Or rent prices in general. It's absolutely obscene how expensive rent is where light rail is available near Philly. $1400+/month for a 1 bed room. I can rent cheaper inside of Philly proper.
So, quality of location and buyer demand seem to have a large impact on this problem. I'm not sure how the government is going to solve this, other than making Philly nicer and thus more enticing to live in, or just forcing you to live there anyways.
If Philly was cleaner, it would instantly compete on a much higher level. As someone who grew up in the area and loved (loves?) it I’ve never understood how dirty the city compared to other major cities. On cleanliness, it competes with New York and San Francisco but it is… Philly.
Maybe the dirtiness is demonstrating an unreclaimed lead and air pollution problem, which would explain Philly residents' reputation for violence and throwing batteries at each other.