The meeting also didn't consider issues identified by HUD funded research. Issues with housing inspections are one of the most common reasons for landlord reluctance. (8/10)

Unfortunately, HACP director Caster Binion did not have good answers to the problems. He went on a bizarre tangent about using AI that left the impression he didn't have serious solutions. (6/10)

Kendall Pelling, the Executive Director of another non-profit, described how it takes months to schedule the inspections the program requires. He said the Allegheny County Housing Authority is more prompt and organized. (5/10)

Glenn Williams, the Executive Director of one housing non-profit, described how vacancies caused by the Housing Authority cost thousands of dollars. (4/10)

At a recent city council meeting, Barb Warwick engaged landlords to try and find solutions. The meeting was a good first step, but it also made clear the scope of the problems. (3/10)

The HCV program is administered by the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP). Suffering from high staff-turnover, HACP has struggled to make timely rent payments and is a bureaucratic challenge for landlords to work with. (2/10)

🧵One of the most impactful things Pittsburgh could do to help people afford housing is improve the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Thousands are currently on the waiting list for vouchers, but it is difficult to find enough landlords who will work with the program. (1/10)

Lobbyists are paid, so the implication is that their beliefs aren't sincerely held. Barb is falsely accusing people she disagrees with of being lobbyists.

Getting to interact with diverse people from around the country and world is also an intrinsic good. I am glad my kids get to interact with kids with diverse backgrounds at school. Having the housing for people to move here is necessary for that. 7/7

When I lived in Monroeville I would often visit Pittsburgh, congesting its roads and using city services without paying taxes. Now that I live in the city its easier for me to walk and use transit, I pay taxes and utility bills to maintain our city's aging infrastructure. 5/7

There are some exceptions, if the new housing replaces a blighted eyesore, it can make the area so much nicer that landlords can charge higher rents despite the higher supply. However, this is still a reason to build. It's good for our neighborhoods to be nicer! 3/7

City Council and the Planning Commission would do well to consider this study as they evaluate the mayor's proposal to expand the IZ program citywide. A better approach would be to scrap this failed experiment where it exists within the city. 2/2.

Having shared amenities was one of the things I really liked when I lived in a high rise. I couldn't afford the expense of a private pool on a property I exclusively own, but it was great having one in a shared building and I enjoyed the spontaneous social encounters with neighbors.

The closest thing to this that I've experienced in Pittsburgh is a townhome development close to where I live in Squirrel Hill. The homes share a green space free from cars. Having a shared space allows for serendipitous encounters and for the maintenance costs to be shared.