Transforming Public Nuisances into Community Assets: A Before and After Look at Abandoned Properties in Puerto Rico

Keywords: Public Nuisance Management, Community Development, Property Rehabilitation, Affordable Housing, Community Resilience
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

The Center for Habitat Reconstruction (CRH) is the only non-profit organization in Puerto Rico exclusively focused on mitigating the issue of blighted and abandoned properties through a cross-sector approach. Our initiatives prioritize collaborative planning and the use of GIS to support the transformation of public nuisances into assets that contribute to community development and resilience. CRH offers technical assistance to communities and local governments interested in rehabilitating blighted properties, encouraging the creation of affordable housing, civic centers, and public spaces essential for sustainable and safe neighborhoods. This poster highlights CRH’s public nuisance management programs, including before-and-after examples of once-abandoned properties that are now restored and inhabited, and vacant lots that have been cleared of illegal dumping and revitalized.