July 16, 2006
Pgh Developers Should Take a Hike
The wonderful people at Urban Hike organized a tour of the Upper Hill, Sugar Top, and Polish Hill. Liz, Piper, and I made the walk yesterday, a very hilly 5 miles. We saw lots of unknown treasures, secret paths, knotweed covered staircases, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Festival, the West Penn Skate Park, a wild raspberry (wine berry) patch, the insides of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and an epiphanic amount of sunflowers planted in one man's yard in Polish Hill. Couple those delights with the civilized pace of the walk, and it makes me think that anyone who cares about a place should care about it as a pedestrian.
This past week, I went to see Dan Onorato give a talk for The League of Young Voters. I've also spent some time speculating with people about transportation and housing development in Allegheny County. Probably some great ideas. Perhaps a few clunkers. In any case some serious decisions will be made that will have an effect not only on the public coffers but on the commonwealth in general.
I believe any Pittsburgh developer who is bodily able, and is serious about development, should go on walks like those organized by Urban Hike. To understand a place is to understand it at close range, slow speed, and eventually through habits of mind and life.
And if the developers still make lousy decisions, they'll still feel great after an urban hike, a little tired, perhaps, but great.
Posted by mastr at July 16, 2006 12:03 PM