New York City housing abandonment (1970s)
In the 1970s, thousands of New York City landlords walked away from buildings rather than pay rising costs and fix code violations. The city took title through tax foreclosure and became landlord to tens of thousands of units.
The city seized, managed, or demolished abandoned buildings at large scale.
New York City ended up owning a vast housing stock and later shifted many buildings to tenant cooperatives and community groups.
Shows the end of the ladder Fresno is climbing: cities escalate from fines toward ownership when owners refuse to fix violations.
