The City Observatory "Youth Movement" report referenced by the PBT is quite interesting.
Full report here:
http://cityobservatory.org/youthmovement/
Dashboard where you can quickly check out Pittsburgh stats here:
http://cityobservatory.org/ym-dashboard/
Some quick high-level summaries:
They focus on 25-34 with 4-year degrees because these are both high human capital and highly mobile people, and therefore of particular interest to high human capital employers thinking about site locations. And they provide a lot of background research explaining these adults are often feeling time-pressured, and that can drive interest in neighborhoods close to work and also various amenities.
They also provide background research explaining that economic segregation is generally bad for lower-income people, that ideally lower-income people would live in mixed-income neighborhoods, and that often that is possible with new higher-income people moving in . . . as long as supply keeps up with demand!
They also point out that in the few cities where influx of these younger educated adults might be slowing down a bit, it is likely mostly because of supply constraints driving up prices. Not so much a Pittsburgh problem yet, and we were one of the accelerating cities, but something to watch.
Finally, for consistency they use a strict definition of census tracts within 3 miles of the center of the CBD for their study areas. That is fine in general, but as applied to Pittsburgh it is problematic due to our complex topography, plus we have a very important second CBD in Oakland, about 2 miles east of Downtown Pittsburgh. So if you drew a 3 mile radius around both, you'd get something more like a fat infinity sign.
So not that I have a problem with the study per se, and in fact even 3 miles of Downtown Pittsburgh covers a lot of the developing areas. But realistically, we're also going to be looking here at least at relevant developments extending farther down the river flats, and clusters along the East Busway and the rest of the emerging East End BRT system (which provide extended access to Downtown as well as Oakland).
And to wrap in one more recent conversation--Downtown Wilkinsburg is only a little over 3 miles from Downtown Oakland as the crow flies, and again they are due for improved connections from the East End BRT project. Plus it is only a 14-minute East Busway ride from Penn Station.
So I do think the fundamental locational value is high, with potential for a pretty vibrant local walking neighborhood too. And while it does have a lot of competitors, with appropriately competitive pricing, some smart TOD investment, and just time, it could indeed become another important cluster.
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