PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Evergrey]

The Wall Street Journal characterizes Pittsburgh's steps as an 'orgy'.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-pittsb...cases-1402366559?mod=WSJ_hp_EditorsPicks

In Pittsburgh, Residents Are Divided on What to Do About Famous Staircases


Repairs Are Costly; Some Complain Steps Cover Drug Deals and Other Dubious Behavior: 'It's Like an Orgy Out There'

By John W. Miller @[email protected]


Brian Oswald stands on some of the steps he is trying to protect. John W. Miller/The Wall Street Journal

PITTSBURGH— Bob Regan, a retired geophysics professor, says the time he spent counting this city's 45,454 public steps was the happiest two months of his life.

The step-smitten Mr. Regan wrote a book in 2004 called "The Steps of Pittsburgh," which includes photos and a breakdown of how many steps are wooden or cement, and the top five staircases by steps, the longest being 378 steps. With each step rising a little less than half a foot, the city's collective steps, if stacked, would nearly reach the top of Mount Everest, he concluded.

Mr. Regan's book has elevated the city's step status and made Mr. Regan a man with a following. His acolytes now find themselves at odds with efforts to remove steps that are falling apart, rarely used and costly to maintain. The city has just $200,000 for step maintenance in its $52 million budget and it can cost $100,000 just to repair one set of steps.

"You have to get equipment to the site, and you have to pump concrete up a hill," says Guy Costa, chief operations officer for Pittsburgh. Mr. Costa knows the steps are "great for the city and an attraction for the city," because they offer magnificent views of one of the hilliest cities in North America. But, he says, steps must be taken to reduce costs. "It's tough, do you buy firetrucks or repair steps?" he asks. Mr. Costa said the city has roughly 675 public staircases, down from the 712 listed in Mr. Regan's book, and Pittsburgh still needs to get rid of a few more. Mr. Regan disagrees, saying he has now counted 739. He attributes the numbers discrepancy to his to being more thorough than the city. Mr. Costa says the city is hiring two summer interns this year to update the city's count, and prepare a condition report for each set of steps.




...

In many neighborhoods, the steps are woven into the fabric of everyday life. On Halloween night, children in Pittsburgh know to walk on the side of the street without steps. Drug dealers favor the steps for their lookout points. Members of special police units, who ride bicycles, are trained to cycle down the steps.

...

A woman who lives at the top of a steep-hilled street says the steps offer cover for dubious behavior. "People are doing drugs, making out, it's like an orgy out there," says the woman, who didn't want to be identified. "After St. Paddy's Day, I once found a woman's wig and a man's underwear."

...

[photoLith]

Oh my god! People making out on the steps, thats basically an orgy! The humanity!

[BrianTH]

Ah yes, in flat cities, no one can figure out where to deal drugs or have sex in public.

Anyhoo--no doubt, the Minim's design aesthetic is very clean and modern, and therefore not at all like the typical designs in a late-19th/early-20th Pittsburgh residential neighborhood. But I happen to like some eclecticism in my residential neighborhoods, so I am cool with that. I also think the yard in particular is key--do that well, and it won't necessarily clash because it will read as such a different sort of thing anyway (like a park located next to an office building--no one expects them to look similar).

[Evergrey]

Looks like an interesting piece on Mayor Peduto behind this paywall:

http://nextcity.org/forefront/view/bill-pedutos-steeltown

[Double L]

Glad to see most SSP formers don't see a need to preserve the steps. That's a case of historical preservation activists gone haywire.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Double L

Glad to see most SSP formers don't see a need to preserve the steps. That's a case of historical preservation activists gone haywire.

Huh. Where did you get that idea? The steps are one of the coolest things about Pittsburgh and I'd love to see as many as possible preserved.

[BrianTH]

I can imagine there are some steps that no longer serve much purpose, say because a served neighborhood is now mostly vacant. In that sense, I can imagine prioritizing saving some over others.

But I hope most get preserved.

[Double L]

I'm saying we should keep them because they are important but renovate them because they are old and run down and therefore unsafe.

[Austinlee]

I used to do drugs on the steps but now I'm in a 12 step program and it's certainly been a step in the right direction.

[SkyPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I used to do drugs on the steps but now I'm in a 12 step program and it's certainly been a step in the right direction.

Booooo ssssssssss

[AaronPGH]

lol Austin!

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I used to do drugs on the steps but now I'm in a 12 step program and it's certainly been a step in the right direction.

Same here, but I was into booze.



Seriously though, I too think that Steps are part of what makes Pittsburgh unique, and I want to see as many as possible preserved and rebuilt. Where else do you see steps with a street name?

