Civic Arena Redevelopment project
Transition Design Case Study #1 and Case Study #2
Team: Denise Nguyen, Theora Kvitka, Mackenzie Cherban and Chirag Murthy
Case Study #1
Project Profile
Organizations Involved in the Project
There are many organizations involved in this project including:
US Department of Transportation, State of PA, Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, Sports and Exhibition Authority, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Penguins, Michael Baker International , McCormack Baron Salazar, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), West 8, Graves design group: architecture, La Quatra Bonci Associates, Mongalo-Winston consulting, Sota construction services.
Project Profile
The project aims to solve the disconnection between downtown and surrounding residential neighborhoods, and turn an underutilized piece of prime real estate into opportunities for increased economic development and affordable home ownership.
Project Sector
Development, Housing
Areas of design focus
Urban design
Levels of Spatial Scale
Neighborhood + City scale
Temporal Scale
This urban design project involves the redevelopment of over 28 acres in a prime district of Pittsburgh, and as such, development would last tens of years. The master plan does not talk about a timeline; additionally, the project has run into delays and has not seen the light of the day over the last few years. The vision mentions grand plans to ensure that the development is sustainable, and mentions several technological means which can assist in this. It states that sustainability will be a central tenant in design, construction and operations including a broad and dynamic use of landscaping to address heat island, light pollution and site-wide innovative stormwater techniques to reduce, reuse and recapture stormwater. Alternative energy sources such as cogeneration and geothermal technologies have been investigated and are encouraged practices. While these are great on paper, there are no details of its implementation or how this would grow in the future. This could be an indicator of the people involved not really having thought of the project’s future trajectory.
Transition Design Potential
The project has the potential to become a transition design solution through Connecting and Restoring.
Project Overview
The redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site is a project aimed at urban renewal and increasing connectedness of the Hill District to Downtown. There are many, many groups involved in this project, from local to federal government, architecture and design firms, civil engineers and policy makers. The project proposal directly addresses the fraught history of this site, which was the “Little Harlem” of Pittsburgh before being torn down in the mid-1950’s to make way for the Civic Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Civic Arena and road structures surrounding it were reminiscent of the Garden City movement, with radial, elevated freeways bypassing pedestrian thoroughfares and connecting cars to downtown. After the Civic Arena was closed in 2010, the site was demolished and is currently used for parking. The site analysis detailed in the project proposal looked at the topography of the site and surrounding areas, as well as the larger urban context. The study highlights the vast number of vacant lots in the surrounding areas, parks and roadways that provide access to downtown. In the proposed solution, they acknowledge the following constraints and criteria: 20% affordable housing units, transportation, scenic views, green space, pedestrian and ADA-friendly inclines, traffic noise and both residential and commercial needs. The project has a modern approach to urban living and prioritizes development of walkable, green and stormwater-ready spaces. The proposed through-ways make use of meandering pedestrian parklets, street-level retail spaces, and terraced rooflines which have room for gardens and more green space.
Vision and Lifestyle
This project is connected to a mid-term vision of a sustainable future. It emphasizes an interest in open, public spaces, increased greenery, increased access to downtown and urban amenities but also maintains a vision of a car-centric city, with ample parking, road space and expectation of increased traffic. Urban farming is acknowledged, but more as a pop culture desire rather than one of genuine sustenance. The vision for everyday life presented in the project proposal is one of upper class families with children, young people and is based in a consumerist mindset of traditional retail, rental properties and car ownership. Comfortable and shaded walking paths are presented as as means of transportation, but seem to function primarily for leisure rather than commuting. Plans for busses, light rail or other forms of public transportation are noticeably absent, which significantly decreases the longevity of this plan. One of the primary aims of this project is to connect residential neighborhoods to downtown, but it is unclear how this proposal will organically develop as the needs of the city change. They mention leaving the green space so that it can be used for development later, but this seems directly at odds with its mission of friendly, open streets.
Although the designers researched population trends pre- and post- steel boom, they did not present any forecasts for population growth, economic trends, climate change models or any other research into the future of Pittsburgh. It is unclear how they made the decisions for this development other than through topographical, shade and landscape studies.
