Provides insights from law, economics, planning, and design to address all sides of the issue of abandoned and vacant, from how abandonment can be prevented to how best to bring these properties back into productive reuse. It is replete with examples of how cities, community development corporations, and others have devised creative, effective solutions.

This second edition of Alan Mallach's now classic work contains new material that directly addresses the issues that have arisen as communities across the country try to stabilize their neighborhoods in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. Mallach explores the concept of neighborhood stability and explains how it relates to the economic forces affecting a community, city, or region. As in the prior volume, this updated edition of Bringing Buildings Back does not seek simply to provide technical guidance to practitioners; it also suggests creative ways of thinking about local policies, strategies, and actions.