Pittsburgh lost more than half its population since peaking in the 1950s, and our city has more than 20,000 vacant homes. How do we also have a housing crisis? Public Source's Charlie Wolfson joins host Megan Harris to explain why so many houses are sitting empty, what (if anything) the city can do about it, and why our neighbors in Cleveland are doing a much better job turning abandoned houses into affordable homes.
Notes and references from today’s show:
- How does Pittsburgh have 20,000 vacant homes — and a housing shortage? (Public Source)
- Where does Cleveland clobber Pittsburgh? Its land bank. (Public Source)
- 'A really steep lift': Pittsburghers in their 20s and 30s find home ownership less and less attainable (Public Source)
**This episode originally published on January 26, 2026.
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