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Photographer: Mike Wintermantel
Taken: May 14, 2014
Caption: Renaissance Pittsburgh
Additional Description: "Our grand design in Pittsburgh has been the acceptance of a belief that a city is worth saving; and that the people of a city can take pride and glory in it..."

In 1946, Mayor David L. Lawrence teamed with leaders of the recently formed Allegheny Conference, several of whom were returning veterans, to develop and fund programs to transform the quality of life of an entire region. The success of their effort established a national standard for urban renewal.

The task was formidable. Pittsburgh was no longer "hell with the lid off," but it was still "The Smoky City." Fouled air and polluted rivers were byproducts of its industrial might. The banks of those rivers, which flooded frequently, were overcrowded with the tools of production. Through legislation and investment, the team implemented its Renaissance agenda. Air was cleared; water quality improved; greenspace expanded; and flood control measures adopted. Finally, a spacious park and nearby office complex provided a new gateway to a changed but still indispensable city.

The renewal projects provided employment for the area's military veterans and former defense workers alike. Thousands more took advantage of generous education provisions in a G.I. Bill of Rights to enter and complete college, decisions virtually ensuring that successive generations would follow their educational path. The collective intellectual capital they acquired helped sustain the region for decades, even during its change to a service-based economy from its industrial past.
Submitted: May 15, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Database Locator Identification Number: p273372
File Size: 1.913 Megabytes

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