Even in a recession, it seems like you can’t leave the house without seeing an old building being demolished by a wrecking ball or a new one being erected. While home sales haven’t exactly been great over the last few years, stunting new building where private properties are concerned, and massive layoffs at major corporations have left execs pulling the purse strings tight and opting for leases rather than pricy new structures in most cases, the truth is that the average urban landscape is constantly under construction. And whether you’re interested in rental properties, purchasing a home, investing in real estate on a larger scale, or simply learning the history of an area through its changing architecture, there is an app that can help you to study the ins and outs of a particular area or get information on new structures being erected. The License to Inspect application isn’t just for real estate agents.

Certainly there are aspects of this application that anyone involved in the real estate game will appreciate. Ostensibly, this app from geographic data firm Azavea (in collaboration with urban development organization PlanPhilly) is designed to provide the average user with access to a broad range of public information available through the Department of Licenses and Inspections in Philadelphia. Of course, if the app does well it can reasonably be expected to evolve to include other cities, but for now it is focused in the city of Philadelphia. And real estate agents can enter any address within the area into the app in order to view data on records pertaining to the location, including zoning information (or variations), code violations, housing inspection licenses, or past and current building permits.

For the RE agent looking to vet a property, this app will save a trip to the Department of Licenses and Inspections to verify that everything is in order. It could just help them to determine if they’re going to show a property to clients looking to buy, or represent the owner looking to sell. But what good is License to Inspect for the average home buyer or urban planning enthusiast? In truth, there could be several benefits to downloading this handy app. It’s not just that it can help to determine whether or not a particular home on the market suffers from code violations, or if a building permit was obtained before the fourth bedroom was added to the property by the current owners. It can also help those seeking an apartment to find new developments in the area. Or it can clue interested buyers in to which areas are enjoying the fastest growth (meaning that properties priced low now may be more likely to increase in the near future).

And for those interested in what used to be on a particular lot (you know there was something there before that Burger King went in), the app provides historical photos. Plus, those interested in helping to shape the growth of their city through community input can utilize the app to understand upcoming projects that could affect nearby residents. Although the app is not yet able to show homeowners in Los Angeles what the new construction down the street is going to be, or provide listings of flats to rent in Aberdeen, its level of success in the Philadelphia marketplace could lead to expansion to other cities. If so, urban dwellers in other locales could soon find themselves with an extremely useful tool for navigating the shifting waters of the real estate market, and perhaps even getting interested community members involved in the process of planning the shape of an ever-changing city.