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Buttigieg overcame the success of the 1000 Houses project when it was completed in 2015, and the city immediately reported preliminary data indicating a decrease in crime.
As his profile has grown, Buttigieg is referring to the 1000-house initiative when its record on economic and racial justice has been strengthened.
In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd earlier this month, Buttigieg noted that for many, it seemed that the economic recovery after the 2008 financial crisis never happened. But, he said, "we are doing it in the right direction."
"We made sure our neighborhoods were improved because the burn problem and vacant and abandoned properties hurt neighbors, especially in minority neighborhoods," Buttigieg said. "People did not think it could be done, but we treated 1,000 homes in 1,000 days by pooling resources, concentrating them, and working to solve the problem."
People living in the affected neighborhoods tell a more complicated story. They are still struggling with the impact of the program and are less sold on its successes.
Clouds of dust, which feared to contain lead and asbestos, were scattered demolition sites. Soon, wild animals, such as raccoons and marmots, appeared in people's homes. Vacant land, once home to ruined houses, became landfills as tall grasses grew.
"I think there was simply not a clear understanding of the domino effect – the real impact of what actions are going to be in the whole neighborhood," he said. Regina Williams-Preston, who represents the northwest of the city in its Common Council, a Board of Directors. "We basically exchanged one problem for another."
Years later, much of the grass is cut off, but problems remain. The vacant lots are untapped, economic opportunities are minimal and the crime rate is up from 2012. The shootings, in the spirit of many, have not diminished.
James Kelly, a Notre Dame professor who co-chaired Buttigieg's 1,000-house working group, said the group had been careful not to promise economic growth beyond what was possible and appropriate.
"I think we knew that the idea of dealing with vacant property issues was to set the stage for new growth, but that growth was appropriate," Kelly said. "It was not to promise people that if we proceeded to the demolition, their communities would look like what they were before the closure of Studebaker.On the contrary, it was a necessary step."
Despite the warning, some say they want development to be faster. Tim Scott, a member of the task force who is now chairman of the city's town council, said he was "rather anxious as we entered and worked in the neighborhoods right away".
"But Buttigieg's administration has taken a systematic approach to properly sizing houses, looking at data and seeing where we are," he said. "For me, we are really in phase 2. After all these years, we are in phase two."
Pamela Meyer, director of neighborhood development for South Bend, said that "most of us would say without fear that we all want things to go faster", but it takes time to own vacant land and to develop them, you need resources.
"We do not receive $ 20 million a year in federal resources, but about $ 2 million, so we're talking about a handful of properties we could work on annually," she said.
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