Theories of Change
One of the goals of the project, which directly talks to our topic of affordable housing, is to develop 20 percent affordable housing units out of the 1200 total units. 15 percent of the affordable units would be reserved for people making 80 percent of the area’s median income, while the other 5 percent would be reserved for those making 60 or 70 percent of the median income.
First, this is ironic considering that pre-1955, the Hill District area was the cultural center of African-American life in the city. Despite its cultural and economic vibrancy, a substantial area was slated for redevelopment in the mid-1950’s, displacing about 8,000 individuals and leading to the neighborhood’s dramatic economic decline.
Also, the current median income percentages used to determine the cost of the affordable units mean the units remain inaccessible to African-American residents of the Hill District who currently have Section 8 vouchers from HUD. An affordable one-bedroom unit is priced to be within reach for an annual income of $39,100, which is 80 percent of the area’s median annual income. Unfortunately, this amount is nearly two times the median income of $20,946 for African-American households in Pittsburgh. Therefore, this project excludes very low income people, most black families in the city as well as voucher holders.
By failing to make available below-market units to those holding Section 8 vouchers or those with incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median, the city will not only disproportionately exclude African-American households but will perpetuate an existing pattern of racial discrimination.
Mindset and Posture
This project was conceived within the current socio-economic paradigm in Pittsburgh, which is focused around the professional sports culture, an economic powerhouse of the region. This project is funded by the Penguins and McCormack Baron Salazar to build residences and public spaces around the Civic Arena, home of the Penguins, undoubtedly meant to capitalize on the thousands of fans coming to this area. The mindset of the designers on this project is focused on building a stronger community and thinking about sustainability from the perspective of creating a place where people will lay down roots, instead of just passing through.
The designers on this project propose a public space to connect disparate neighborhoods, which seems to be an open and collaborative posture. However, since the designers’ true aim here is to fulfill the desires of their client (The Penguins), it’s more of a feigned posture. Although the project does look to incorporate neighborhoods, and incorporate rainwater collection, irrigation, and scaled heating and cooling options, it is only looking at this small Pittsburgh neighborhood and how it can support an existing economic powerhouse and it’s financial stakeholder. A small-scale, short-term vision which emphasizes financial and cultural extraction, is evidence that this project was conceived within a mechanistic worldview.
New Ways of Designing
The masterplan for the Lower Hill District is framed as creating an accessible network to reconnect the Lower Hill to Downtown. As it stands, the plan takes both social and environmental factors into concern. The master plan hopes to bring future investment into the Hill by refocusing on building a stronger community. By building on current community initiatives, the new plan hopes to not only service the Hill, but also the greater Pittsburgh community. Environmentally, the plan proposes dedicated green space and rainwater collection systems to service the public space of the area. This plan does take into account the Hill’s unique cultural characteristics and community initiatives as it aims to address three major components — accessibility, public space, and housing. In an aim to make the area more accessible, it proposes a network of paths that favor bike and pedestrian traffic over car traffic. The proposed plan takes into account short-term as well as long term goals, however the development of the site is being held up by the Pittsburgh Penguins who currently own rights to development. This is an interesting example of where a plan can be proposed and take a large step in righting a wrong made years ago, however if not everyone is on the same page, that plan may never be implemented.
Needs and Satisfiers
The New Lower Hill Master Plan satisfies some obvious needs like protection, participation, and leisure since it is building housing, but it also appeals to some of what Max Neef would refer to as ‘pseudo’ or ‘counterfeit’ needs.
A main need associated with the New Lower Hill Master Plan is leisure. For leisure, the place allows for imagination, tranquillity, and spontaneity based around the centralized green space and walking paths that encourage meandering through the space. Protection is an obvious need that is being met through safe and reliable housing. Additionally, participation seems to be an integrated need that is satisfied on many levels in this project. It aims to create an inclusive community through open public spaces for interacting, rooftop spaces, and proximity to the rest of the city. Since it is created as an extension of the Civic Arena, it also supports participation in the sports culture of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which can be argued to meet a ‘counterfeit’ need, but one that is clearly supported by their main financial stakeholder.
A need that is a threat because of this stakeholder agenda is identity and idleness. Because this housing development is created around the Civic Arena, it may be difficult for residents to escape the hoards of sports fanatics that will filter into the area and it may force residents to feel they must participate in this culture, even if they are opposed to it. This development does not look at Max Neef’s needs holistically in a balanced way which may create unintended dissatisfaction.
