Pittsburgh the 15-minute city

[eschaton]

It should be noted the ranking system provides points for housing affordability, which is entirely the reason Pittsburgh outranks many of the other cities on the list. Not that it did terribly by other metrics, but it probably would have been middle of the pack otherwise, since probably boosted it by a net of a point all by itself.

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

i didn't realize all those neighborhoods had universities and hospitals

Even in NYC, most neighborhoods don't have universities and hospitals! That's not what a 15-minute city means, as most people don't have to go to a university or hospital on a daily basis.

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

1. do you live in the city of pittsburgh?

Yes. Live in Morningside.

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

2. if so could you maintain your quality of life without owning a car?

Maintain? Not really. But most of my daily needs are dealt with without a car now.

Monday through Friday, my primary means of transportation are either a PRT bus, my feet, or (April through November) a bike. In the 17 years I've lived in Pittsburgh I can count on both of my hands the number of times I've driven into work Downtown (basically always because I had a flight later in the day).

The Downtown Target on Smithfield has helped out tremendously, since it's close to my work and I can shop for essentials on the way home, though even before it opened, I'd often take the P1 to East Liberty and walk the 30 minutes or so home if the weather was nice. During bike season I'd often stop off somewhere in Lawrenceville on the way home as well, working a shopping trip into my bike commute.

Most of what I use the car for is on the weekend, though there's maybe 1-2 times a week I might have to run out on some errand on a weeknight.

There's also more car usage when I'm responsible for seeing the kids off to school. Both our kids go to school close (son at Dilworth, daughter at Obama). Daughter walks home, but still likes to be taken in when it's cold. Son doesn't like to walk to school yet, but even on those days I park somewhere in East Liberty and then take the bus in.

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

3. what would need to change for you to live in the city of Pittsburgh and maintain your quality of life without owning a car?

Right now we own two cars, but one is collecting dust 95% of the time. We had one car before and it worked out okay with a few occasional hassles, but were gifted a second car by my mom when our son had cancer. When one or more of our existing cars die I'm really going to try and push my wife to not get it replaced, but she's more driving dependent than I am (though she hates driving a lot more than I do) so we'll see what happens.

In terms of zero cars, I don't foresee that being an option till the kiddos are out of the house, realistically speaking. But I could live a car-free lifestyle even in Morningside and be only minorly hindered. I might want to get an e-bike though - climbing up the hill into the East End is not fun!

[BUILD PENN SQUARE]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Right now we own two cars, but one is collecting dust 95% of the time.

that seems to be the case for many cars in my neighborhood which is amazing to me

my stratocaster collects dust 95% of the time, but then again i don't have to pay to have it insured and inspected

Why Pittsburgh is above average for non-car transit, and how it might be getting better

https://www.penncapital-star.com/gov...etting-better/

"According to a 2019 City Lab article that measured each metro area in the U.S. by how amenable they are to living without owning a car, Pittsburgh was ranked 11th out of areas with more than 1 million people. A 2020 study from the website CompareCarInsurance.com ranks Pittsburgh as the seventh least car-dependent metro in the U.S.

Casual observers might find these rankings shocking, but the data backs it up. More than 17 percent of Pittsburgh city residents commute via public transit. Bike commuting in the city is only at about 2 percent, but has doubled over the last decade. An impressive 11 percent of Pittsburghers walk to work, putting it in the top 10 of U.S. cities for walking rates."

[BUILD PENN SQUARE]

4. is there anyone here other than myself who lives in the city of pittsburgh and doesn't own a car?

[svband76]

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

4. is there anyone here other than myself who lives in the city of pittsburgh and doesn't own a car?

I did for years while a South Side resident. Back when it was a better place.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by svband76

I did for years while a South Side resident. Back when it was a better place.

i did for years until about 5 years ago. the money that went into the bank...wow, i was saving so much and seeing my liquid funds grow monthly.

i fantasize about a work/life situation where i really do not need one and might unload my current car. im not really working on making that a reality at the moment.

[Priyanshu Rai]

"As downtown Pittsburgh's high rises have exhausted, our areas have turned into the focal points of our regular routines. The measurements in Pittsburgh paint a troubling representation of downtown with many eateries shut in 2020 and a significant ascent in how much business land empty or accessible for subleasing. As I began telecommuting, in any case, I saw the number of organizations along my local's business strip that were open and offering key types of assistance. Notwithstanding our profoundly fundamental nearby café, we have a modest bunch of eateries offering takeout and curbside pickup, an acupuncturist, stylist, and little staple. More than 90% of our local's business space is involved and flourishing."

furthermore, by pittsburgh I mean the city of pittsburgh

[Marv95]

Originally Posted by BUILD PENN SQUARE

4. is there anyone here other than myself who lives in the city of pittsburgh and doesn't own a car?

I did for over 7 months before I left by Memorial Day 2021; bounced between Shadyside and Beltzhoover within walking distance of South Hills Junction. Despite my jobs being in the South Hills burbs it was relatively simple and I rarely had to use an Uber, but that was before they did mass cuts on PAT.