Desen Lin, an assistant professor of finance in Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics, was selected as a 2024 Lincoln Institute Scholar by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Since 2010, the scholar program has invited junior scholars in the field of public finance and urban economics to present their studies at the Lincoln House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a three-day conference on urban economics and public finance. In addition to the research presentations, the program offers the opportunity for junior scholars to interact with leading scholars in public finance and urban economics through research seminars, workshops on career advice and junior-senior mentoring sessions.
Lin, joining three other junior scholars in the cohort, presented a paper, “From Vacancy to Verdancy? The Impact of Land Options on the Timing of Vacant Lot Investment.” In this paper recently accepted for publication by the journal Real Estate Economics, Lin examines how the Philadelphia’s LandCare Program, a longstanding community vacant lot greening initiative administered by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, can enhance land value, reduce vacancy and expedite investment in distressed communities. The study makes policy recommendation on where to prioritize greening investment under a constrained program budget and provide guidance to post-industrial cities urging to address persistent hyper-vacancy issues.