Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg were back on the streets of Oakland yesterday, leading another building inspection sweep to clean up housing conditions in the student-heavy neighborhood.

With the news media in tow, the mayor and Mr. Nordenberg briefly toured Kennett Square, Ophelia Street and Joe Hammer Square in South Oakland, accompanied by city building inspectors and other officials.

Yesterday's tour, coinciding with the start of a new school semester, came about a year after the city and Mr. Nordenberg launched a crackdown on squalid housing in Oakland. It marked the second time since May that the chancellor and Mr. Ravenstahl have taken to the streets.

As he finished up the walk on Joe Hammer Square, Mr. Nordenberg said the get-tough strategy appears to be working. He said he has seen a "noticeable change" in conditions since last August.

"Last year, it seemed as if the streets were really filled with litter compared to what we're seeing today, and we saw much more frequent violations that seemed obvious even to me -- rickety railings on porches and things like that that would not be safe. The walk this morning really has been encouraging because there are signs of progress," he said.

There's also statistical evidence to support that conclusion. Building inspectors issued more than 200 citations last August in Central Oakland and more than 200 in a sweep of South Oakland in April. But in a return engagement in Central Oakland last week, they issued only 75 citations. And in South Oakland yesterday, they issued 85, the majority for debris and overgrown weeds. They also found 18 building or occupancy violations.

"While we do have isolated homes and properties that do have some debris out front, for the most part it's a lot cleaner than it was in the past," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "You can see that some homes have made improvements to their porches, to their steps, to their sidewalks."

As building inspectors scoured South Oakland for violations, they also passed out leaflets educating students on what to look for in off-campus housing and offering to conduct inspections if violations are suspected.

Bureau of Building Inspection Chief Ron Graziano said getting inside off-campus homes still is a big problem. Inspectors are not allowed inside unless invited. Without getting inside, it is difficult to determine if there are "life safety" issues or violations, he said.

Mr. Nordenberg credits the improvement he saw yesterday in part to the city making such inspection work a "visible priority."

"There isn't anything quite like the mayor sweeping through a neighborhood with a team of inspectors," he said.

The university, he added, is trying to better educate students on safety issues and their rights as tenants. Pitt also is working with the city Law Department on legislation to make it easier for inspectors to get inside houses to do inspections. There's also a proposal that would require landlords to register to house students and meet certain housing standards.

Despite the sweeps, not everybody is satisfied with the progress.

While one longtime homeowner reported a "little bit" of improvement in the neighborhood, she said there were still issues. The woman, who did not want to give her name, said she had to call police at 3 a.m. yesterday because of partying and loud noise on Lawn Street.

She also said there are still problems with students leaving garbage "all over" and not putting lids on trash cans.

"It's just a mess," she said.

Yesterday, Mr. Ravenstahl and Mr. Nordenberg did not walk a block past her house to a vacant lot overgrown with weeds. The resident said it has been a problem for almost a year.

Another resident also complained about students, saying conditions turned "bad" during the school year.

"They don't want to keep it clean," she said.