I’ve used some examples of communities around the country that are facing high vacancy rates in order to illustrate their different characteristics and the different origins of their vacancy problems. Taking account of such differences will be important in crafting solutions to the problems caused by those vacancies.
Hopefully, these examples and other ideas that have been shared throughout this conference will inspire new and creative solutions to the difficult issues faced by communities. Certainly, different housing markets will recover in different ways and at different paces. In some areas, the private market will lead the way, while in others, government will have to use precious resources wisely to catalyze recovery.