abandoned buildingsIMPACT LAB | TEAM 02 | Kenneth Chu, Rene Cuenca, Eleni Katrini, Robyn Lambert, Anna Malone

why we care?

“Both people and land lie at the heart of

community . . . We are stewards of land, and

it supports and protects us; we neglect and

abuse land, and it soon mirrors our fractured

community”-Frank S. Alexander, Sam

Nunn Professor of Law at Emory University

School of Law and cofounder of the Center for Community Progress

what are the financial costs?

Vacant properties consume $20 million in city services a year. $8 million goes to code enforcement, boarding up buildings and demolition.

Direct Costs:

● code enforcement

● police and fire

● public works

● demolition

● Loss of tax revenues

Indirect Costs:

● Decreased property values

sources: http://pittsburghquarterly.com/images/pdfs/PQfall11_BLIGHT.pdf http://planningpa.org/wp-content/uploads/E2.-Fight-Blight-Lewis.pdf

what are the community implications?

The Broken Window theory suggests a broken window

left unrepaired leads to others being broken. This gives

the feeling no one cares about the neighborhood and

further lowers moral.

Places shouldering the biggest burden of vacant and abandoned properties are

usually the most economically fragile.

High vacancy rates correlate to high crime rates. Communities with more

vacant properties have more violent crimes.

sources: http://pittsburghquarterly.com/images/pdfs/PQfall11_BLIGHT.pdf

what’s the situation in PGH?

2010vacancy

rates

50%

27.5%

25%

12.5%

0%

PGH average 13%

Middle Hill 18.9%

Wilkinsburg 19%

East Liberty 13.2%

Friendship 7.9%

sources: http://www.rtpittsburgh.org/wilkinsburg/ - http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/PGHSNAP_v2.02.pdf

wilkinsburg borough

middle hill

homewood

bedford dwellings

who’s working on the problem?

vacant lot

and blight

toolkits

PA

Building

Alliance

what are the challenges?

Most of the work currently is being done on vacant lots, rather than building

structures, because abandoned buildings face the following problems:

TAX

DELINQUENCY

1

STRUCTURAL

SAFETY

3 4

MISSING

OWNER

2

RED TAPE

BUREAUCRACY

existing tools

where is the gap?

The existing tools and programs target

prescriptive, long-term change,

but do not engage a cultural change

in the community and how people

perceive blight.

we’re asking the community!

FOUR LOCATIONS1 in Hill District

3 in Wilkinsburg Borough

what did they answer?...

milestones + next steps

bridging the gapIn South Bend, Indiana, they have

implemented an “Adopt-a-Block” program

whereby residents take ownership of a

block and regularly, as a group, maintain

every property in the neighborhood.

They have also created the “What Can

You Do” resource program, which offers

people in the community access to

interactive maps and a Resident

Information Booklet.

Instead of giving community members tools to do what

we think they should do, let’s empower them to do

what they think they should do