The Challenges of Vacant Property: New Data and Information Available Through the Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community Information System

PNCIS has recently acquired a new data source -- the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) database on vacant addresses, available in agreement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This set of quarterly information includes data on residential and commercial property addresses, vacant property addresses, and what the USPS calls “No-Stat” addresses. This allows answers to crucial questions regarding the number and location of abandoned or vacant properties. Most importantly, many neighborhoods are able to track how many properties there are and locate the vacant buildings scarring their neighborhood fabric.