https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200803140006.htm

This study, by Daniel Kuhlmann, assistant professor of community and regional planning at Iowa State University, was published recently in the peer-reviewed Journal of Planning Education and Research. He examined whether the demolition of dilapidated and abandoned housing affects the maintenance decisions of nearby homeowners.

In the wake of the 2008 recession, many cities experienced an increase in the number of vacant and abandoned houses. Some cities, such as Cleveland and Detroit, received federal funding to acquire vacant properties through land bank programs. While land banks were able to remodel and sell some of these properties, for the most distressed houses, demolition was the only option.