This document discusses strategies for targeting resources to revitalize neighborhoods in legacy cities. It recommends using strategic incrementalism and data-driven approaches to determine the appropriate mix of demolition and preservation of vacant properties. Key factors to consider when identifying target areas and buildings for intervention include neighborhood conditions, assets, and stability. Criteria for prioritizing demolition or rehabilitation include the quality, condition, nuisance impact, contribution to neighborhood character, and reuse potential of specific buildings. Focusing resources in a strategic, incremental manner can catalyze further redevelopment in legacy cities.

1. STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM &
RESOURCE TARGETING
FOR THE REVITALIZATION OF LEGACY CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

2. ABOUT
GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTER
An outcome-oriented statewide
non-profit organization that
develops and implements
policies and practices to:
Revitalize Ohio’s urban
cores and metropolitan
regions
Achieve sustainable land use
and economic growth

3. INTRODUCTION
In legacy cities, many
neighborhoods hit hardest by
abandonment and blight still
have the “bones” to be quality
places to live and work.
Ohio and other legacy states
are well-positioned to leverage
these assets to attract and
build markets.

4. VACANT PROPERTY STRATEGIES
Legacy cities will need both
demolition and preservation to
return vacant properties to productive
reuse. The questions become,
How do non-profits and local
governments determine the right
mix of these strategies?
How do development officials
determine which strategies are
most appropriate given the unique
situations they are confronting?

5. STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM &
RESOURCE TARGETING
To answer these questions, this panel will discuss how strategic
incrementalism & data-driven resource targeting can be combined to create
effective strategies to catalyze redevelopment in legacy city neighborhoods
and maximize their historic attributes.

6. RESOURCE TARGETING
FOR THE REVITALIZATION OF LEGACY CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

7. WHY RESOURCE TARGETING IS CRITICAL TO
SUCCESSFUL REVITALIZATION
Not all properties can or should
be redeveloped
Strategic and targeted activities
maximize the impact of
available resources
Targeting key properties can
have transformative effects for
their surrounding areas

8. STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM
The key to successful
revitalization strategies is
to begin at a scale that is
targeted and doable, but
that can lead to longer-
term transformations.

9. DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
This presentation goes over how to build the underlying framework for
resource targeting, such as:
What metrics or indicators can development officials use to assess
markets and select target areas for investment?
What metrics or indicators can development officials use to guide decision
making on the demolition or preservation of particular buildings?

10. IDENTIFICATION OF
TARGET AREAS
BEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

11. WHY HAVE TARGET AREAS?
Targeting limited resources in
areas that can make a
comeback
Greater impact when the
rehabilitation of a building is in
coordination with a broader
district or neighborhood
revitalization strategy
Size of target area depends on
available resources

12. IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET
AREAS
The criteria in these sections of the chart can assist in the identification of target
areas:
Chart from “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by Alan
Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

13. TARGET AREA PLANS
Strategies for resource targeting should align with an appropriate
neighborhood type.

14. TIPPING POINT
NEIGHBORHOODS
In many cases, a community’s
redevelopment resources
should not be invested in
heavily abandoned areas, but
in areas where demo or
rehab of buildings is likely to
help stabilize neighborhood
conditions and property
values and create potential
reuse opportunities.
Tipping point neighborhoods
are often the most responsive
to targeted and coordinated
resources.

15. WHAT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING
NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS & TYPES
To assess neighborhood condition,
it can help to analyze the location
and density of:
Foreclosure activity
Owner-occupied buildings
Vacant properties
Property values (such as clusters
of high or low property values)
Historic districts and properties
Crime rates
Building code complaints

16. WHAT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING
NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS & TYPES
Equally important, it helps to
analyze the location and density of
neighborhood assets, such as:
Recent or proposed public or
private investments
Employment centers (e.g. local
companies)
Major institutions (e.g. local
universities or hospitals)
Community amenities (e.g. public
parks and spaces)

17. FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE
IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS
Neighborhoods that have the following features or ongoing activities
are likely to benefit the most from strategic resource targeting:
A strong social fabric, reflected in strong neighborhood or civic
associations or neighborhood-level institutions.
Active CDC-led stabilization or revitalization activities, preferably
but not necessarily grounded in a neighborhood or target area
plan.
Features that suggest greater market potential, such as
distinctive housing stock or location in close proximity to a strong
anchor institution.
A significant planned public investment in an area, such as a
new school or public transportation route.
Source: “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by
Alan Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

18. FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE
IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS
What are the set of priorities
identified by the county and
participating communities?
Does the preservation or
demolition strategy fit into the
local government’s
comprehensive plan of
redevelopment for the overall
community?

