Posted Nov 27, 2020, 3:44 AM
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I Couldn't Tell Anyone
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: The City Of Philadelphia
Posts: 15,988
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Philadelphia's problem is 100% political.
Affordability is not an issue here on the macro level. Compared to 'peer' cities Philadelphia is a tremendous bargain. Ours is an issue of income. The difference between what $2K a month will get you in Philadelphia versus NYC or DC is outright cartoonish. Taxation and the policies promulgated by bigwigs in City Hall are fiercely anti-growth and anti-urban. This is the case largely due to the puffed up boogeyman of gentrification which in this city is shorthand for any type of change or improvement made or endorsed by someone who hasn't lived here for more than 20 years. It is a very Philadelphia phenomenon.
Land banks and housing trusts only go so far here because short-sighted agencies can't see more than six feet in front of them which is sad because many property owners in this city would readily take advantage of existing programs meant to help them update/repair their properties if only the process was more straightforward and if information about it was more accessible.
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