So, the Post-Gazette has an article detailing Michael Lamb's audit of the broken process the city uses to clear title and sell vacant properties.
Most of this isn't new information to me. But the report identifies the single worst culprit in stopping sales of property between the City and individuals as the URA. The URA apparently has a "pocket veto" over the sale of any city property, which it can use to put sales on hold indefinitely for no stated reason. It does this most heavily in blighted, historically black neighborhoods.
Even putting aside the issues of corruption, I think much of the problem is the URA is an agency which has outlived its usefulness. Fundamentally it is an urban renewal organization, and urban renewal works through having "master-planned" development in large chunks which replaces what was there before. It is thus in the URA's interest if a block is 80% city owned to stop any sales from going through because one day the City might have site control of the entire block, and the URA can put the financing together to work with major developers on a new mixed-income development. The end result is gridlock in land sales, and a system which effectively land banks for the URA and shuts out smaller developers who might want to restore individual homes, or residents who would like to buy a side yard.