What Happened?
The neighborhood of Oakland in Pittsburgh, PA, has unveiled a long-term vision plan that seeks to improve transportation, increase green space and revitalize a unique citizen-led code enforcement effort to address quality of life issues and other violations in the area.
Who Cares?
No city in America is immune to blighted properties left unattended by negligent owners. Many cities recommend citizen report such violations to the city’s code enforcement official either using an online form or phone call. Oakland is taking efforts a step further by forming citizen “action teams” to address not only violations of city code, but also parking violations, noise violations, underage drinking and unruly behavior.
How Does it Work?
Oakland is the third largest employment center in Pennsylvania. It is truly a mixed-used community with several large universities, hospitals, museums, restaurants, shopping and parks. Long-term residents have often had issues with the transient off-campus student population and negligent landlords. Thus, Oakwatch: The Oakland Code Enforcement Project was launched last year to improve various aspects of life in the neighborhood.
The group meets twice a month to discuss community issues with city officials, including police, city planners, code enforcement officers and elected councilmen. To battle code enforcement violations, Oakwatch volunteers attend court hearings and show a united front against code violators in the neighborhood. Oakwatch also encourages residents to call Pittsburg’s code enforcement hotline to report violations they see and keep close tabs on the worst offenders.
Oakwatch members also attempt instill a sense of community among transient college students who live in the neighborhood by going door-to-door as part of a “Good Neighbor” program. Information about “responsible partying,” trash and recycling services and tenant rights are distributed to students during the effort. Oakwatch volunteers are also trying to develop a plan to manage the neighborhood’s nightlife which apparently causes frequent noise disturbances and alcohol violations.
Is It Working?
They say it is. Oakwatch volunteers say relationships with various institutions in the neighborhood are improved, and late-night disturbances have decreased. Need more tangible proof? A court fined an Oakland property owner $600,000 for code violations last month. The property owner didn’t attend a hearing on the matter, but Oakwatch volunteers did.
More Resources
Oakland’s effort is coordinated by the Oakland Planning and Development Corp. The group maintains an extensive website that features all efforts, not just the code enforcement task force. Email them for additional information.
South Kansas City residents also participate in citizen-led code enforcement efforts. Read about their efforts here.
Gov1 recently wrote about new method of code enforcement that netted Ocala, FL $160,000.