The Changing Cityscape of Pittsburgh.
Last year I realized that I had been in Pittsburgh for 18 years. I came here when I was 18, so that meant that I had lived in the 'Burgh just as long as I had in the town where I was born. That realization felt like some kind of milestone. I've spent enough time here to feel like a "true Pittsburgher" (whatever that means). This is indeed my home. I'm not just passing through. And I'm happy about that- I like it here. I have no plans to leave.
Over the period that I have spent in this city, I have seen a number of the inevitable changes that effect any city of significant size. There is rapid development in some neighborhoods, and the quality of other sections change. It's not something that you usually notice in the day-to-day routine of the present, but over a number of years these evolutions become obvious. The main difficulty resides in gaining enough information about what is being planned in a specific area. But that's not sufficient to predict what effects time is going to have on a place. You need to hone ypur ability to see things with a larger perspective. You also have to rely a bit on intuition and be a fortune-teller. Achieving any element of accuracy in this type of forethought can be challenging, because the feedback you are getting at any single point in time consists of such incomplete and speculative data.
But I have seen major shifts in the span of years that make up a single generation. In 1988, the South Side (on the banks of the Mongahela River) was an overwhelmingly working-class neighborhood with very little excitement along its broad business district. It was still in the throes of a post-steel mill depression. I watched as the area made its transition through the attraction of young artists and nightlife. I remember when the first coffeeshop and the first edgy, hipster fashion boutique came in. Galleries opened and thrived, and the bars and restaurants soon followed. The arc of development for the South Side now seems near complete, as it is currently the social center of the city. Ask a native where to take a tourist, and they will unfailingly point to Carson Street. On any given weekend, thousands of outsiders descend upon the place to revel in their weekend. Parking is near impossible. I knew someone that bought a house in the flats in 1990 for $11,000. It was in good shape, smack dab in the center of the neighborhood, and fairly representative of what was available at the time. That same property would sell for at least ten to fifteen times that amount now.
Around the time that the South Side was being molded into the place it is now, there was plenty of speculation about two other neighborhoods that looked to be on the cusp of major change. Lawrenceville sat astride the bank of the Allegheny River, and looked to be very much a mirror image of South Side. The make-up of the population was similar, and it also had a long underexploited business district. It was situated between the Strip District (with its extensive markets) and Bloomfield (Pgh's "Little Italy"). There was talk of several microbreweries that were seeking to establish themselves there. But unlike the South Side, the residents were resistant to this kind of change. They were quite satisfied for it to remain the way it was. But of course it didn't. Crime, drugs, and prostitution increased throughout the 1990's. Instead of becoming hip, it was falling to squalor. Finally, at the beginning of the new century, its inhabitants began to welcome new blood. Art galleries, boutiques and a couple of coffeshops trickled in, attracted by the low cost of real estate. The University of Pittsburgh decided to construct a state-of-the-art Children's Hospital there. Companies began to move in with plans to build loft apartments in its abandoned buildings. And a political fight was started to fight against the proliferation of Section 8 housing. Within the last two years, the transition of Lawrenceville has become undeniable. There are now several quality nightspots and the price of houses has started to rise noticably. It may not be long before the young people and artists that spearheaded the recent changes are priced out of the market.
The other neighborhood that people had great hopes for in the early 90's has been developing a lot more slowly. Local politicians and developers have had great hopes for the North Side (along the Allegheny River) for years. This area presents special challenges that the aforementioned neighborhoods were unburdened by. Both the South Side and Lawrenceville are bound by a river and a mountain, and have a long central business district centered on major thoroughfares. The North Side is significantly larger, with a dispersal of commercial centers. Additionally, the majority of its population is poorer, and has been traditionally disenfranchised. And despite its close proximity to the Downtown, it is (geographically) at the margin of the city. Pittsburgh pretty much ends at its borders. While several large institutions have recently built facilities there (the stadiums, the Warhol Museum, and the Science Center), they are spread out and not integrated well with residential development. But aside from the scale of projects located in the North Side, it has another great advantage. It has a surplus of fine old homes waiting to be purchased with little investment, and restored to their former glory. There is a subsection of the North Side called the Mexican War Streets that illustrates this potential. Hope is also supplied by the unflagging energy of some of its residents. The owner of the Mattress Factory (an internationally-known installation art museum located in the neighborhood) has invested a large amount of resources into a redevelopment plan. The major question facing the North Side is whether there is enough wealth in the city (or whether it can be attracted) to revitalize a neighborhood of its size. Perhaps it will eventually be broken up, with its identity split into smaller neighborhoods.
It often seems like every part of Pittsburgh is competing for the attention of developers, and hoping to become the "next big thing". There have been significant changes made in East Liberty, Garfield, and other East End neighborhoods. Even Braddock is now staking its claim to the future of the city, and actively trying to court young residents. It would take a lot of research and a wealth of luck to foresee the condition of Pittsburgh eighteen years hence. But I believe it's going to be interesting to watch the as that distant city slowly approaches.