[Gee Whiz]

[QUOTE=BrianTH;6612383]Ah yes, in flat cities, no one can figure out where to deal drugs or have sex in public.

Yeah, not only are the steps in ruin. The steps themselves are the main culprit in the ruination of our city.

[Steel City Scotty]

Pittsburgh's steps (and inclines) even have their own section on Wikipedia's "Transportation in Pittsburgh" page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Pittsburgh#Inclines_and_staircases

Inclines and staircases

Public staircase in Pittsburgh, ca. 1940
Two inclines ascend Mount Washington: Duquesne Incline and Monongahela Incline. Pittsburgh had considerably more inclines and the Monongahela Incline was paralleled by a freight incline.

Pittsburgh has more public staircases (737) than any other city in the United States, followed by Cincinnati and San Francisco. Many of these staircases have street names, and lead to hillside neighborhoods that can be difficult to access by car in winter.

[East Edge]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

The Wall Street Journal characterizes Pittsburgh's steps as an 'orgy'.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-pittsb...cases-1402366559?mod=WSJ_hp_EditorsPicks

This to me is an excellent example of why bringing the washington monument scaffolding to the city is ridiculous when we have such a unique asset in the city that could be invested in and celebrated. I get that the city is challenged to fund the maintenance of these steps but something tells me it would be a lot cheaper to save some steps in the city instead of bringing some "icon" here that has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. lets make what we have that is unique better and not try to be someone else. If pitched right this could be just as fundable as any of Pedutos wacky ideas like the WM Scaffold or turning the top of the USX building into a park.

Years ago we had several inclines and now only 2...good thing people were engaged enough at the time to save them! Lets not tear down steps just because some idiot with no vision in public works doesnt want to be hassled with taking care of them.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by East Edge

This to me is an excellent example of why bringing the washington monument scaffolding to the city is ridiculous when we have such a unique asset in the city that could be invested in and celebrated. I get that the city is challenged to fund the maintenance of these steps but something tells me it would be a lot cheaper to save some steps in the city instead of bringing some "icon" here that has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. lets make what we have that is unique better and not try to be someone else. If pitched right this could be just as fundable as any of Pedutos wacky ideas like the WM Scaffold or turning the top of the USX building into a park.

Years ago we had several inclines and now only 2...good thing people were engaged enough at the time to save them! Lets not tear down steps just because some idiot with no vision in public works doesnt want to be hassled with taking care of them.

Excellent points. I agree completely regarding the steps and the wacky scaffolding idea.

[Urbana]

Here are some renderings I found of CMU's University Center addition. A lot better than the loading dock that faces the street now!







http://www.cmu.edu/cdfd/Cohon%20Center%20Addition/index.html

[BrianTH]

The steps seem like a very different sort of thing to me from the possible scaffolding monument or High Point Park proposal, so I don't really understand viewing those as either/or issues.

I'd suggest if there is another budget item in the same rough category as step maintenance, it would probably be something like street/bridge maintenance. That in fact is part of what is cool about the steps--they aren't just a novelty, but rather an important component of the local infrastructure. In other words, I'd suggest the steps are to Pittsburgh sort of like the canals are to Venice, and we should be having budget conversations about them in that sort of context.

Which is not just a philosophical point. The City right now is going through the Act 47 process again, and there is likely to be more belt-tightening of various sorts as a result. However, the latest Act 47 report specifically noted that the City had been underinvesting in infrastructure, including maintenance, and it suggested the City's financial plan make room for increased infrastructure spending. Obviously the steps are not the biggest such issue, but given that context, it would probably benefit fans of the steps to be putting them into that general budgetary category.

[themaguffin]

I just watched the yourpittsburgh video. The comment about a new tallest was in passing. He simply stated that the Mon tower could be taller depending on the needs (who they could sign etc) and then was asked if he wanted to go taller than the steel building and he said that he would like to.... but it sounded like "sure I would love to do that" in a manner IF he was able to get the tenants to do so and not because that was a specific goal.

Also, surprisingly, they mentioned the long dead Cultural Trust project as something that the Trust would still like to do.

If so, the market is very different now and yet no word from them.

[BrianTH]

Only development news in the loosest sense, but this idea is a lot of fun:

http://www.popcitymedia.com/devnews/PopUpPlay061114.aspx

Project Pop Up: Play is an initiative to help relieve workday stress with a game break. On June 13 in Market Square, during lunchtime, stop by to play some cornhole, super-sized chess, life-sized Connect Four and mega Jenga. “Every adult wants to play,” White says. “It doesn’t matter if you are in a suit or … work clothes.” All games are free to anyone who wants to participate. The PDP is planning to pop up the games several times a week all over downtown. White calls the games “great stress relief“ and a “great way to meet people.”