Livability and Affordability
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Showcasing a 'New America'
The Pittsburgh region has survived wrenching economic change and emerged with a balanced, innovation-driven economy renowned for health care and life sciences, technology and robotics, higher education and research, financial services, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy.
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A City Full of Diversity
As a city full of diversity, you will love exploring the culture, food, and atmosphere of Pittsburgh’s 89 unique and ethnically distinctive neighborhoods. Pittsburgh’s downtown is full of the city hustle and bustle, and Squirrel Hill has the quaint charm of a main street-like community. Meanwhile, Oakland, with its many universities, supplies a uniquely intellectual atmosphere. Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and the unique people in them are just waiting for you to come and visit!.
Paris to Pittsburgh
Contact: Sean C. Luther, +1 412.566.4190
Paris to Pittsburgh activates local streetscapes with the life, ambiance, and charm of historic European cities
Synopsis
Paris to Pittsburgh is a coordinated effort to enliven the streets of Pittsburgh by drawing upon design principles perfected in historic European cities. The project, funded by a $1 million grant from the Colcom Foundation and administered by Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, encourages active street life throughout the downtown. Matching grants are awarded to street-level businesses, particularly restaurants and cafes, for outdoor dining, improved transparency, lighting, landscaping, or other improvements enhancing the pedestrian streetscape.
Overview
Urban decay across the nation reflects a failed state of preservation strategies. The abandoned urban core is commonly a forgotten remnant of Post World War II urban sprawl. Abandonment radiates from the core of a city, eventually the engulfing the outer reaches. No single tactic will effectively perpetuate the cultural, civic, social, economic, and historic urban center. Yet, in combination with other efforts, Paris to Pittsburgh could perpetuate the heart of the city with time-honored enhancements.
The urban landscape can nurture a sense of place, foster an appreciation for the civic realm, and honor our humanity. It can also cultivate graffiti, crime, and neglect. What is it about historic European urban areas? Why, over the ages, have Europe's city streets remained lively, entertaining, popular, and safe? Why are inner city reinvestments secure?
One answer is found in the aesthetic amenities on European streets. Winston Churchill reminds us "We shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us." Visualize Renoir's image of a bistro table on the sidewalk, the awning, planter, hanging pot, soft lighting, and the café's open storefront. Eyes on the street create a distinctively safe, dynamic, and active pedestrian arena. This in essence, describes the role of matching grants available through Paris to Pittsburgh.
Effects of the project launched in 2007 are becoming visible throughout Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle.
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QUALITY OF LIFE »
Life in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is home to a cultural phenomenon celebrating our unique history and the people who make this city special. Surprisingly affordable and very livable, it’s no wonder so many people are choosing to make Pittsburgh home.