Connection to Wicked Problems
This project is connected to the larger wicked problem in many ways–economically, socially, environmentally, politically, and infrastructurally. Economically and socially the project plan highlights areas of focus that include Minority/Women Business Enterprises, job creation, local inclusion, and workforce development. Both of which focus on providing residents of the Hill District as well as other predominately minority communities with economic opportunities. Environmentally and infrastructurally, The Civic Arena Redevelopment master plan highlights development for both residential and commercial as well as urban open spaces and courtyard space. The plan has allocated 10% of the gross land to be dedicated as Urban Open Space, roughly 2.8 acres of the area. In addition, the plan lays out proposed rooftop green spaces, taking advantage of the vertical garden space. Politically, the plan proposes inclusionary and homeownership housing clauses, basically setting aside a percentage of residential development for lower income households.
Understanding the Scope of the Project
The Civic Arena Redevelopment Project is situated in the center of the Winterhouse Pathways Matrix. The project takes on an existing system to deliver a better solution, while working with interdisciplinary teams to propose the right course of action. This project and the space in general is very unique. As highlighted above, the history of the neighborhood and this space in particular is rooted in a lack of foresight and vision for the future. Even now, it was hard to see this proposed plan as a transformational or cultural system shift. The original Civic Arena was quick to wipe away a community, and while this one is looking to re-build, we felt there needs to be more involvement from cross-sector groups. Bringing in and involving the Hill District community more than it has already, not only addressing the proposed projects and involvement from the community, but incorporating them from ideation through to execution.
Case Study #2
Hypothetical Project Profile
Organizations Involved in the Project
Considering the scale of the project, multiple organizations will have to come together for this project:
US Department of Transportation, State of PA, Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Civil engineering firm, Developer, Landscape architecture firm, Urban planning firm, Local community groups, Affordable housing advocates.
Project Profile
The project should aim to undo what was done in the 1950’s and bring back the cultural and economic vibrancy that the African-American community fostered, in the Hill District area. It should also connect this area to Downtown and Uptown and create opportunities for the community to participate in the economic development. An integral aspect of this would be to ensure that economic opportunities in the area are kept in step with housing costs, allowing for a balanced economy that is open to a diverse group of residents.
Project Sector
Development, Housing, Transport, Food systems, Shared amenities, Cultural restoration
Areas of design focus
Urban design, Design for social innovation, Service design
Levels of Spatial Scale
Neighborhood + City scale
Temporal Scale
Considering the multi-use (commercial + residential) nature of this project on over 28 acres of land, the development itself would take a few years. The buildings, when built, will stand for years to come. To ensure that people staying here will have the desired lifestyle from day one, it is important that the commercial as well as residential development happens in parallel. People should be able to stay and work here, as well as have good connectivity to other areas of the city.
Project Overview
After analyzing and critiquing the plans for the Civic Arena Redevelopment, we have envisioned a transition pathway to renewing this site and making it an inviting, livable place for decades to come. Our vision for this area is one where human-scale, organically developed affordable housing meets culturally rich, accessible civic institutions like libraries, schools and community centers. By harnessing the spirit of the current plans, but redirecting the focus and lengthening the time-scale, our proposal aims to connect an underutilized parcel of land back to the community who once called it home.
Our topic area is Lack of Affordable Housing, however, we have realized the interconnectedness of this problem to many others. This proposal aims to solve the problem of affordable housing from a more holistic perspective (leveraging self-organization, economic opportunity and information flows) rather than with top-down policy solutions that don’t address the root causes of unaffordable housing markets. We believe that this will create the conditions for more sustainable everyday life in the urban environment.
Vision and Lifestyle
Our vision is situated in 2067, 100 years after the demolition of the original neighborhood known as “Little Harlem” which used to be on this site. We see a thriving neighborhood that offers it’s residents not just affordable homes and apartments, but entrepreneurial opportunities to start small local businesses that provide jobs, and economic security. A renewed focus on the jazz and cultural heritage of this site is aided with after school music programs, restaurants and bars with music venues, and summer concert series in the park. We imagine green spaces with outdoor amphitheaters which attract tourists as well as function as an informal meeting place for neighborhood residents.
