About

The BAD Buildings Program, which is made possible through funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, is a statewide initiative that provides technical assistance and site analysis tools to develop and enhance abandoned/dilapidated buildings programs in West Virginia communities. The program addresses barriers to identifying, prioritizing, and redeveloping BAD buildings. 

The BAD Buildings Model and tools support WV communities with limited local capacity and no abandoned/dilapidated buildings program. The model is based on the NBAC’s effective approach to brownfield redevelopment throughout the state. While not all abandoned/dilapidated buildings are brownfields, all brownfields can be viewed as abandoned/dilapidated buildings. The same challenges and opportunities surrounding a brownfield project are commonly encountered when addressing BAD Buildings.

The BAD Buildings Program was developed in response to a need in West Virginia for a citizen-based process for a community to understand the scope and challenges it faces in addressing local community blight. Through our regional work, we recognized that this was not a need unique to West Virginia and expanded our technical assistance to neighboring states in partnership with state agencies and local leaders.

---

Principles of the BAD Buildings Program

1. Local teams use a transparent and efficient process to identify, evaluate, and prioritize buildings targeted for demolition, deconstruction, or rehabilitation.
2. Local stakeholders determine priority criteria in order to most efficiently use limited resources targeted toward sites that will have the highest redevelopment impact.
3. An effective local effort includes all stakeholders throughout each step of the process.
4. An engaged and supportive local municipal government plays a vital role in the success of a BAD Buildings Program.