Urban Politics

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The city of Pittsburgh is located in the western part of Pennsylvania. It is found at the confluence of three rivers; Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. The city was originally famed for its steel industry, hence the name ‘Steel city’. The steel industry grew rapidly during the Second World War due to a high demand for steel products. Many people were employed in the industry and there were many immigrants. This led to high levels of pollution from the mills and factories (Higgins, J. 2016). The steel industry however collapsed during the 1980s leading to massive layoffs and exodus from the town. Many buildings, factories, warehouses and homes were left abandoned. This fact gave architects an interest in exploring the city as they could literally design the city to be whatever they wanted, the possibilities were endless. These architects were from the American Institute of Architects.

Today, the city of Pittsburgh is a great destination to live and work. It has undergone so much revitalization and transformation in the recent past to make it into the lovely city it is today. Many tech giant companies such as Google, Microsoft, Uber, and Nokia have set up shop in the city, generating about 20.7 billion dollars (Andes, s. et al 2017). The federal government also has bases in the city such as energy research and cyber security. The city’s residents have glowing praise for the city’s affordability in terms of living, the sense of community there and the feeling that they have a lot to contribute to their city’s wellbeing and growth.

There are several groups that have benefited from Pittsburgh’s revitalization. The first of these groups is young people. After the collapse of the steel industry, working-age population of the city left. This has left the city with a much older population and hence the need to attract a younger population. Revitalization has left the city with many jobs open to young people and affordable living conditions have also been an attractive factor. Diversity and a vibrant arts culture and tech industry are also an advantage for the young residents of the city.

The revitalization process was not without setbacks as some groups were adversely impacted. There disadvantaged people who lived in the city before the revitalization have found that cost of living has gone up as the city attracted more people due to a boom in the arts and tech industry. The green revitalization has pushed up costs especially of housing and some have found themselves pushed out of their homes. However, the collaborative spirit that has been at the core of Pittsburgh’s growth means that leadership and citizens can find a way to make their city better for everyone and that no one has to lose their homes.

Politics undoubtedly played a role in the groups that benefitted and those that were adversely affected. While carrying out the revitalization of Pittsburgh, it is highly likely that the changes would favor the advantaged more than the disadvantaged. The architects of the revitalization program argue that all the city’s residents working together will lead to cohesiveness and forge a strong community that can address the issues of gentrification that may have come with revitalization. The city’s political leaders have to play the role of unifying the city.

The local government played a big role in the balancing of the revitalization approach to address the needs of the city‘s residents. In the 1990s, the city’s leaders realized that they would have to come up with strategies to improve the city. This included attracting and keeping a younger population, a thriving downtown, a good climate to do business, developing key areas for economic growth and promoting regional cooperation. Quality of education and overall quality of life led to growth of many colleges and revitalization of buildings for quality living space. The collaboration culture in the city means leadership works with residents, the private sector and nonprofit organizations to address the city’s issues (Reese, L. A., & Rosenfeld, R. A. 2016). The arts were also a big point of focus.

The success of Pittsburgh’s revitalization program was due to planning. This began with the identification of the sectors that needed to be addressed such as the older population of the city. The city’s leadership also looked at other issues such as sustainability, growth and inclusivity. They aimed to reuse buildings that had been abandoned rather than coming up with completely new structures that would be prohibitively expensive. Many architects from around the country found Pittsburgh city an interesting challenge and created green revitalization models for the city. The city succeeded in its plan to attract a younger population, especially due to the thriving creative industry in Pittsburgh. The economy also has many areas of focus such as education, health, technology among others creating diversity.

The city of Pittsburgh is a perfect example of what it is to go from being at the top to the bottom. The economic boom of the 1950s was a time of prosperity which quickly changed in the 1980s. However, the city has been able to move forward by coming up with innovative plans that have put in on the road towards even more prosperity than before. It has been ranked as one of the best cities to live in the country. Other cities should look at its green revitalization program and adopt the many lessons to be found there towards sustainable cities and megacities.

References

Andes, S., Horowitz, M., Helwig, R., & Katz, B. (2017). Capturing the next economy: Pittsburgh’s rise as a global innovation city. Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Initiative on Innovation and Placemaking at Brookings.

Duryea, S. N. (2015). Removing the rust: Comparative post-industrial revitalization in Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Old Dominion University.

Higgins, J. (2016). City of Steel: How Pittsburgh Became the World’s Steelmaking Capital during the Carnegie Era by Kenneth J. Kobus. Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, 83(3), 428-429.

Reese, L. A., & Rosenfeld, R. A. (2016). Partnerships in Pittsburgh: Civic Cultures and Organizational Capacities. In Comparative Civic Culture (pp. 94-110). Routledge.

Teaford, J. C. (2015). Comments on Pittsburgh renaissance. Journal of Urban History, 41(1), 44-46.