This July 2008 report by the Fels Institute updates a survey conducted by the City of Philadelphia in 1998, which identified 553 vacant houses located in Southwest Center City. Since 1998, the survey area has changed dramatically, as Southwest Center City has been influenced by new investment, development in adjacent downtown-area neighborhoods, and the wide use of the ten-year tax abatement development incentive. The Fels Institute revisited each of the vacant properties surveyed in 1998 to better understand the remarkable changes in the neighborhood.

This report consists of two parts. Part I, Houses, describes changes in the visual status, occupancy, purchasing patterns, and ownership of the houses vacant in 1998. Part II, Residents, describes characteristics of owner-occupants living in what were once vacant houses.

Download the full report via the link below.