No one expected the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) would choose the Cuyahoga Land Bank to illustrate how America's cities are responding to the foreclosure crisis - but perhaps we should have.  After all, with some 13,000 vacant or abandoned houses - and another 20,000 to 30,000 more expected in the next several years, according to Gus Frangos, president of the Land Bank - few cities can illustrate the urgency of the country's housing problems more clearly than Cleveland...Read More 

We take it for granted that firefighters know what to do when they rescue someone from a collapsed building - but how do they train for such a job?

"Thanks to the Land Bank, we know can go into real collapsed homes for our training, says Ron James, head of Urban Search and Rescue Operations for Region 2 (five counties in Northeast Ohio), the team that rescues people from collapsed structures...Read More

Berea was ready to create a new Uptown District - a blending of homes, small commercial businesses, entertainment spots and green space - but one factor stood in the way: a pair of vacant auot dealerships on Front Street.

The old Williams Ford and Serpentini Ford buildings had been purchased by the City of Berea and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) years ago, to make way for a new freeway overpass as part of the redevelopment project.  But demolishing such a massive property was a huge undertaking and hugely expensive... Read More