EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Problem
There are over 40,000 vacant properties in Philadelphia. These properties lose the city
$20 million in maintenance costs each year, and owe a total of $70 million in uncollected
taxes. They drive away investment, attract crime, and drag down property values city-wide
by an estimated $3.6 billion, which further undercuts the tax base for the public school
system, but there hasnt been a solution profitable enoughor large enough in scale
to reverse the abandoned housing blight.

The Market
Philadelphia recently became the largest city in the country to pass land bank legislation,
which is aimed at quickly developing its nearly 10,000 city-owned properties. Previously,
the Department of License & Inspections paid demolition contractors to remove about
1,000 blighted structures a year at an average cost of $13,000 per house, or $9.5 million to
demolition contractors each year.

The Solution
By employing grant-funded job trainees for structure removal, and volunteers for softstripping, a nonprofit deconstruction organization could earn a sustainable income
while addressing the citys abandoned housing blight and putting wages back into the
communities from which they salvage materials.

Our Mission
The Philadelphia Community Corps mission is to revitalize blighted neighborhoods by
deconstructing abandoned housing and salvaging materials for reuse in rehabilitating
existing low-income housing.

Its Not Demolition.

The Is and Is Nots of Deconstruction
To clarify any confusion, heres a plain and simple explanation of what deconstruction is
and what it is not.
Deconstruction is
An environmentally friendly alternative to traditional demolition because it reuses
materials that would normally go into landfills or illegal dumping grounds.
Conserving our natural resources by reducing the demand for virgin materials.
Giving artists and craftspeople new mediums to express their creativity.
Cleaner and more organized than traditional demolition because worksites are contained
and carefully controlled.
Safer than demolition because the goal is to gently remove materials in one piece
Preparing underskilled individuals for emerging job fields.
Creating secondary, local markets for salvaged materials
Deconstruction is not
Greenwashing demolition.
The last step in revitalizing blighted communities, its the first.
Static, it can be used in variety of situations, adapting to the needs of clients and
communities.
An alternative to historical preservation.

Deconstruction Decision-Making Flowchart

"What do you want to do?"
Remove a
structure

Strip out a
structure

Evaluate Potential
Salvage, Value, &
Tax Deductions

Develop a
Material Plan

Is the
building
sound?

Unsafe?

Stabilize it

Panelized
Deconstruction

No

Yes

Test for Environmental

Hazards

Lead?

Mold?

Asbestos?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Lead
Abatement

Mold
Remediation

Asbestos
Removal

Safe
Worksite?

Yes

Whole-House
Deconstruction

Non-structural
Strip-out