About this Talk
Middle neighborhoods — often described as neither the strongest nor the weakest — are home to many working- and middle-class families and sit on the edge between growth and decline. Modest, targeted investments can help these communities remain safe, affordable, and opportunity rich.
This session, led by the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST) and coordinated with NeighborWorks America through the national Middle Neighborhoods Initiative, will introduce a novel dataset tracking changes in Pittsburgh’s middle neighborhoods over the past five decades. NCST’s analysis will contextualize neighborhood trends with insights from peer cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, and St. Louis — places that have faced similar challenges, including redlining, white flight, and disinvestment.
The session will also feature strategies from NCST’s Middle Neighborhoods Steering Committee and may include commentary from a Pittsburgh-based practitioner to offer a local perspective. Presenters will explore national policy tools like the proposed Neighborhood Homes Investment Act and highlight approaches to strengthen housing stability and homeownership in legacy cities.