Pittsburgh: the liveable city

Prior to visiting Pittsburgh, I had images in my mind of the remnants of an industrial history; so chimneys, vast steel plants and coal faces, grime and dirty streets, and a hugely urbanised environment. What I have actually come across is a city swathed with public spaces, greenery, and one which is making the most of its industrial heritage as a resource. When I arrived I took in a view that would rival any tourist spot in the world, looking over a trio of rivers, parks, and a range of bridge structures which set Pittsburgh as the most liveable city in the United States.

The response to economic decline in Pittsburgh has, like Cleveland, been shaped by collaboration across organisations, philanthropic capital from a range of foundations, developing entrepreneurship through its core anchor institutions and in raising the profile of Pittsburgh as a place to invest in. What is different has been the approach to making the most of Pittsburgh’s environmental assets as spaces for both development and social interaction. So Pittsburgh has a rejuvenated riverfront lined with walkways and parks, spaces for taking in the view as described, and urban space which is both clean and utilised for a range of activities.

The profile of Pittsburgh has increased significantly. It is now a place where people want to live, work and play and over the last two days I have been learning about how this response to decline has been achieved and is ongoing. The first stop was my host organisation, Sustainable Pittsburgh; an organisation advocating an approach to economic growth which inherently links economic, social and environmental considerations. Its role in the rejuvenation of Pittsburgh has been to influence the behaviour of key business, foundations, and public organisations to ensure that Pittsburgh’s growth has not just been about bottom line but about a wider set of considerations which make the city sustainable.

At Fourth Economy, an economic development consultancy organisation, I learned about Pittsburgh’s approach to inward investment not be just about soliciting businesses to base there through tax breaks. It’s about a more innovative and strategic approach whereby investment is built upon existing specialisms in the education and medical sectors, for example, and which seeks to fill key gaps in demand for certain types of products and services. Pittsburgh is also adopting an approach to rejuvenation where economic development and community development are not seen as competing entities but coalitions in improving the fortunes of Pittsburgh economically and socially.

At the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, an umbrella body bringing together a variety of business focused organisations including the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, I witnessed the value of local tax raising and redistribution powers. Any taxes raised through Allegheny County’s sales tax (which is at 7% compared to the rest of Pennsylvania State) are split, with 50% returning to the county and 50% being redistributed for economic development activity and community development grants. Alongside resource from the foundations, this redistribution has shaped the redevelopment of the Pittsburgh riverside area, contributed to the development of the Pittsburgh Steelers football stadium and supported numerous community projects.

‘With over 30,000 vacant lots, GTECH is seeking to reduce blight by adopting a community development approach which creates more energy efficient local environments’

I also met with two business improvements district (BID) executive directors. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership draws resource through a mandatory levy on property owners based in the Downtown area, who in turn draw resource from their business tenants. Funding raised through the BID is subsequently re-spent on a range of activities designed to promote Pittsburgh and integrate the community into Pittsburgh’s economic future. They also seek to provide services which are not able to be provided anymore by the City of Pittsburgh or which supplement the city’s services.

A key example of this is the clean and safe team who keep the downtown area clean and act as ambassadors for this part of the city. The Oakland BID is based some four miles east of downtown and is home to two major universities and several medical technology and service institutions. The emphasis of the BID here is more voluntary in terms of the levy, but no less impressive in the range of events, profile raising, and beautification activities being undertaken. It aims to ensure the research investment coming into Oakland is sustained and that spin-offs are created.

My final meeting was with Growth Through Energy and Community Health Strategies (GTECH), a social enterprise which has charged itself with reducing the blight associated with the eastside of Pittsburgh. With over 30,000 vacant lots, GTECH is seeking to reduce blight by adopting a community development approach which creates more energy efficient local environments. So a range of growing, community lawn, and health and environmental friendly home programmes have brought vacant land back into use. Importantly, this is driven by the community with GTECH facilitating action, for example, through its ambassador programme.

My experience of Pittsburgh has been positive. But like Cleveland, the city has entrenched issues of poverty and inequality, particularly between the emerging and rejuvenated downtown and areas where prior to decline vast swathes of workers lived. These areas are now populated largely by African Americans and are characterised by near full unemployment, dilapidation and poverty as extreme as anywhere I have seen. The challenge now is ensuring these communities and areas of underinvestment are connected to the opportunities being created.

In terms of learning points, Pittsburgh has again demonstrated the differences which exist between economic development activity in the US and the UK. I am particularly interested in the ability of Pittsburgh to both gather and redistribute tax revenues, the role of philanthropy capital in economic development, the super-charged role of BIDs in shaping change, and the levels of collaboration across sectors.

For the next leg of my fact-finding trip I am off to Washington DC to see how the federal policy approach inspires and links into the local before heading on to Philadelphia.