By starting with a vision of 2067 and backcasting to 2017, we realized that the first step in achieving this goal is to gather together activists, community leaders and other movers and shakers who share a strong desire to contribute to the rebuilding of the Hill District. From there, we imagine policy solutions which gives former residents of the neighborhood and their descendants reparations for the loss of their homes and livelihoods in the mid-50’s. Some of this money would come from the Penguins Hockey team who currently own the site and are profiting from using it as a parking lot. The Penguins would be ousted from control of the property via eminent domain. The city would design roads and infrastructure and divide up the land within that grid. 30 percent of the acreage would be used as green spaces, and public transportation, bicycles and walking would be given equal or greater importance than car transit and parking.
From there, a phase of rebuilding would begin, but individuals and groups receiving reparations would be in control of redeveloping smaller plots.
Theories of Change
In 50 years, we are envisioning an artistic hub that is economically, culturally, ethnically, racially diverse. To make this vision a reality, we backcast to the present and pinpointed some leverage points where we can have a positive influence. First, we identified the need for Self Organization (#4 on Donella Meadows’ list of “Places to Intervene in a System”). Starting today, we need to gather and encourage a diverse group of people to become activists around this vision. This group should consist of politicians, educators, locals, retired locals, etc. There are two main job functions that are necessary within this group: one function will create the vision for the the space and the other function will lobby for the policy changes.
In 5 years, we can have these policy changes in place and begin paying reparations to the descendants of the people who used to live on this site. Using the leverage point of Rules, we would change the dynamics of a system that makes it hard for people to transcend class structures. Finding a way to negotiate the Penguins out of this site will be crucial because their financial stakes create conflicts of interest.
In a decade, the groundworks of a great education system and sustainable infrastructures will be in place, allowing for new Information Flows to members of this community. They will have access to better education, support for entrepreneurship and cultural pursuits, all of which will increase quality of life and ownership of community. All the housing units will be affordable due to increased economic prosperity and a more equitable free market. All of the businesses in the space will be owned by locals. Hopefully, in 30 years there will be a racially accepting mindset as well as de-stigmatization around affordable housing.
Place-based, Integrated Satisfiers
Our solution is place-based, but global in its awareness, connectivity, and reach. Ideally, our vision will create an accessible and culturally vibrant community for people to live in. It will be the ultimate Integrated Satisfier by meeting all of Manfred Max-Neef’s genuine human needs: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom.
Our solution will encourage an inclusive community through open public green spaces for interactions and events (e.g. fairs and amphitheater style movies), which will meet the need of participation, leisure, and creation. For leisure, the place allows for imagination, tranquillity, and spontaneity based around the centralized green space and walking paths that encourage meandering through the space. Protection is an obvious need that is being met through our 100 percent safe and reliable housing.
The hordes of sports fanatics may force residents to feel they must participate in this culture, even if they are opposed to it. However, our vision will encourage the sport fanatics and residents to co-exist in a mutually beneficial way. The fans will bring a steady income into the neighborhood. The demotion of the Penguins as the main financial stakeholder will make this relationship more organic.
An important aspect of Transition Design is to conceive ways in which place-based solutions can be customized for other locations through knowledge-sharing. Our vision can be scaled outside the limits of the old Civic Arena arena site to other parts of Pittsburgh. It can even extend to places that are facing similar problems of affordable housing. The fans and tourist that interact with the locals in this place will help market it through word of mouth.
Leveraging Under-Utilized Resources
Considering that the development is going to take tens of years to complete, the site can be utilized for different purposes until then. As our goal is to bring back the cultural and economic vibrancy that existed on the site during the 1940’s, before the building of the Civic Arena, it is important to create awareness and educate young minds who will become residents of this redevelopment. After completely securing the construction area, a safe part of the site can be used for a makeshift school or summer camp, using city or county funding. The curriculum can be designed such that it incorporates aspects of culture and tradition, entrepreneurship, community gardening other than STEM topics.
The site can also be used for events, small and big, like jazz and other music concerts. This will not only help raise funds, but more importantly, raise awareness about the area. It may also lead to this area being associated with the music culture.
A weekly farmers market can be organized which brings people from all parts of the city to buy fresh produce. The goal is to change people’s perception of the area from a parking space to a culturally active community.
