On a recent weekend stroll at Point State Park, in Pittsburgh, visitors sunned themselves in the grass and along the low walls of the park. The park is a triangle of green at the very place where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. At the tip of the Point kids splashed in a fountain, and a rainbow shimmered through the spray. Looking east along the rivers bridges stitched the city together with yellow seams.
The fountain at Point State Park came on in 1974. Then, it was the first waterfront development in Pittsburgh. A bird’s eye view over the heart of the city today shows parks, stadiums, museums, and marinas all built up along the picturesque waterfronts.
But the emphasis on developing waterfronts for recreation and admiration in Pittsburgh — and other Pennsylvania cities large and small — is a relatively new idea. Or at least a return to an old one.
Listen to and read the full version of this report at Keystone Crossroads' website. Keystone Crossroads is a new statewide public media initiative reporting on the challenges facing Pennsylvania's cities. WPSU is a participating station.
