Before urban renewal can occur in an area, the City Planning Commission must establish a "redevelopment area" by (1) certifying the area as blighted and (2) preparing a redevelopment area plan. The plan establishes goals for future development along with recommendations pertaining to land use, zoning, and site planning. Blight certification is needed as an initial enabling action, and a given area is sometimes certified a second or third time to update the factual documentation of blight.

For an area to be certified as blighted, one of seven criteria must be met (according to state law). The most commonly used criteria are (1) unsafe, unsanitary and inadequate conditions, (2) economically or socially undesirable land use, and (3) faulty street and lot layout. Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law was amended by Bill 881, which took effect in 2006. The new law establishes different and more stringent criteria and it will have a significant impact when certifying areas for blight. Bill 881 states that until January 1, 2013, the older criteria can continue to be used within previously certified areas. It stipulates that certifications in newly certified areas are required to meet the new, more stringent criteria; and effective in 2013 all blight certifications will need to meet the new criteria which include a requirement that a majority of properties (representing a majority of the geographic area) be documented as physically blighted.

Listed below are all blight and redevelopment reports published by PCPC since 2000, with a few selected reports from earlier years. Many older redevelopment area plans (dating back to 1946) can be viewed at a website hosted by the University of Pennsylvania (click here).

The reports listed below are presented as Portable Document Format (PDF) files that can be viewed with your Web browser. Adobe Acrobat Reader and browser plug-ins for viewing PDF files are available free from the Adobe Web site.

CITY-WIDE CONTEXT

• List of Areas Certified for Redevelopment
  
• Map of Areas Certified for Redevelopment
  
• The Redevelopment Process

• Nicetown 2010 Redevelopment Area Plan, 2010
  
• Nicetown Blight Recertification, 2009
  
• Point Breeze and Grays Ferry Blight Recertification, 2009
  
• 9th and Ellsworth Redevelopment Area Plan, 2006
  
• Haddington Blight Recertification, 2006
  
• Eastwick Redevelopment Area Plan Amendment, 2006
  
• Eastwick Blight Recertification, 2006
  
• Cottman Riverview Redevelopment Area Plan (Tacony Extension), 2005
  
• Cottman Riverview Blight Certification (Tacony Extension), 2005
  
• Angora Redevelopment Area Plan (57th & Baltimore), 2005
  
• West Oak Lane Redevelopment Area Plan, 2005
  
• West Oak Lane Blight Certification, 2005
  
• 57th and Baltimore Vicinity Blight Certification, 2005
  
• Cottman Riverview Redevelopment Area Plan, 2005
  
• Mantua Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments, 2005
  
• 27th and Girard Vicinity Blight Certification, 2005
  
• 44th & Aspen Redevelopment Area Plan (Expanded), 2005
  
• 44th & Aspen Blight Recertification (Expanded), 2005
  
• 44th & Aspen Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments (Expanded), 2005
  
• Center City Redevelopment Area (9th and Arch Streets) Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments, 2005
  
• Center City Redevelopment Area (917 Ridge Avenue) Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments, 2005
  
• Parkside Lancaster Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments, 2005
  
• Central Brewerytown Blight Certification, 2005
  
• Central Brewerytown Area Blight Recertification, 2005
  
• Cottman Avenue Riverview Area Blight Certification, 2004
  
• Center City Redevelopment Area (9th and Callowhill Streets) Redevelopment Area Plan Amendments, 2004
  
• Center City Redevelopment Area (9th and Callowhill Streets) Blight Recertification, 2004
  
• West Fairhill, East Tioga, and Hunting Park Redevelopment Area Plan, 2004
  
• West Fairhill, East Tioga, and Hunting Park Blight Certification, 2004
  
• 16th and Moore Redevelopment Area Plan, 2004
  
• 16th and Moore Blight Certification, 2004
  
• 54th and Columbia Redevelopment Area Plan, 2004
  
• 54th and Columbia Blight Certification, 2004
  
• Allegheny West Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• Auburn Blight Certification, 2003
  
• 45th and Sansom Expansion Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• 45th and Sansom Expansion Blight Certification, 2003
  
• 52nd and Girard Blight Certification, 2003
  
• Parkside - Lancaster Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• Upper Nicetown Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• Upper Nicetown Blight Certification, 2003
  
• East Germantown Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• Logan Area Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• East Germantown Blight Certification, 2003
  
• Logan Area Expansion Blight Certification, 2003
  
• South Delaware Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• South Delaware Blight Certification, 2003
  
• 30th and Poplar Blight Recertification, 2003
  
• Allegheny West and Tioga Blight Certification, 2003
  
• Fairhill and St. Hugh Redevelopment Area Plan, 2003
  
• Fairhill and St. Hugh Blight Certification, 2003
  
• Frankford Creek Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• Frankford Creek Blight Certification, 2002
  
• 42nd and Lancaster Area Blight Recertification, 2002
  
• 44th and Aspen Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• Convention Center Blight Certification, 2002
  
• 49th and Locust Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• 49th and Locust Blight Certification, 2002
  
• Southwest Schuylkill Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• Southwest Schuylkill Blight Certification, 2002
  
• Logan Redevelopment Area Plan Amendment, 2002
  
• Broad and Vine Blight Certification, 2002
  
• 30th and Girard Area Blight Recertification, 2002
  
• Logan Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• Logan Blight Certification, 2002
  
• Ontario Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• Ontario Blight Certification, 2002
  
• 7th and Poplar Blight Recertification, 2002
  
• 45th and Sansom Redevelopment Area Plan, 2002
  
• 45th and Sansom Area Blight Recertification, 2002
  
• Osage Blight Recertification, 2001
  
• Parkside National Register Historic District Redevelopment Area Plan, 2000
  
• Sarah Allen Redevelopment Area Plan, 2000
  
• East Overbrook Redevelopment Area Plan, 1997
  
• Parkside - Lancaster Redevelopment Area Plan, 1997
  
• Additional redevelopment area plans (1946-1990) hosted by the University of Pennsylvania