Are walkability and urban living important to real life Yinzers? (Pittsburgh: 2014, houses)

[Space_League]

Of course the people on CD are passionate and vocal about these topics, but is that something that people in the real world take for granted or squander(for example, driving everywhere while living in a walkable neighborhood).

I am curious, having never been to the city, to what extent is these ideas and practices part of the normal conversation in Pittsburgh society?

[gg]

"real life yinzers"? As someone that was born in Pittsburgh over 50 years ago, walkability wouldn't be a concern at all. Means nothing. Yinzers work jobs that require vehicle use and they get home and are tired as hell. Sure they may walk to the Italian market down the street or a bar, but walking around shopping and such? No.

I am not sure what you mean be the term "yinzer" though. I gave the real definition of them as an old school view. The new people are quite different, but they aren't "yinzers".

Not sure if my answer is what you are looking for.

[Space_League]

Originally Posted by gg

"real life yinzers"? As someone that was born in Pittsburgh over 50 years ago, walkability wouldn't be a concern at all. Means nothing. Yinzers work jobs that require vehicle use and they get home and are tired as hell. Sure they may walk to the Italian market down the street or a bar, but walking around shopping and such? No.

I am not sure what you mean be the term "yinzer" though. I gave the real definition of them as an old school view. The new people are quite different, but they aren't "yinzers".

Not sure if my answer is what you are looking for.

is that an incorrect definition of the term? I just meant normal folks born and raised in Pittsburgh as opposed to urbanists on the forums...

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by Space_League

is that an incorrect definition of the term? I just meant normal folks born and raised in Pittsburgh as opposed to urbanists on the forums...

I think there is more of a stigma to the term than that definition implies, at least in 2019.

In answer to your question though I can provide an anecdote. I live in a pretty walkable neighborhood whose amenities I use pretty often. Not only that, but I often walk nearby neighborhoods like Bloomfield, Polish Hill, and the Strip District.

A few of my neighbors, on the other hand, whom most would consider "yinzers" have gotten Handicap parking spaces in front of their houses once the neighborhood really took off a few years ago. Since the neighborhood became busier and parking more difficult, they would still be able to park directly in front of their homes and come and leave as they please without having to worry about where to park upon return. And by "a few" I mean at least 4 on my block, in other words, an unlikely number of suddenly disabled folks. They're definitely used to a more car dependent lifestyle than I am.

For what it's worth I do own a car and when I need to use it I still find parking on my block 99% of the time, despite all the reserved handicapped parking.

[jea6321]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

I think there is more of a stigma to the term than that definition implies, at least in 2019.

In answer to your question though I can provide an anecdote. I live in a pretty walkable neighborhood whose amenities I use pretty often. Not only that, but I often walk nearby neighborhoods like Bloomfield, Polish Hill, and the Strip District.

A few of my neighbors, on the other hand, whom most would consider "yinzers" have gotten Handicap parking spaces in front of their houses once the neighborhood really took off a few years ago. Since the neighborhood became busier and parking more difficult, they would still be able to park directly in front of their homes and come and leave as they please without having to worry about where to park upon return. And by "a few" I mean at least 4 on my block, in other words, an unlikely number of suddenly disabled folks. They're definitely used to a more car dependent lifestyle than I am.

For what it's worth I do own a car and when I need to use it I still find parking on my block 99% of the time, despite all the reserved handicapped parking.

interesting. did they all start by using parking chairs first?

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by jea6321

interesting. did they all start by using parking chairs first?

Orange traffic cones. My block was a complete sea of traffic cones. Anytime PWSA or Duquesne Light or Verizon were on our block their cones would disappear because my neighbors would steal them all. The one older lady holdout who hasn't opted to go the disabled parking route still uses her traffic cones when she leaves once a week on Sunday to go to church. She doubles up with two cones.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

In answer to your question though I can provide an anecdote. I live in a pretty walkable neighborhood whose amenities I use pretty often. Not only that, but I often walk nearby neighborhoods like Bloomfield, Polish Hill, and the Strip District.

A few of my neighbors, on the other hand, whom most would consider "yinzers" have gotten Handicap parking spaces in front of their houses once the neighborhood really took off a few years ago. Since the neighborhood became busier and parking more difficult, they would still be able to park directly in front of their homes and come and leave as they please without having to worry about where to park upon return. And by "a few" I mean at least 4 on my block, in other words, an unlikely number of suddenly disabled folks. They're definitely used to a more car dependent lifestyle than I am.

Yeah, this was my general impression too. Living in Lawrenceville from 2007 to 2014, I noticed a big change on my street. When I first moved there, I had a car, but I almost never used it because I work downtown and would either take the bus or ride my bike to work. I would often get home from work a bit early and find my car was one of the only ones on the street. Everyone else who was working seemed to drive to work somewhere. By the time I moved out though, very few cars on the street ever seemed to move. It seemed the demographic which had moved onto the street were - like me - people who owned cars but didn't actually use them very much. Mind you, part of this is likely because working-class jobs were more distributed all over the place. But I also think a lot of older people who grew up poor thought taking the bus if you owned a car had some weird sort of stigma to it.

I do think that from my interactions with older people in the neighborhood they did like the convenience of having different businesses within a short distance though - businesses that, provided they had decent mobility, they would have no issue walking to on a nice day. They absolutely weren't really interested in the new sort of businesses opening up in Lawrenceville however. Many of them were hoping to cash out and move to Shaler.

[PghYinzer]

I think walkability to a lot of yinzers in a lot of neighborhoods is just normal living and a given. I mean if you were born and raised in Bloomfield, you could always walk to your necessities so it is nothing new or nothing that they demand. I am sure in neighborhoods that have significantly declined over the years and lost businesses there is a yinzer demand for walkability aka what used to be there. Perhaps the yinzers who "upgrade" to the suburbs don't care about walkability...

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I do think that from my interactions with older people in the neighborhood they did like the convenience of having different businesses within a short distance though - businesses that, provided they had decent mobility, they would have no issue walking to on a nice day. They absolutely weren't really interested in the new sort of businesses opening up in Lawrenceville however. .

This is very true and something I hadn't considered even though I've been living through it. Along Butler Street there really are very few vestiges of the Lawrenceville of a decade ago. Off the top of my head I can think of Frankie's, Hambones, a few fast food places, and a few convenience stores. These people probably aren't going to a place like Morcilla or even cheaper place like Condado, so the amenities for them to actually walk to are fewer and fewer.

[norcider]

I walked from yinzer neighborhood to yinzer neighborhood before walkability meant you needed to be within 100 yards of a coffee shop and craft beer joint or you'd die of inconvenience.