Emergent Products, Services, and Outcomes
One of the first short term goals of the project is to bring together a diverse (racially, economically, culturally and geographically) group of people, almost a sample group of the future residents of the community. This would include educators, the elderly, activists, politicians, youth activists, artists, business owners, engineers, farmers, designers, immigrants, etc. We hope that by creating the conditions for a diverse group to thrive, invaluable conversations and ideas for projects will be brainstormed and then implemented throughout the developmental years.
An interesting project to help build empathy and historical connection would be to create a virtual reality experience of the area as it was in the 1940’s. This would give viewers an immersive sense of what is missing today. This can also be juxtaposed with an experience of how the area will look in 2067.
As for the buildings, it would be important to plan for multi-use spaces. School buildings that not only support the education of children, but also lessons in technical skills for adults during the evenings. This could lead to more local businesses and economic sustainability. Spaces that accommodate events could lead to the organization of movie nights, which could either be a form of raising funds for smaller community driven projects, or even shown for free to make the community more culturally inclusive.
Restoring and Strengthening Relationships
Our solution will help restore the relationship between the descendants of original residents, neighboring locals, and the 28 acre site itself. Our vision will nurture these relationships by harmonizing with the existing local ecosystem. For example, we will reach out to the locals who are living in the surrounding areas, as well as the the descendents of the people who used to live there. After building these relationships, we will begin to co-create with them.
Our solution would also restore the natural systems and conserve resources. Eventually, we envision a zero-emission transportation system which will make use of autonomous vehicles and lightrail. Waste will be composted and diverted from landfills. Rain barrels and storm water management will be in place to improve water usage. Vertical gardens will make use of open space and make for cleaner air, as well as collection points for water.
Barriers and Challenges
In developing our vision for this space, we initially struggled to think beyond constraints; our wicked problem maps began to feel like a sticky spider’s web. In order to push through we set aside some of our fears by imagining that our solution is just one of many transition design efforts which will be happening simultaneously at multiple levels of scale.
However, we do see challenges which could have the potential to derail the project. The largest might be the current rights to develop the land by the Penguins Hockey team. In a recent Post-Gazette Article , frustrations with the Penguin’s progress were raised.
“Personally I feel we should pull the plug on the Penguins. I don’t see them ever developing this site. I think they’re making too much money parking cars there every day,” said Jim Ferlo, a former state senator…
The Penguins have the most financial resources to develop this project, which puts them in an unfair position of power over the residents of the community. Additionally, they have enlisted proposals from design firms who did not make convincing use of community input for the space. Although these proposals are far from perfect, they are more feasible due to the Penguins’ financial capital. If the Penguins were to lose development rights, however, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, which owns the property, would not have the same financial resources to pursue development.
Scaling Your Solutions Spatiotemporally
The temporal scope of our proposed solution spans far into the future where housing in the Lower Hill District of Pittsburgh is 100% affordable housing. This project encourages and fosters the growth of the neighborhood economically, socially and environmentally. The steps needed to get there are outlined in the timeline above. Policy changes on a city and regional scale will need to be implemented early and continue throughout the process. In addition, key stakeholders need to include community leaders, cementing their place in the process from inception to execution and beyond. Community leaders and neighborhood activists will be instrumental in reviving the Hill District. The neighborhood has a culturally rich history that was destroyed with the construction of the Civic Arena. This is an opportunity to rebuild and revive the Lower Hill District’s thriving cultural scene. In creating a more sustainable Hill District, environmental factors should be taken into account, such as green spaces, vertical gardens, and rainwater harvesting systems to name a few. The city has a history of pollution in both the air and water, we hope to make an impact with the redevelopment of the Lower Hill. While the proposed solution’s timeline highlights key moments, we acknowledge that they may fluctuate over time.
The proposed solution relates to each of the spatial scale levels–household, neighborhood, city, region, and planet. The spatial scope of our project relates more to the neighborhood and city scale, and while it relates to these more directly than others, the scope can be felt on all levels. We see a larger global impact in our proposed work towards sustainability. Mainly hoping to have zero emissions and zero waste. The project also has extensive use of vertical gardens for both food and air quality as well as rain harvesting systems.
Visualizing a Transition Design Solution
