Pittsburgh's Hilly Terrain - Future Problem? (2014, to live, airport)

[norcider]

Why not? I think people with more brains than cash have come to the conclusion there are other neighborhoods that have real potential. The north side is ripe for this. All of my childhood friends who had family here have moved or died. The housing stock is pretty solid and the prices are attainable.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by norcider

Why not? I think people with more brains than cash have come to the conclusion there are other neighborhoods that have real potential. The north side is ripe for this. All of my childhood friends who had family here have moved or died. The housing stock is pretty solid and the prices are attainable.

If you don't mind me asking what part of the North Side in particular do you currently reside in? I don't think you've ever said.

[Joel_Rosenbaum]

Originally Posted by eschaton

As I said, it's not just about the hills, but the hills and the connectivity. Looking at a map of Seattle, all of those areas are gridded neighborhoods within the greater urban (okay, urban-ish in a lot of cases) agglomeration. Fairly similar to what I noted about San Francisco - there might have been hills, but they just ran the grid right over them.

In contrast, Pittsburgh's hill neighborhoods not only mostly lack a grid, but tend to have winding streets along the sides of slopes up and down, making access with nearby neighborhoods often indirect. In some cases only a handful of roads which connect them with the outside work. For example, the only ways into Troy Hill from elsewhere in the city are Troy Hill Road, Rialto Street, and Wicklines Lane. Or Stanton Heights, which only has access via Stanton Avenue, McCandless Avenue (barely, the two roads merge), Christopher Street, Greenwood Street, and Azure Street.

Agreed, for sure. Seattle being a post-WWII city probably helped to lay the grid down everywhere. I noticed that Bigelow seems to have a dividing/isolating effect in the Hill District/Polish Hill as well.

[norcider]

I am in Brighton Heights

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by norcider

I am in Brighton Heights

That's what I figured. Brighton Heights is a fine neighborhood, and I'm happy to see it getting recognition. But I really don't think people should talk about the "North Side" as one place, given it has 18 recognized neighborhoods. There's a world of difference between Brighton Heights, Perry Hilltop, and Allegheny West, for example. And while I think the lower portions of the North Side are basically at the takeoff point (in terms of soon developing more of a commercial scene - the housing costs have been high in many areas for quite awhile), the fates of the outer North Side neighborhoods are not inextricably tied up into this, any more than Brookine benefits from being relatively close to South Side.

[norcider]

I'd say upper North Side housing costs have stayed pretty reasonable.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by eschaton

If the Lower North Side was as intact as it was in the 1920s, I'd argue that it would be a major contender alongside the East End. You'd have 2+ square miles of very flat (excluding Monument Hill), intensely developed mixed-use land within spitting distance of Downtown, with housing stock ranging from grand mansions to humble working-class abodes. While nowhere near as big as the East End in total, the much denser level of development could have kept it a contender.

Alas, we don't live in such a world. The North Side still has much greatness, but despite the flat topography the division of it into multiple chunks by highways really results in an isolated feeling. I think this is being overcome in fits and starts, but it will never be what it was as long as so many tangles of concrete divide it from downtown, and even from parts of itself.

I agree. Pittsburgh really squandered the Lower North Side on highways and parking lots. The flat North Side is a great place to build a spider-web of highways... but it could've been Pittsburgh's premiere urban district as it's the largest area of flat land near Downtown.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Skyscrapers support density, which supports walkability.

Skyscrapers aren't required for density. Nor are they necessarily efficient. Elevators and structural support cost a great deal.

[norcider]

The War Streets and Allegheny West have always been higher in price for as long as I can remember. This is never going to change. But I have been around for the white exodus and now that looks to be changing back to white families coming back. And it is all over the NS from Spring Hill to Observatory Hill and everything in between. I know people who own houses in just about every nook and cranny of the North Side as a whole and my experience is one of optimism for the future.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by gottaq

married couples are on pace to become a minority. the nuclear family will not be as popular as it has been. yes people will still have children, but at as many people. less people will desire suburban life, because they wont be raising a family. they would rather be close to the center center for easy commutes to their jobs, and other ameneties. also, if gas prices fluctuate significantly in the future, this could lead to more people not wanting to commute to work. no US city has been outgrown by it's suburbs this decade. shows where things are going.

Jobs are increasing in suburban areas, new office parks have been constructed, new industrial and drilling ventures are being established. Pitt-Ohio is a recent situation, Westinghouse is out in Cranberry. Commutes in the future aren't going to be everyone "coming in", they aren't today. The traffic backs up going northbound through the Ft. Pitt at 5 p.m. every day.


As far as shopping, we've gone full circle. Sears started the mail order business in the 19th Century, in person shopping then took over ultimately with Wal-mart in the 20th.

Now, it looks like Amazon is ready to dominate with their Mail Order 2.0. No reason to go to town to buy a can of beans or a new electronic device or clothes.