Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group

Choose A Color And Buckle Up: Allegheny County's Belt System Is Low Tech, But Navigable

By • May 8, 2017
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Across the street from the Trolley Stop Inn on Library Road in Bethel Park, there’s a sign. It’s white and rectangular, the lettering is fading a bit, and on the leftmost side is a large orange dot. It’s nearly the size of a basketball and the label boldly proclaims: Orange Belt.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Super Stop

By Essential Pittsburgh • Jan 22, 2016
Envision Downtown

Every weekday, 6,500 people access Downtown via the corner of Sixth and Smithfield. We’ll discover how a new super stop bus stop is impacting downtown transit with Executive Director of Envision Downtown Sean Luther and  Regional Policy Director for the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group Chris Sandivg.

Transforming Urban Blight Into Community Spaces In Pittsburgh

By & Essential Pittsburgh • Nov 11, 2015
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Vacant properties in Pittsburgh are increasingly becoming more abundant, driving property values down and costing tax payers nearly $400,000 a year.   Liz Hersh, Executive Director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania says that although there are 16,000 to 20,000 vacant properties in Pittsburgh, blight in Pennsylvania is not just an urban issue.

“Because we’re an old state, we’ve had a lot of changes in industry, and we’ve had a lot of population loss over the years, and a lack of reinvestment, and a lack of policy to encourage or incentivize reuse of old properties,” Hersh explains.

Wide Racial Gap Remains For Pittsburgh Mortgage Loan Approvals

By • Aug 18, 2015
Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group

Four out of 10 black people in Allegheny County wanting to buy a home are denied a mortgage. That's two times the rate of white applicants, according to data released Monday in the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group’s 21st Annual Mortgage Lending Study.

“The level of African American lending is extremely low compared to all other groups,” said Rachel Rue, researcher with the PCRG.

Pittsburgh Groups Call on Congress to Pass Transportation Funding

By • Apr 7, 2015
Flickr user bbyrnes59

Transportation advocates in Pittsburgh and more than 100 other American cities are joining forces to call attention to the fast-approaching expiration of surface transportation funding from the federal government.

Thursday is being billed as Stand Up for Transportation Day. Chris Sandvig, regional policy director from the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, said most people don’t realize that funding is about to dry up.

Transit Activists Ask Pennsylvanians to Call State Reps About Transportation Bill

By • Nov 13, 2013

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has just four voting days left this year, and they still have not passed a transportation funding bill. A Senate bill that would fund roads, bridges and public transit has been languishing since it was passed in June.

Now, a local nonprofit is trying to turn up the heat on key legislators by calling the constituents in their districts.

Rapid Transit Tips from Cleveland

By Marcus Charleston • Jun 21, 2013
Center for Neighborhood Technology / Flickr

Last Thursday, Pittsburgh government and business officials took a trip to Cleveland to tour the Healthline—Cleveland’s rapid transit system—with the hopes of bringing back ideas for Pittsburgh’s own Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).