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 brownfield, abandoned, and dilapidated 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. The BAD Buildings Model and tools support WV communities with limited local capacity and no abandoned/dilapidated buildings program.
In 2017, based on significant interest and potential for growth, the BAD Buildings program rebranded as WVU BAD Buildings to embrace its home at West Virginia’s flagship university and to affirm its leadership in the field addressing abandoned and dilapidated buildings in rural communities. WVU BAD Buildings continues the strong work at the community level and is now better positioned for growth and strong partnership development as an action and thought leader on this critical issue.
Principles of the BAD Buildings Program
- Local teams use a transparent and efficient process to identify, evaluate, and prioritize buildings targeted for demolition, deconstruction, or rehabilitation.
- Local stakeholders determine priority criteria in order to most efficiently use limited resources targeted toward sites that will have the highest redevelopment impact.
- An effective local effort includes all stakeholders throughout each step of the process.
- An engaged and supportive local municipal government plays a vital role in the success of a BAD Buildings Program.