19. IDENTIFICATION OF
TARGET AREAS
It is important to seek information
and input from the community, as
well as representatives of CDCs
and other entities engaged in
neighborhood revitalization to help
evaluate specific target areas and
buildings.

20. TARGETING BUILDINGS FOR
PRESERVATION OR
DEMOLITION
BEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

21. TARGETING BUILDINGS
A property can be strategic due to a
combination of factors, such as:
Location, market demand, structure,
and historic value.
Presence within an area targeted for
revitalization activities (such as in
historic districts or neighborhood
gateways) or for their adjacency to
redevelopment or reuse projects.
Disproportionate impact on the
properties around them, whether
positive or negative.

22. CRITERIA FOR DEMO & REHAB
The criteria in this chart can assist in the selection of buildings for
rehab or demo:
Chart from “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by Alan
Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

23. WHY USE CRITERIA?
The use of criteria will not only
legitimize rehab & demo
decisions, but will also help to
maximize resources.
Quantifying metrics for criteria
can help with decision-making.
Metrics for criteria can also be
used to describe how activities
impact and aid target areas
and their surrounding
communities.

24. QUALITY & CHARACTER
OF BUILDING
Does the building have architectural or historical value, either in itself or as part
of a coherent ensemble?
Preserve
• Building is attractive, of
high quality, or of
architectural or historic
value.
Demolish
• Building is physically
obsolete.
EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

25. BUILDING CONDITION
What is the condition of the building and what is the likely cost to rehabilitate
it for productive use?
Preserve
• Building is in decent
condition.
• The value of the building
outweighs the cost of
rehab.
Demolish
• Building is physically
obsolete.
• The cost to rehab the
building significantly
outweighs its value.
EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

26. NUISANCE & BLIGHTING EFFECT
Does the building have a blighting effect on
the surrounding area, or does it constitute a
present or potential nuisance—a threat to
public health or safety?
Preserve
• The reuse potential of the building
outweighs the current harm that it
presents in its current condition
• Enhanced efforts are made to
secure or stabilize the property
• Political and/or public support for
preserving the building
Demolish
• The building’s nuisance impact and
the harm that it does in its present
condition (in the absence of
immediate reuse potential)
outweighs the benefits of saving it
for possible future use
EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

27. CONTRIBUTION TO
NEIGHBORHOOD TEXTURE
Does the presence of the building contribute meaningfully to the existing
neighborhood texture, and would it be compromised by the building’s
removal?
Preserve
• Building is located in an area
where the neighborhood fabric is
still strong.
• The building’s presence contributes
to the neighborhood fabric.
Demolish
• The building is located in an area
where the neighborhood fabric has
largely been lost through
incompatible land uses and
demolitions.
EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

28. REUSE POTENTIAL
What potential redevelopment or revitalization opportunities, if
any, are there for the building?
Preserve
• Demolition would result in an
unused vacant lot rather than an
opportunity for redevelopment or
revitalization.
• There is interest in reuse of the
building.
Demolish
• Demolition will facilitate a
comprehensive rebuilding or
revitalization strategy in the area.
• There is no immediate interest in
reuse of the building.
EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

29. EXAMPLES OF BUILDINGS
TARGETED FOR PRESERVATION
The Cleveland Arcade Erie Terminal in Youngstown
Capitol Theatre in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway

30. STRATEGIC
INCREMENTALISM
BEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

31. TARGETING RESOURCES IN
LEGACY CITIES
Focusing on the redevelopment
of a single property can
catalyze further development.
Legacy cities have significant
assets, including beautiful old
buildings and affordable
property, which should be
leveraged to ignite and respond
to market demand.
Strategic and targeted activities
maximize the impact of
available resources and can
lead to longer-term
transformations.

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