Very true. The reality is that you can’t ask people to rehab or rebuild for less than it costs. Asking a carpenter to work for free or half off so that someone can have housing isn’t sustainable and businesses can’t (not won’t) participate in it.

The good news is that there are a lot of ways to ensure that the new homes prevent displacement and fight gentrification; however, this outcome would involve subsidization and public private partnerships. The end result could be low income households (50-80% AMI) being able to own high quality homes in improving neighborhoods with good access to jobs, services, and amenities. This is within reach without levying new tax revenues. But this is unlikely to occur in the near future.

But hey, keep Pittsburgh shitty!