Reimagining Cities-Disrupting the Urban Doom Loop

The city’s downturn can be seen in East Liberty. Once the third-busiest retail district in Pennsylvania (surpassed only by the downtowns of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh), East Liberty was targeted for one of the largest urban renewal projects in the country, aimed at revitalizing the area after the post-industrial economic downturn. 48 The plan included pedestrian malls, boulevards and high rises. However, during construction, long-standing businesses shut down and residents fled. A 1966 headline proclaimed, “Hope in East Liberty,” but the exodus continued. 49 The lure of Drivable Sub-urban places was the dominant market trend in Pittsburgh, as in most of the country, during the mid- to late-20th century. By 2010, Pittsburgh’s population had dwindled to barely 300,000, less than half of its size in 1950. The intellectual property coming from Pittsburgh’s long-standing institutions and foundations eventually attracted tech companies to the area, typified by Google transforming the old Nabisco plant into a knowledge economy office building. Following this, the Highland Building downtown was converted into apartments, and the old YMCA building became a boutique hotel. 50 Additionally, new investments flowed into Pittsburgh from long-standing industries like oil and natural gas fracking, robotics and healthcare. Credit is also due to a coalition of business leaders, developers, philanthropists, nonprofit groups, and politicians who supported the city’s transition. Pittsburgh’s legacy as one of the richest cities in the country 100 years ago led to the creation of major foundations, providing substantial philanthropic funding. Inspired and bolstered by new investments, this coalition turned to East Liberty for a different redevelopment approach. East Liberty had become known as the “land that retail forgot,” according to a Pittsburgh Gazette headline. 51 However, the local

chamber of commerce had founded a nonprofit group, East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI), which devised a plan to revive the core of the neighborhood by eliminating the pedestrian mall and renovating its buildings. ELDI’s strategy focused on reviving the historic core, noting that the only thriving new businesses were on the periphery where a Whole Foods and Home Depot had recently opened. The coalition and ELDI interpreted this as a market signal and started redevelopment at the strong edges of the neighborhood and worked gradually toward the weaker core. In 2008, a new crime-reduction strategy for East Liberty emerged from a tour with retail consultants and a local developer. Using grants and loans, ELDI identified properties where crime was concentrated, typically badly dilapidated houses or apartment buildings. ELDI then installed new building managers and hired off-duty police officers to patrol the properties. Over the next four years, crime in East Liberty dropped by 50%, and home values skyrocketed. 52 Today, Pittsburgh boasts a thriving tech industry, supported by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Carnegie Mellon University and companies like Aurora, which are located along the city’s “Robotics Row.” 53 The education and medical sectors had a transformative hand in Pittsburgh’s revival, catalyzed by foundation benefactors and attracting young, industrious workers. People flock to Pittsburgh for its job opportunities and affordable living, revitalizing the population and providing essential intellectual capital.

48 Tierney, John. “A Renaissance Runs Through it.” City Journal, 2019. 49 Ibid. 50 Ibid.

51 Ibid. 52 Ibid. 53 Andes, Scott, Mitch Horowitz, Ryan T. Helwig, and Bruce Katz. “Capturing the next economy: Pittsburgh’s rise as a global innovation city.” Brookings, 2017.

28 Cushman & Wakefield