerative projects featured here tell stories of success with vacant properties, successes that all began when someone simply looked at them as places instead of problems, and asked the right questions about what they could become.

These projects were born of the creativity and determination by many different stakeholders. In some cases revitalization was led by residents and community development organizations, in others it was the city leaders, the preservation community, or a private developer. An internationally-renowned artist and a world famous musician even made projects happen.

Scroll through the gallery or narrow down your search by selecting specific criteria. Whether you’re interested in historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, or mixed-use projects that join housing, retail, green space, and transit; whether you’re thinking about how to reuse a single, small parcel or a 100-acre site, there are stories here to provide you with great ideas.

This site is a work in progress; we are completing additional case studies and hope that you will share the most interesting, challenging, and catalytic projects that have inspired you. Contact us to submit project ideas.