Study finds the ‘Burgh improving

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on various efforts to revitalize… Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on various efforts to revitalize Pittsburgh.

Can years of rust be cleaned off the Steel City?

Pittsburgh organizations are hopeful and research is promising.

National studies measure success in urban redevelopment by assigning a number value to variables such as economic status and education and job opportunities and measuring their change over time. They then assign an overall score by combining individual scores from each field.

A study written by researchers Harold Wolman and Kimberly Furdell of George Washington University and Edward W. Hill of Cleveland State University looked at cities deemed to be distressed, including Pittsburgh, from 1980-2000. Researchers sought to evaluate the level of success of urban revitalization projects and the changes made from the 1980s to the 1990s.

In the study, researchers perceived that cities like Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland have successfully undergone revitalization since the 1980s.

Based on results from the 2000 census, researchers looked at data regarding poverty, unemployment, median income and percentage change in population.

When 115 experts in the field were asked to identify cities that experienced the most revitalization in the last decade, 43.5 percent ranked Pittsburgh as having successfully undergone revitalization, placing Pittsburgh eighth in the study. Pittsburgh ranked highest among cities of comparable size, including Baltimore, Cleveland and San Antonio.

Researchers also ranked 48 cities in the study according to what they saw to be social and economic improvement. They ranked Pittsburgh 29th right after Toledo, Ohio, and right before St. Louis. Atlanta earned the top spot in this ranking.

Dr. Carolyn Carson, coordinator of Pitt’s Urban Studies program, attributes the history of the region to the similar fates of its cities.

“These cities have suffered and lost population because of the decline in industry and movement to suburbs. They are old cities with old infrastructure,” she said.

There are some organizations, though, that work to rebuild this old infrastructure.

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is a multifaceted organization run by a board of directors appointed by the mayor responsible for some of the major efforts of revitalizing Pittsburgh.

The URA has made redeveloping old industrial sites, also called brownfields, one of its highest priorities, turning them into viable, income-producing residential, commercial and entertainment sites. The URA also helps low-income residents achieve home ownership and maintenance of existing structures.

As a former industrialized urban area, what other cities did Pittsburgh look to when they began their revitalization process?

John Coyne, director of Engineering and Construction for the URA, believes that Pittsburgh is the model for cities seeking revitalization, and gives guidance, rather than seeks it.

“Well, I think that in some of the work that we do, things are the other way around. We have been one of the leaders in redeveloping old industrial sites,” Coyne said.

“Pittsburgh is known for its efforts in redeveloping old industrial sites,” he said.

Coyne highlighted projects such as The South Side Works, a site that formally was home to the LTV steel mills that has been transformed into a commercial location that has shops, restaurants, bars, residential buildings and a movie theater.

URA also plans to add a pedestrian bridge to the Hot Metal Bridge within the next year – a project that he said will positively impact the Oakland community.

“We are finding a lot of success. We are also very active in undertaking residential development within the city. There has been a lot of development in the Hill district, South Side and North Side,” Coyne said.

Coyne noted the success of projects like Baltimore’s Inner Harbor but maintains that Pittsburgh has the edge.

“They [Baltimore] were one of the leaders with their Inner Harbor development,” Coyne said. “I think we have an advantage because we have more waterfront to develop on. We have started to reclaim that area over the past 15 years.”

“The use [of waterfront properties] varies from residential to mixed-use, commercial-entertainment. The overall intent is to improve the city and the tax base of the city,” he added.

According to Coyne, Pittsburgh has not only been a model for other U.S. cities, but for countries all over the world.

According to Coyne, “We have given presentations and hosted delegations from all over the world: China, Japan and Spain. We share ideas and we visit other cities. It’s not only been a national comparison, it’s been an international comparison.”