I'll tell you a story. It's one some people have heard before, but it'll be new to most of you.
On a recent trip to a restaurant in London, I found myself at a table with a number of students, all study abroaders from universities around the US. I don't know how conversation brought us to it, but I predictably started talking about what a great city Pittsburgh is. After some discussion, one of the gentlemen I was sitting with blurts out "Pittsburgh's not even a real city!"
Dismayed, and still assuming he'd burst into laughter as if it was a joke, I gave him a few seconds. Nothing. So, once again predictably, I began defending my city with ferocity. I tried to get across to this guy, a New Yorker, that the United States is about more than just Boston, New York, Philly, Chicago, and L.A. He began backing up his argument by telling me that, in order to be a city, a place has to have distinct areas, like an uptown and a downtown. I laughed briefly to myself, realizing that this guy was nothing more than a fool, and totally misunderstood what it means to be a city like Pittsburgh. I explained that we have many distinct areas, from the North Side, to the South Side, to Oakland, Downtown. Pittsburgh is one of many cities, great cities, that are really important to this country. He failed to understand why, and I left the dinner, frustrated.
In a way, this experience was one of my main motivations for starting this blog. The United States has never and will never be only those few big cities. The small and medium sized cities of our country matter, and they matter a lot. Unfortunately, it seems that so many cities, Pittsburgh being a prime example, are faced with substantial uphill battles right now. A city that once was extremely important in American industry, that had nearly 600,000 residents at its peak, has been dying. The loss of big industry has hurt Pittsburgh and many cities like it. We are plagued by budget problems, dwindling funding and support for public transportation, blight, and an exodus of our youth. And perhaps the biggest problem is simple - ineffective and uninspirational government, hanging it's hat on the most mundane accomplishments.
Only through close examination of these issues and thoughtful innovation will Pittsburgh be able to live on in its past splendor. And sure, it's never going to be an industrial hub again. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the cities aren't forgotten, and that through this examination of the issues, we learn how Pittsburgh can be a success. Luckily there is no shortage of pride in our city, and people truly care about the revival of it.
Now, I realized I haven't explained why cities matter. I feel like that will be our continuous endeavor. But, in an attempt to prove it, I'll leave you with a quote from a Howard Finegold article about Pittsburgh from 2005 : "In America, pride of place is an all-but-forgotten form of salvation. Cities matter."
So true. Not that it proved anything...but stay tuned!
On a recent trip to a restaurant in London, I found myself at a table with a number of students, all study abroaders from universities around the US. I don't know how conversation brought us to it, but I predictably started talking about what a great city Pittsburgh is. After some discussion, one of the gentlemen I was sitting with blurts out "Pittsburgh's not even a real city!"
Dismayed, and still assuming he'd burst into laughter as if it was a joke, I gave him a few seconds. Nothing. So, once again predictably, I began defending my city with ferocity. I tried to get across to this guy, a New Yorker, that the United States is about more than just Boston, New York, Philly, Chicago, and L.A. He began backing up his argument by telling me that, in order to be a city, a place has to have distinct areas, like an uptown and a downtown. I laughed briefly to myself, realizing that this guy was nothing more than a fool, and totally misunderstood what it means to be a city like Pittsburgh. I explained that we have many distinct areas, from the North Side, to the South Side, to Oakland, Downtown. Pittsburgh is one of many cities, great cities, that are really important to this country. He failed to understand why, and I left the dinner, frustrated.
In a way, this experience was one of my main motivations for starting this blog. The United States has never and will never be only those few big cities. The small and medium sized cities of our country matter, and they matter a lot. Unfortunately, it seems that so many cities, Pittsburgh being a prime example, are faced with substantial uphill battles right now. A city that once was extremely important in American industry, that had nearly 600,000 residents at its peak, has been dying. The loss of big industry has hurt Pittsburgh and many cities like it. We are plagued by budget problems, dwindling funding and support for public transportation, blight, and an exodus of our youth. And perhaps the biggest problem is simple - ineffective and uninspirational government, hanging it's hat on the most mundane accomplishments.
Only through close examination of these issues and thoughtful innovation will Pittsburgh be able to live on in its past splendor. And sure, it's never going to be an industrial hub again. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the cities aren't forgotten, and that through this examination of the issues, we learn how Pittsburgh can be a success. Luckily there is no shortage of pride in our city, and people truly care about the revival of it.
Now, I realized I haven't explained why cities matter. I feel like that will be our continuous endeavor. But, in an attempt to prove it, I'll leave you with a quote from a Howard Finegold article about Pittsburgh from 2005 : "In America, pride of place is an all-but-forgotten form of salvation. Cities matter."
So true. Not that it proved anything...but stay tuned!
2 comments:
I heard Desantis say that one of the reasons he was running for Mayor of Pittsburgh was that he was inspired by the history of the city. Pittsburgh in 1900, he said, had more wealth per capita than any other city in America. Obviously those days are not coming back, but I think Pittsburgh can be great again. Even with the struggles of the last three to four decades, Pittsburgh still has many great qualities.
There was a nice article in the City Paper about city planning in East Liberty this week. Check it out.
Great ideas! Can't wait to read more!
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