Center for Land Economics
2025 J.M.K. Innovation Prize Awardee
Land is a
Big Deal
Building fairer, more prosperous communities through centering land in economic policy.
SubscribeThe Center for Land Economics conducts research and provides education to promote equitable assessments and foster sustainable development for the benefit of communities.
Our Work
Ideas to Action
Progress and Poverty Substack
The pulse of land value taxes: Weekly updates, thought-provoking commentary, and much more on Progress and Poverty.
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Ideas to Action
Mass Appraisal for the Masses
Modern, cutting-edge, free and open source mass appraisal toolkit for researchers, analysts, governments, and everybody else.
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Ideas to Action
Land Value Tax Research
In-depth LVT modeling, data-driven insights, and comprehensive reports illuminating the story of cities through land value.
Syracuse Study
Ideas to Action
CivicMapper
Interactive 3D mapping for visualizing land values and urban potential.
Visit CivicMapperIn the News
Baltimore Banner ↗
Baltimore's vacants are chronically undervalued — but things are improving
The Baltimore Banner covers the Center for Land Economics' report finding that Baltimore's vacant properties are assessed at a fraction of their market value, enabling speculation while shortchanging city revenue.
Central Current ↗
A State Bill Could Reshape Property Taxes in Syracuse — and Spur Development
City officials are exploring a land value tax shift informed by analysis from the Center for Land Economics showing tax relief for residents and stronger incentives to develop vacant and underused parcels.
Spokesman Review ↗
Spokane leaders eye property tax reform to promote building
Spokane leaders are advancing a land-value tax pilot proposal informed by analysis from the Center for Land Economics, which would shift property taxes off new buildings and onto vacant lots and parking lots to curb speculation and accelerate housing development.
New America ↗
Tax Land, Not Buildings, to Spur Development
Greg Miller writes in The Rooftop series for New America on the need to center property tax reform in discussions on housing supply. Cities should start by taxing land, not buildings.
Realtor ↗
The Squares That Guarantee a Real Estate Win
Lars Doucet of the Center for Land Economics explains how Monopoly's Georgist origins mirror today's housing affordability crisis—and why land value taxes are gaining real-world momentum as a path toward housing abundance.
Realtor ↗
Could the Land Value Tax Solve the Housing Shortage?
Greg Miller of CLE makes the case that shifting property taxes from buildings onto land through a land value tax could unlock faster housing production.
News10 ↗
NY land value tax proposed to make housing affordable
New York legislators are proposing a land value tax pilot program, an idea backed by experts from the Center for Land Economics.
StrongTowns ↗
Connecting Value Creation with Value Capture
Greg Miller presents at the Strong Towns National Gathering on the need to consider land value taxes to unlock the market toward infill development.
Baltimore Banner ↗
State chronically undervalues vacant land in Baltimore
The Baltimore Banner speaks with the Center for Land Economics covering CLE's report uncovering systematic undervaluation of vacant land in Baltimore.
Complex Systems ↗
Tax the dirt, with Lars Doucet & Greg Miller
Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is joined by Lars Doucet and Greg Miller to discuss shifting taxes from buildings to land, assessment trade-offs, and practical paths to better local property tax policy.
The Economist's Favorite Tax
Land is a limited resource and a vital input to economic activity. Markets should award productivity from the use of land, not from land ownership itself. That's why a land value tax, which discourages speculation and promotes fair use, is known as the “economist's favorite tax.”