Where Pittsburgh could fit 100,000 more people... (construction, residential, buildings)

[BrianTH]

Here are US cities by land area:

List of United States cities by area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the lower 48, a city-county the size of Allegheny County would be #3 behind Jacksonville and Anaconda, MT.

[Katarina Witt]

I don't understand this obsession, and that's what it is with some posters, of Pittsburgh's population and how Pittsburgh is getting screwed statistically b/c of its small size, it should annex 10 different suburbs or maybe even all of Allegheny County, yada, yada, yada. Just what good with this do, other than elevate Pittsburgh's size in the list of cities? The MSA wouldn't change, the CSA wouldn't change.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I don't understand this obsession, and that's what it is with some posters, of Pittsburgh's population and how Pittsburgh is getting screwed statistically b/c of its small size, it should annex 10 different suburbs or maybe even all of Allegheny County, yada, yada, yada. Just what good with this do, other than elevate Pittsburgh's size in the list of cities? The MSA wouldn't change, the CSA wouldn't change.

some people are always worried about the size of the other guy's penis and that's basically what drives this discussion

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I don't understand this obsession, and that's what it is with some posters

Indeed. For example, any post like this draws you to this forum like catnip.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by pman

some people are always worried about the size of the other guy's penis and that's basically what drives this discussion

Apparently!

Originally Posted by PGHPA611

What does Pittsburgh need to do in order to be one of the top ten populated cities in the US??

What makes anyone think that if Pittsburgh did this, just to increase the size of its population, that other cities would not do so as well, assuming there is actually some benefit to doing so? Aurora, Colorado, pop. 332,000 is located in both Adams and Arapahoe Counties. Assuming it could just take over the rest of the land in these counties, it would have a population of 1,036,391, and growing. Chicago, already #3, would be 5,200,000 if it took over all of Cook County.

[wanderlust76]

Yeah I'm a statistics, economics and numbers guy myself but I don't get all the threads about population.

My 2 cents - I think Pittsburgh has an apartment problem and definitely a transportation problem but the geography has always been a part of the issue there. I would move there but I'm not interested in buying a house at this point in my life. I would also prefer to live near downtown..thus this is where the problem starts. The areas near downtown should have more residential towers if you go to other old cities like New York there are residential highrises on every block. That's how cities hold massive amounts of people. Turning big houses into 2 apartments is not how how you house massive amounts of people. So if you want Pittsburgh to turn into some huge 21st century metropolis like out of the Fifth Element or something...better get started now.

[BrianTH]

There are lots of places in or near Downtown you could put more residential highrises, and with rents continually rising you would think that is bound to start happening eventually. Of course that isn't going to add up to hundreds of thousands of units, but it could eventually mean tens of thousands more people living in or near Downtown.

[wanderlust76]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

There are lots of places in or near Downtown you could put more residential highrises, and with rents continually rising you would think that is bound to start happening eventually. Of course that isn't going to add up to hundreds of thousands of units, but it could eventually mean tens of thousands more people living in or near Downtown.

Oh I agree I always think that when I go through various streets in some neighborhoods. It's just that for whatever reason..it's not happening.

[wanderlust76]

An example of a modern apartment complex in an old city.....some also now have integrated parking. This is very easily achieved with modern engineering.

8 Spruce Street - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by wanderlust76

Oh I agree I always think that when I go through various streets in some neighborhoods. It's just that for whatever reason..it's not happening.

We're creeping up on it. Some existing highrises Downtown are being converted to residential, and there are new low-rise but still multi-level apartment block projects in neighborhoods near Downtown. I've been told a brand new residential highrise requires a bit better return in terms of rent per sqft (although I am not sure why), but even assuming that is correct, I think we should be getting to that point within at most a handful of years, and hopefully the financial markets will be more favorable at the same time.