Should Vacant Houses Be Required To Have Windows And Doors?

28 January 2003 - 5:00am

Neighbors are tired of living next door to boarded-up houses. Philadelphia considers a bill requiring boards to be replaced with windows and doors.

"A bill that could go before City Council in February would give some vacant houses, storefronts with upper levels, and commercial buildings a cosmetic face-lift, forcing owners to take down boards and replace them with actual windows and doors...But some say that however noble the concept pushed by Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, putting windows and doors on vacant properties is simply impractical.They argue that it is costly to owners and would invite criminals and squatters to vandalize properties after the repairs."

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 27, 2003
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Its very unsuitability for an urban center justifies its current usage as a suburban or ex-urban pattern.