Vacant blocks may consist of a single property or many properties, and history is key to understanding why it is abandoned. If it once had a single use, like a factory, then the cause of abandonment may be relatively simple. But if the block once contained many homes, the explanation may be more complex: it may, for example, be the site of a former cave-in over a buried stream. A vacant block often becomes a dump for trash and construction debris.

For more on Vacant Blocks and their potential future use, see Vacant Urban Land: A Resource for Reshaping Urban Neighborhoods.

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