Cap I-579 (Pittsburgh: neighborhood, price, designer)

[krogerDisco]

This will work!

Meeting planned on an overpass park that would cap I-579/Crosstown Blvd. | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Surprised that $27 million will do it. Hope it'll be easy to maintain, worried that in a few decades, it will need to be rebuilt.

[that412]

$27 million does seem low. At that price this is a no-brainer.

[Magnavox64]

Let Mario have the development rights!

[eschaton]

I'd like the opinion of our black posters...does this seem like over the top pandering to you?

Its sidewalks will be roughly shaped like the sankofa, a Ghanaian symbol of learning from one’s past.

Unifying the park’s narrative is “Keisha,” an illustration of a young girl with long flowing braids who reads, plays or stargazes. Essentially the park’s signage, Keisha will appear in many places, explaining the symbolism of the park’s design elements.

...

Lakeisha Byrd, an architectural designer at Communion LLC and a Hill District resident, said Keisha’s braids are particularly important: a winding trench for stormwater drainage will also have patterns that represent Keisha’s braids, and Keisha herself will explain the park’s water system and plants.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'd like the opinion of our black posters...does this seem like over the top pandering to you?

Well, we know what the local KKK chapter thinks after reading the comments. I think it's a nice touch to add some neighborhood flair to it.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'd like the opinion of our black posters...does this seem like over the top pandering to you?

No sure why this would be considered pandering. The community participated in the design and I like anything that is artistic and black. I love seeing black images depicted in a positive way. I have a black daughter and Keisha will be a welcomed addition to Pittsburgh's artistic public spaces.

I do not think black folks pander to themselves. If there was no black inclusion in this project the end result would have been different and the symbols and concepts would not have been truly black.

Pittsburgh has a long history of black artistic expression.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

No sure why this would be considered pandering. The community participated in the design and I like anything that is artistic and black. I love seeing black images depicted in a positive way. I have a black daughter and Keisha will be a welcomed addition to Pittsburgh's artistic public spaces.

I do not think black folks pander to themselves. If there was no black inclusion in this project the end result would have been different and the symbols and concepts would not have been truly black.

Pittsburgh has a long history of black artistic expression.

I had no issue with the plaques focusing on African-Americans in Pittsburgh history, but the all the discussion of Keisha just seemed a bit odd to me, because it's not like parks typically have a depiction of a white child who explains everything. But as you noted, it seems a black woman played a major role in the design elements, and as long as this brings the Hill District as a community onboard, I have no problem with it.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I had no issue with the plaques focusing on African-Americans in Pittsburgh history, but the all the discussion of Keisha just seemed a bit odd to me, because it's not like parks typically have a depiction of a white child who explains everything. But as you noted, it seems a black woman played a major role in the design elements, and as long as this brings the Hill District as a community onboard, I have no problem with it.

I don't think that black people feel as if we have to wait until there is a sculpture depicting a white child before we can proceed with our own. That is ridiculous if you think about it. There is a first time for everything. Black artistic expression is usually shunned before it becomes mainstream. Jazz, R&B, Hiphop, modern dance, and on and on. This is nothing new.

[krogerDisco]

It's becoming a reality.

Pedestrian park to put lawns, walkways over I-579 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It should make the Civic Arena property more interesting to Amazon, if they chose Pittsburgh.