In the presented paper, we estimate the impacts of three distinct housing policy interventions to deal with distressed and abandoned residential properties: leaving vacant buildings in their current state, remodeling/rebuilding residential structures, and razing vacant structures. We show that vacant structures negatively impact nearby housing up to 4.1%, but when demolition is followed by complete reconstruction, neighboring housing can be appreciated by as much as 14.1%. In addition, negative spillover effects from foreclosures and vacant buildings are primarily observed in low‐income and middle‐income Census tracts, whereas positive spillover effects generated by remodeling are seen in high‐income Census tracts.

In our Waypoints: Community Indicator series, the Island Institute, a community development organization, presents current data on the character along the coast and islands of Maine. Data show that climate change is already having detrimental effects on the island community of Vinalhaven, and the projections indicate it will only get worse. However, the topics of sea level rise and climate change are difficult to broach because of the complexity of the subject and the polarized views associated with it. An economic impact study, through collaboration with engaged community members, quantified the cost of sea level rise to the community if no action was taken. Through the work of data collaboration and the tenacity of the Sea Level Rise Committee, sentiment in Vinalhaven is slowly shifting and sea level rise is becoming an accepted fact. This book chapter will use the Vinalhaven example to explore the power of working with a community to forge ahead when a monumental problem seems insurmountable.