With its proximity to waterways such as the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal, as well as its proximity to natural resources such as coal, much of Central and Western Pennsylvania, Western New York, Ohio, Michigan, Northern Indiana and Illinois, and Eastern Wisconsin became the United States' primary center for manufacturing and industry, primarily the Steel and Automobile industries. As these cities began to thrive and expand, increasingly wealthy residents began to move to the first suburbs but the introduction of more foreign goods to the market through free trade agreements and the appeal of the Sun-belt's lack of harsh weather and cheaper land and taxes saw industry start to leave the Rust-Belt quickly starting in the 1970s. As a result, cities that were designed to double in size shrank by half, leaving behind oversized infrastructure and a lack of jobs. Several of the Rustbelt cities have lost considerable population, but their greater metropolitan areas have in many cases actually grown, leaving the city's population as representative of a much smaller percentage of the greater metropolitan area than it once did, leaving a shrinking tax base due to middle-class flight from the city. As a result, vacancy and blight characterize many of these cities and first ring suburbs.
Wilkinsburg, a first-ring suburb of Pittsburgh, has several vacant properties and has been a low-income neighborhood for many years, with a high level of Section 8 Housing and low property values. The loss of businesses and population have further depressed those that remain, making it difficult for residents to bring about change. While several initiatives have begun in recent years, one of the keys to revitalizing Wilkinsburg will be reducing blight associated with vacant properties.
150 Feet: -$7,627
300 Feet: -$6,819
450 Feet: -$3,452
* Info Based on Temple University Center for Public Policy and Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project, "Blight Free Philadelphia: A Public Private Strategy to Create and Enhance Neighborhood Value." Philadelphia, 2001.
The Housing stock in Wilkinsburg is very similar to that of Pittsburgh's east end neighborhoods, such as Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. 40% of the homes were built before 1940, and most are two or three stories with a concrete block basement. Front Yard setbacks range from zero to twenty feet, side yards from eight to fifteen feet, and rear yards are typcially fifteen to forty feet in depth. About half of the properties in the Borough have garage structures; of these, the majority are in a dilapidated state. Despite similar age, size, physical character, and being less than 3 miles away, the homes in Wilkinsburg sell for a mere fraction of those in Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. Recent property sales in Wilkinsburg of homes for $3,000-$30,000 have nearly identical construction to homes in Shadyside or Squirrel Hill that have sold for upwards of $500,000. While the condition of the Shadyside and Squirrel Hill homes is likely far better as they have been kept up and would require little work, the difference in price cannot be attributed to that factor alone. Reducing vacant properties and improving the condition of the housing stock in Wilkinsburg has the potential to see property values increase dramatically and perhaps one day approach those of Shadyside, resulting in a higher tax base that can provide better services and support and revitalize the business district.
