Every urban core throughout current civilization was crushed by COVID, and our own Downtown wasn't an exception. That was for countless reasons, but chiefly that people couldn't congregate in close quarters, and that's kinda what an urban core's all about.
Half a decade's passed. Progress has been made, here and everywhere. Challenges remain.
The workforce Downtown hasn't been higher post-COVID than it is now, and it's about to get a big boost when PNC Bank requires everyone to return in May. Office building vacancy is down to 18.3%, but a massive portion of that's within one problematic skyscraper. More work's needed. And more buildings than just that one skyscraper need to be flipped to other uses.
The residential occupancy rate Downtown remains at a crazy-high 93.8%, as it has throughout. And this despite several recently completed or ongoing conversions from office to residential that keep adding to the housing stock. If we build it, people fill it. But more work's needed here, too, as the goal is to get from the current 9,000 residents to 15,000 within a decade.
All of which is my way of prefacing the following: It's wonderful that the NFL Draft's here. It'll be appreciated, obviously, to have the estimated $225 million boost to the economy, to have a bonus week with all our hotels and restaurants and other businesses, including our own at 224 Fifth Avenue, populated beyond recognition for an otherwise ordinary week in mid-April.
Also and related: We didn't need the NFL Draft.
Both things are true.
Speaking as both a Downtown resident and Downtown business owner -- and Downtown, by the way, is nothing more than the literal triangle of land between the three rivers, ending on the eastern edge at the Strip and Uptown -- it's been a blessing to see the hundreds of millions of dollars pour in from various parties that include all levels of government, the foundations and all three of our major-league sports franchises, among others.
Market Square's never been more beautiful:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Same with equally historic Mellon Square:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And the wholly reconstructed riverwalk along Fort Duquesne Boulevard:
DALI KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And the brand new Arts Landing park along Eighth Street, which I finally visited yesterday:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And of course, our beloved Point State Park fountain, our country's tallest that runs continuously, is now reaching fresh heights and with new LED lighting for nighttime viewing:
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
And maybe more impressive than anything, city/county workers and college students and other volunteers have plainly applied more effort than the norm to clean the place up for our coming guests. All of it had been happening regardless, but this came with added oomph:
PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY
Nothing wrong with that. It's how a proper host should behave.
There'll always be complaints, some valid and some completely concocted by that bizarre subsection that still gets its alleged news of the world from AM radio. Not much to be done there. There still aren't cures for idiocy and/or ignorance. And, not coincidentally, only about .0001% of anyone who complains about Downtown has actually been here since the last streetcar on Smithfield.
The reality is that this is all good. For those of us Downtown, for the North Shore that'll hold the main stage, for the city as a whole that benefits from a vibrant core and for everyone who takes REAL pride in the REAL Pittsburgh.
Come see us. Snap some pics. Pass the word.
We aren't your father's version of this city anymore, much less your grandfather's. No steel mills. No smokestacks. No smoggy skies.
We're this right now, four days away from the NFL Draft ...
PITTSBURGH DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP
... and we're getting healthier by the day.
And to anyone who's unhappy about that, hey, our tunnels come with exits, too.
THE ASYLUM
DK: We didn't need the NFL Draft here, but hey!
Every urban core throughout current civilization was crushed by COVID, and our own Downtown wasn't an exception. That was for countless reasons, but chiefly that people couldn't congregate in close quarters, and that's kinda what an urban core's all about.
Half a decade's passed. Progress has been made, here and everywhere. Challenges remain.
The workforce Downtown hasn't been higher post-COVID than it is now, and it's about to get a big boost when PNC Bank requires everyone to return in May. Office building vacancy is down to 18.3%, but a massive portion of that's within one problematic skyscraper. More work's needed. And more buildings than just that one skyscraper need to be flipped to other uses.
The residential occupancy rate Downtown remains at a crazy-high 93.8%, as it has throughout. And this despite several recently completed or ongoing conversions from office to residential that keep adding to the housing stock. If we build it, people fill it. But more work's needed here, too, as the goal is to get from the current 9,000 residents to 15,000 within a decade.
All of which is my way of prefacing the following: It's wonderful that the NFL Draft's here. It'll be appreciated, obviously, to have the estimated $225 million boost to the economy, to have a bonus week with all our hotels and restaurants and other businesses, including our own at 224 Fifth Avenue, populated beyond recognition for an otherwise ordinary week in mid-April.
Also and related: We didn't need the NFL Draft.
Both things are true.
Speaking as both a Downtown resident and Downtown business owner -- and Downtown, by the way, is nothing more than the literal triangle of land between the three rivers, ending on the eastern edge at the Strip and Uptown -- it's been a blessing to see the hundreds of millions of dollars pour in from various parties that include all levels of government, the foundations and all three of our major-league sports franchises, among others.
Market Square's never been more beautiful:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Same with equally historic Mellon Square:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And the wholly reconstructed riverwalk along Fort Duquesne Boulevard:
DALI KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And the brand new Arts Landing park along Eighth Street, which I finally visited yesterday:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And of course, our beloved Point State Park fountain, our country's tallest that runs continuously, is now reaching fresh heights and with new LED lighting for nighttime viewing:
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
And maybe more impressive than anything, city/county workers and college students and other volunteers have plainly applied more effort than the norm to clean the place up for our coming guests. All of it had been happening regardless, but this came with added oomph:
PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY
Nothing wrong with that. It's how a proper host should behave.
There'll always be complaints, some valid and some completely concocted by that bizarre subsection that still gets its alleged news of the world from AM radio. Not much to be done there. There still aren't cures for idiocy and/or ignorance. And, not coincidentally, only about .0001% of anyone who complains about Downtown has actually been here since the last streetcar on Smithfield.
The reality is that this is all good. For those of us Downtown, for the North Shore that'll hold the main stage, for the city as a whole that benefits from a vibrant core and for everyone who takes REAL pride in the REAL Pittsburgh.
Come see us. Snap some pics. Pass the word.
We aren't your father's version of this city anymore, much less your grandfather's. No steel mills. No smokestacks. No smoggy skies.
We're this right now, four days away from the NFL Draft ...
PITTSBURGH DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP
... and we're getting healthier by the day.
And to anyone who's unhappy about that, hey, our tunnels come with exits, too.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!