Tracy M' Soska and Sungsoo Hwang

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The Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community
Information System www.pghnis.pitt.edu Presentatio
n for Pennsylvania Geospatial Policy
Symposium State Capitol Building Harrisburg,
PA October 4, 2007

• Tracy M. Soska and Sungsoo Hwang
• University of Pittsburgh
• University Center for Social and Urban Research

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Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community Information
System --

• University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and
  Urban Research
• Carnegie Mellon Center for Economic Development
• City of Pittsburgh
• Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood
  Development
• 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania

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Community Information Systems Overview

• Collect integrated information on community
  conditions, and provide it to local stakeholders
• Use address-level data collected from multiple
  data sources on an ongoing basis
• Empower community leaders through the regular,
  direct use of information on a wide array of
  topics and issues

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Pittsburgh Neighborhood Community (PNCIS)

• Supports efforts to reduce blight, promote
  neighborhood investment, and improve communities
• Collects, maintains, and analyzes
  neighborhood-based data
• Respects agreements with data providers and data
  users
• Empowers community leaders and users through
  access to information and encourages
  participation.

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Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community
Information System (PNCIS)

• Administrative data from the City of Pittsburgh,
  Allegheny County, and other sources.
• Promote and assist in neighborhood development
  and/ or revitalization in the City of Pittsburgh
  and its surrounding communities.

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Over 50 Key Measures from a Variety of Data
Sources

• Crimes
• Nuisance bars
• Building code violations
• Condemnations
• Demolitions
• Fires
• Delinquent taxes
• Property ownership
• Vacancy
• Land use
• Property unfit for human habitation
• Building permits
• Tax liens
• Property condition
• Demographics
• Street trees
• Utility shutoffs
• Postal change of address

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Administrative Paper Trails

• Anytime there is an
• Application
• Violation
• Permit
• Observation
• Report
• Payment/Non-payment
• Legal Filing
• Utility Shutoff
• there will probably
  be a record

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For Community Organizations --Some Questions to
Consider

• Why do you need information?
• What data will best relate to your key issues?
• Who has the information that you need?
• How are you going to use the data to make an
  impact?

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Making an Impact with Information

• Target interventions
• Monitor conditions
• Improve planning
• Evaluate impacts
• Advocate for community conditions

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School Safety
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Quality of Life

• Tagtracker Graffiti reporting tool
• Allows for citizen engagement
• Improves efficiency of system

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Quality of Life
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Policy Development
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Planning
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Early Warning Indicators
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Information-Based Marketing

• Most new residents of Upper Lawrenceville either
  came from within the neighborhood or nearby
  communities

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Housing Markets
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Housing Sales
South Side Median Residential Sales Prices,
1995-2003 (nominal prices)
Census tract
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Evaluation