Pittsburgh Citichat 5 October 2001

CITICHAT 39/2001 - 5 October 2001

Pittsburgh

The thought that probably comes to mind when one hears the name ‘Pittsburgh’ is ‘smokestack city of the US steel industry’. If you have visited Pittsburgh in the last decade you will know that this is no longer true. The city has recreated itself from the smoky, grimy, steel manufacturer of the first half of the twentieth century to a lovely city in a unique setting. Downtown Pittsburgh, rich in history, nestles in a triangle formed by the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers where they come together to form the Ohio River. There is nearly 9 miles of riverfront thus providing great opportunities for river-front development and greening. Oh, for a river in Johannesburg! The city of Pittsburgh was host to this year’s International Downtown Association Annual Conference when mainly private sector city organisations come together to share the latest trends in urban management and development.

My American friends tell me that less than thirty years ago, there were days when the city was dark by three o’clock in the afternoon so dense was the smoke and soot that dozens of steel plants belched into the atmosphere. All that has gone, now replaced with a strong ethic of ‘greening’ and environmental awareness. The city boasts a large (possibly the largest in the USA) number of ‘green’ buildings, buildings that comply with the stringent requirements for national environmental recognition. Apart from its large modern buildings, the city also has numerous heritage buildings many of outstanding architectural merit. The city’s wide pavements are quite exceptionally clean and, unlike many American cities, have no informal traders. There are street people about but only once did I see someone begging. The downtown is exceptionally compact providing easy access for its 135 000 workers, you can walk anywhere in 10 to 20 minutes and 60% of all office accommodation is in downtown. Within a 30 minute drive are some 2,4 million people.

Everywhere there is evidence of a great deal of new investment, both public and private. Two magnificent new stadia, one for baseball and the other for American football costing $228 million and $233 million respectively, have recently been completed across one of the rivers and an $8 million park connecting the two is in the final stages of construction. Each of the stadia is open at one end so that from the city one is able to look across the river into the building, whilst those seated inside are afforded magnificent views of the city. This is quite unlike the unfriendly, closed facades of most stadia which turn their backs on their surroundings. On the downtown river-side a new $267 million state of the art convention centre is under construction. The city’s 2000 Development Report records over 200 projects either recently completed or under construction at a cost of three-and-a-half-billion dollars! A number of projects are focused on ‘softening’ the river edges and replacing the hard edges left by the city’s industrial past. A newly built riverfront trail will, with the completion of a number of similar projects, shortly enable one to jog or ride a bicycle on a trail to Washington DC some 250 miles away. Yet with all this investment the city has seen little growth. In the early 1900s the city had a population of 350 000. At the peak of its industrial era in the ‘50s, the city had grown to three-quarters of a million. Today it is 330 000! In one twelve month period, 200 000 jobs were lost. From this wreckage, the city has recreated itself and is a great example of what can be done - when the capital is available! The presence of a large number of foundations with an asset base of six-and-a-half billion dollars also helps!

The conference was up to IDA’s high standard but was obviously overshadowed by the events of September 11. Many of the presentations were prefaced or qualified as to thinking or projections that the speakers had developed before that date. The IDA Board, comprising urban practitioners from across North America together with a couple of us ‘aliens’, spent some time in sharing thoughts about possible outcomes for cities. Some were concerned that the truly positive strides made by so many cities over the last decade may well be nullified. Others took a more pragmatic approach and suggested that there could well be positive aspects emerging from the tragedy. Some reminded us that many tragedies have the effect of strengthening the affected town or city, the Munich Olympics, the Birmingham shopping centre bombings, tornado/hurricane destruction, etc. were offered as examples. I tend to agree with those that felt that cities per se would not be adversely affected but that there would be nervousness in regard to leasing the upper floors of very tall buildings that are in the ‘icon’ category. On the other hand, the Pentagon is a low-rise building although it too falls into the ‘icon’ category representing as it does the military might of the American nation. So the discussions ebbed and flowed over the three-and-a-half days; stories of people moving out of New York, stories of major corporations consolidating in the city to show their support. Stories of major corporations reviewing leases in tall buildings and of wanting to dilute the concentration of senior management in any one building, stories of increased interest in letting space. Stories of deserted streets in New York and surrounding urban areas for the first 48 hours after the attack followed by streets jammed with people who didn’t want to stay at home watching TV and sought the community contact that only cities offer. The various main speakers offered thought-provoking comments; “When people celebrate they come together usually in cities, when people grieve they come together usually in cities.” “Profound evil is overcome by profound love. Profound love is found in enhancing community, community is best expressed in cities”. “Some cities succeed because they are destined to, others because they are determined to.” “How do political structures of the 19th Century deal with technology of the 21st?”

Keynote speaker Neal Pierce who has made American cities and states his focus over three decades and who has written numerous books on the importance of the city and region (“Citistates; How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World”) stressed the following:

Cities are symbols of what is lasting, of permanence.

Cities are shared places and the places for sharing.

Cities are the gathering places for society.

Cities are the economic and social centres for regions.

Predatory suburbs that entice business to leave cities need to be deplored.

‘Connected’ urban centres will be the successful centres of the future.

Business recognises that people skills are the key to their success, people need to meet, talk, challenge one another and cities are the creative stages on which this takes place.

No doubt the debate will rage for some time but the issue that all agreed upon is that this is the time for strong city leadership.