Over the period that I have spent in this city, I have seen a number of the inevitable changes that effect any city of significant size. There is rapid development in some neighborhoods, and the quality of other sections change. It's not something that you usually notice in the day-to-day routine of the present, but over a number of years these evolutions become obvious. The main difficulty resides in gaining enough information about what is being planned in a specific area. But that's not sufficient to predict what effects time is going to have on a place. You need to hone ypur ability to see things with a larger perspective. You also have to rely a bit on intuition and be a fortune-teller. Achieving any element of accuracy in this type of forethought can be challenging, because the feedback you are getting at any single point in time consists of such incomplete and speculative data.
But I have seen major shifts in the span of years that make up a single generation. In 1988, the South Side (on the banks of the Mongahela River) was an overwhelmingly working-class neighborhood with very little excitement along its broad business district. It was still in the throes of a post-steel mill depression. I watched as the area made its transition through the attraction of young artists and nightlife. I remember when the first coffeeshop and the first edgy, hipster fashion boutique came in. Galleries opened and thrived, and the bars and restaurants soon followed. The arc of development for the South Side now seems near complete, as it is currently the social center of the city. Ask a native where to take a tourist, and they will unfailingly point to Carson Street. On any given weekend, thousands of outsiders descend upon the place to revel in their weekend. Parking is near impossible. I knew someone that bought a house in the flats in 1990 for $11,000. It was in good shape, smack dab in the center of the neighborhood, and fairly representative of what was available at the time. That same property would sell for at least ten to fifteen times that amount now.
Around the time that the South Side was being molded into the place it is now, there was plenty of speculation about two other neighborhoods that looked to be on the cusp of major change. Lawrenceville sat astride the bank of the Allegheny River, and looked to be very much a mirror image of South Side. The make-up of the population was similar, and it also had a long underexploited business district. It was situated between the Strip District (with its extensive markets) and Bloomfield (Pgh's "Little Italy"). There was talk of several microbreweries that were seeking to establish themselves there. But unlike the South Side, the residents were resistant to this kind of change. They were quite satisfied for it to remain the way it was. But of course it didn't. Crime, drugs, and prostitution increased throughout the 1990's. Instead of becoming hip, it was falling to squalor. Finally, at the beginning of the new century, its inhabitants began to welcome new blood. Art galleries, boutiques and a couple of coffeshops trickled in, attracted by the low cost of real estate. The University of Pittsburgh decided to construct a state-of-the-art Children's Hospital there. Companies began to move in with plans to build loft apartments in its abandoned buildings. And a political fight was started to fight against the proliferation of Section 8 housing. Within the last two years, the transition of Lawrenceville has become undeniable. There are now several quality nightspots and the price of houses has started to rise noticably. It may not be long before the young people and artists that spearheaded the recent changes are priced out of the market.
The other neighborhood that people had great hopes for in the early 90's has been developing a lot more slowly. Local politicians and developers have had great hopes for the North Side (along the Allegheny River) for years. This area presents special challenges that the aforementioned neighborhoods were unburdened by. Both the South Side and Lawrenceville are bound by a river and a mountain, and have a long central business district centered on major thoroughfares. The North Side is significantly larger, with a dispersal of commercial centers. Additionally, the majority of its population is poorer, and has been traditionally disenfranchised. And despite its close proximity to the Downtown, it is (geographically) at the margin of the city. Pittsburgh pretty much ends at its borders. While several large institutions have recently built facilities there (the stadiums, the Warhol Museum, and the Science Center), they are spread out and not integrated well with residential development. But aside from the scale of projects located in the North Side, it has another great advantage. It has a surplus of fine old homes waiting to be purchased with little investment, and restored to their former glory. There is a subsection of the North Side called the Mexican War Streets that illustrates this potential. Hope is also supplied by the unflagging energy of some of its residents. The owner of the Mattress Factory (an internationally-known installation art museum located in the neighborhood) has invested a large amount of resources into a redevelopment plan. The major question facing the North Side is whether there is enough wealth in the city (or whether it can be attracted) to revitalize a neighborhood of its size. Perhaps it will eventually be broken up, with its identity split into smaller neighborhoods.
It often seems like every part of Pittsburgh is competing for the attention of developers, and hoping to become the "next big thing". There have been significant changes made in East Liberty, Garfield, and other East End neighborhoods. Even Braddock is now staking its claim to the future of the city, and actively trying to court young residents. It would take a lot of research and a wealth of luck to foresee the condition of Pittsburgh eighteen years hence. But I believe it's going to be interesting to watch the as that distant city slowly approaches.
posted by Merge Divide at 3:59 PM
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