There are still neighborhoods with a lot of zombie properties from the bust but there are also a lot of areas which have recovered nicely since the crisis and are thriving.

Second year beginning to recover, and third year now thriving :)Lessons learned?

With regard to Central City specifically, it was once a thriving immigrant stronghold, then fell into disrepair—except for the recent revival of Oretha Castle Haley (OCH) Boulevard, which is certainly worth visiting.

Seems I read a thread a while back about how you got started buying properties with credit cards or something like that and now you've got a thriving business.  

It's either low rents, or the high prices, and they have to work for an economy to thrive.My take on Long Island is that in order for it to thrive, there needs to be a city tax instead of a school property tax (just for school funding).

Creative and sky is the limit. from is flat piece of dirt and turn it into nice housing that people will enjoy living there is rewarding and a sense of great accomplishment. 3. skill building, it require many areas of expertise from start to finish. the amount of knowledge and skills one will learn is a lot more than just flips or buy and hold. from the understanding of zoning, city planning, drafting up plan with architect and engineer, approvals, documentations and financing. the list goes on and on. maybe this is as much as a cons than a pros depends on how one sees it. 4. development low income housing, we have a housing crisis, and developer are not focusing on people with low income, they have their eyes on where the money is. dealing with state programs can be lengthy but worth the effort in my opinion if the outcome is to build something that is profitable at the same time giving family a better home/environment so their kids can thrive.

How are the compassionate abused while the heartless thrive? 

To me it’s a shame bc at the end of the day STRs are what attract the young, scrappy, business women and men who starting businesses and hemp and area thrive.

I'm hoping my finance degree, banking experience, maturity and entrepreneurial experience will make me a good candidate to join a thriving and healthy team.I too will have fun crafting a creative linkage to founding, owning and managing an early childhood English immersion Montessori Center in Beijing to my new career.

What goes into making the city's economy stable and thriving?