Why is Suburban Pittsburgh stuck in the '80s? (Penn Hills: power lines, leases)

[jimmyev]

I've been driving US 30 a lot, between the Parkway and out past Ligonier. Last month it was US 22 from the Parkway to out past New Alexandria. Suburb after suburb - North Versailles, North Huntingdon, Irwin, Hempfield, Unity, Monroeville, Murrysville - look like ghetto suburbs built before the 1990s elsewhere in the country. No sidewalks, ugly half-vacant strip centers, cratered weed-strewn asphalt parking lots, overhead power lines, and broken signs. A few of the houses look like they were built 1990-2010, even a few of the strip centers do, but the vast majority of the commercial area is a nasty, ugly flashback. Did Pittsburgh's suburbs skip the 1990s and 2000s or what?

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

Sorry we don't regularly rebuild just to waste the money? I don't even know what you're going for here.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

A few of the houses look like they were built 1990-2010, even a few of the strip centers do, but the vast majority of the commercial area is a nasty, ugly flashback. Did Pittsburgh's suburbs skip the 1990s and 2000s or what?

In the 1970's and 1980's, Pittsburgh was hit by major de-industrialization and the population has been stagnating and even declining.

The sector which you are driving, through the Turtle Creek and Mon Valleys was particularly hard hit with many industrial closures.

There really isn't any reason to build new housing or commercial buildings when an area is shrinking instead of growing.

[gg]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

I've been driving US 30 a lot, between the Parkway and out past Ligonier. Last month it was US 22 from the Parkway to out past New Alexandria. Suburb after suburb - North Versailles, North Huntingdon, Irwin, Hempfield, Unity, Monroeville, Murrysville - look like ghetto suburbs built before the 1990s elsewhere in the country. No sidewalks, ugly half-vacant strip centers, cratered weed-strewn asphalt parking lots, overhead power lines, and broken signs. A few of the houses look like they were built 1990-2010, even a few of the strip centers do, but the vast majority of the commercial area is a nasty, ugly flashback. Did Pittsburgh's suburbs skip the 1990s and 2000s or what?

So you drove one road and want to ask, "Did Pittsburgh's suburbs skip the...?"

As much as I wouldn't like to respond to such a question since you obviously like to generalize with a tiny amount of information, the answer to your question is, no. You just happened to be in an area that isn't a very good commute to Pittsburgh and it probably won't ever do all that well. Take a ride down towards the airport or up 279N area, then you will be at least a little more armed with SOME knowledge, instead of posting something as ignorant as you did.

[hempfield mania]

Yeah, what's your point Jimmy?

Most of the build-up (housing) has been off of the Rte. 30 corridor. Some of the older plazas in NHT will be undergoing some changes, hopefully. Norwin Town Square will be partially torn down, existing tennants consolidated into the part that will remain, and a car dealership and grocery store built. That is probably the worst strip in NHT. Norwin Hills, although not the prettiest, has lots of tennants and won't be getting updated anytime soon.

Again, as long as they are functional and tennats choose to keep renewing leases, you won't have anything major happening.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

If you're comparing Pittsburgh area Suburbs to those of DC, Boston, or Southern California, yes they are going to looked pretty whooped. The history of this area explains things are the way they are (population loss) and that's just the way it is. There are many qualities of this area that scream "80's" to me, not that it's a bad thing.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

I've been driving US 30 a lot, between the Parkway and out past Ligonier. Last month it was US 22 from the Parkway to out past New Alexandria. Suburb after suburb - North Versailles, North Huntingdon, Irwin, Hempfield, Unity, Monroeville, Murrysville - look like ghetto suburbs built before the 1990s elsewhere in the country. No sidewalks, ugly half-vacant strip centers, cratered weed-strewn asphalt parking lots, overhead power lines, and broken signs. A few of the houses look like they were built 1990-2010, even a few of the strip centers do, but the vast majority of the commercial area is a nasty, ugly flashback. Did Pittsburgh's suburbs skip the 1990s and 2000s or what?

Aside from the "streetcar" suburbs like Mt. Lebanon, Aspinwall, Oakmont and Sewickley, the oldest suburbs in the Pittsburgh area are mostly south and east of the city, on the hills above the Monongahela River. When suburban development took off after World War II, Pittsburgh wasn't the only area that people were moving out of. They were moving out of all the one-horse company towns along the Monongahela River as well. U.S. 30 was already a major thoroughfare by that time, but the floodgates really opened when I-376 was built. This is why Penn Hills, Churchill, Monroeville, Forest Hills and North Versailles grew to the east, and West Mifflin, Baldwin and Castle Shannon grew to the south.

The only suburbs to the north that are the same age as the ones I mentioned above are Shaler and Reserve Townships, and the only suburbs to the west that are the same age are Stowe and Kennedy Townships. If you want more 1990's- and 2000's-style suburban development, you'll need to drive through the northern and western suburbs. In particular, most suburbs near I-79 and U.S. 19 are newer and more upscale.

[Caladium]

Do towns exist to look pretty to people driving by, or to serve its residents?

If the buildings are serving the residents, why should they spend a lot of money to tear down a functional building just so that it looks pretty to someone driving by?

Another way to look at it is these building will, in another 30-40 years, become historic. They may look horribly out of date now, but so did all those Victorian buildings that were torn down in the 70s. Back then people thought Victorians were butt ugly, but today they are sorely missed. Believe it or not, someday people will have the same fondness for old 80s buildings (if they are kept functional and in good repair, of course). If every town tears down its buildings to build whatever the newest design is, all the towns will never stop looking the same. When you hold onto older buildings even after they go out of style, over time a town develops distinct characteristics.

[Kippy]

When driving down Route 30 did you venture off into any of the actual downtown business districts such as Irwin, Greensburg, Latrobe, and Ligonier? There is more that defines these communities than the big box stores on the main throughway. It sounds like you drove by these suburbs and not through them.

In terms of large scale commercial development, there is so much land here there is no need to tear down the old to build new. The old will just remain sprinkled in with the less old. There is some new development in the Norwin and Hempfield portions of Route 30. I think most people would agree that a big box store is going to look pretty much the same be it old or new.

Fairfax, VA is booming with suburban growth, but it still has old and busted strip malls; just take a drive down Route 50, Leesburg Pike, or Columbia Pike.

[sparrowmint]

I'm certainly fine with how all these places look, I don't think buildings and business districts need to be modernized just for the sake of it. I wish they could/would go back and add sidewalks wherever remotely possible, however. Having moved from the North Versailles area to Penn Hills, the lack of sidewalks is extremely frustrating in both places.