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MAPPING A WICKED PROBLEM: Social Inequities in Pittsburgh

WH Martin
Transition Design Seminar 2024
Published in
21 min readFeb 5, 2024

by Jean Chu, Yujin Lee, Will Martin, and Nikita Valluri

I. Background

Imagine two children born on the same day, yet destined for vastly different futures. One grows up with access to quality education, healthcare, and safe neighborhoods, while the other faces constant instability and limited opportunities. This stark reality, rooted in socioeconomic inequity, shapes individual life trajectories and casts a long shadow on entire communities.

Despite job creation and social safety nets, millions struggle to make ends meet. This paradox begs the question: Why does socioeconomic inequality persist, trapping so many in cycles of disadvantage? Exploring this “wicked problem,” where income, education, and healthcare intertwine, is crucial because its tendrils reach virtually every aspect of society, exacerbating issues like environmental degradation and infrastructure breakdown. By unraveling the complex forces at play, we hope to forge a more equitable future where everyone has a chance to thrive regardless of their starting point.

Every wicked problem we have thought about, identified, and discussed has always had themes of income, education, and healthcare woven into its fabric. The lack of these essential resources has led to a diminishing quality of life, and we witness this regularly when interacting with the world and its inhabitants around us. The disparities in income, access to education, and healthcare are wicked problems in themselves, which exacerbate facets of other wicked problems such as environmental degradation and the collapse of existing businesses and infrastructure. We chose to select “Socio-economic Inequity” as our group’s wicked problem because we believed that by exploring the larger umbrella of disparities in economic and social conditions among different individuals, groups, or communities within a society, we would, by extension, be covering all the other wicked themes.

CHOOSING THE TOPIC

When presented with a list of wicked problems to choose from in our Transition Design Seminar class, our team leaned towards socio-economic inequities because we felt it was the most befitting example of a complex problem that had taken root in our country a long time ago, and now had festered to give rise to multiple other wicked problems such as lack of access to education, healthcare, and increased poverty.

It felt similar to a chick-and-egg situation, where we couldn’t help but ask ourselves what came first. “Is socio-economic inequity caused by income disparity, lack of education, and healthcare? Or did the lack of education and healthcare result in Socio-economic inequities?”

This deep-seated problem's enmeshed nature spanned multiple scales across social, economic, political, environmental, and technological aspects of society, which led us to choose this topic as our Wicked Problem for the class.

BUILDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUITY

Under the guidance of our Professors, Terry Irwin and Gideon Kossoff, the team decided that socio-economic inequity in itself was a vastly pervasive issue, and could be quite challenging to map and explore within one semester (12 weeks). Thus, it was decided that the team would focus in on studying the manifestation and ramifications of Socio-economic inequity in a single place- Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County. We further narrowed our scope to approach the problem from an income-based lens. We believed that anchoring our explorations in income-based inequity and constraining the phenomenon to a geographical location, would help us map and dissect the problem better.

II. Outcome

OVERALL FINDINGS

The American Dream, woven into the fabric of national identity, paints a picture of upward mobility and equal opportunity. However, the reality of socioeconomic inequity in the United States presents a starkly different landscape, one marked by deep divides and persistent disparities. While issues such as employment instabilities and unemployment could be easily connected to the presence of income inequality, our research also revealed how racial and ethnic minorities were highly predisposed to experience this issue. People in low-income brackets often faced additional barriers due to historical discrimination and systemic racism, which manifested in limited access to quality education, higher rates of chronic health conditions, and increased vulnerability to environmental hazards. Moreover, limiting upward mobility to a certain sector of the society trapped individuals and communities in cycles of poverty, hindering their ability to achieve economic and social progress and deepening the divide between communities that experience need versus those experiencing low-need. (Pittsburgh inequity indicators)

Additionally, we unearthed a soberingly large number of cases linked to income inequality, such as access to public infrastructure (e.g., public transportation, public spaces like parks, etc.), and how service gaps in areas hint at the growing presence of poverty. We discovered how the racial and ethnic wealth gap presents a hindrance to economic mobility, especially for black and Latino households. These inequities are the result of discriminatory policies and practices perpetuated over generations. Programmatic and policy-level interventions are needed to build financial security and increase mobility for communities of color.

By mapping the issues, causes, and ramifications through the lens of Income inequality across the five different categories of issues, namely — social, political, environmental, economic, and infrastructural — we identified that income inequity has pervaded multiple aspects of people’s lives severely impeding technology adoption, educational opportunities, access to healthcare resources. Furthermore, the minimal support from the government and municipalities in terms of the tax policies put communities in the lower income bracket at a disadvantage, further hindering wealth accumulation and civic partnerships and limiting access to building a safety net and the possibility of homeownership. Income inequalities severely affected people’s mental and physical well-being, furthering the divide between communities.

The following sections outline these issues through the lens of Income Inequity in Allegheny County of Pittsburgh.

INFRASTRUCTURE/SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

As a prominent city in the Industrial Age, Pittsburgh was famous for its manufacturing sector, earning the name “Steel City”. In the era of globalization, the city experienced a shift from a manufacturing-heavy to a more diversified, service-oriented economy with growth in the healthcare, education, and financial sectors and a recently burgeoning technology-oriented sector. However, as Pittsburgh’s economy transitioned to the manufacturing base which provided good middle-class jobs for low-skilled workers without college degrees, some areas did not benefit from the economic shift. Furthering their struggles these communities are increasingly burdened by their outdated infrastructure and resources as they struggle to attract new taxpayers to help fund deferred maintenance and other social services. Thus, pockets of the city remain anchored in the past, their infrastructure and resources struggling to adapt with a disparate level of development among areas, leading to issues such as community isolation.

Image 2.2 | There is a huge difference in the infrastructure of public transportation from downtown to rural areas.

Public Utilities / Transportation

To begin with, Pittsburgh’s main airport lost its hub status which significantly reduced access to domestic and international markets. With declining population and visitors, investments in transit are not feasible due to low ridership, resulting in inadequate transportation infrastructure that fails to attract new businesses or retain young talent with stable employment in the mirad corporate headquarters which were once more prevalent.

Moreover, transportation infrastructure that is already complex due to the cities topography risks becoming increasingly fragmented as key infrastructure is allowed to decay in a viscous cycle of escalating maintenance and management costs. The absence of reliable public transit to business districts from underserved areas exacerbates income segregation, as wealthier households move to communities with better amenities. Furthermore, private investments often prioritize investor self-interest over local community needs, as seen in low-income areas where necessary street improvements for residents with disabilities are overlooked.

Furthermore, the vulnerability of the water system, insufficient storm water run-off infrastructure, and the fact that social service agencies are limited by geography pose risks to certain families, compromising their living quality and equality of accessing essential resources.

Technological Adoption, Educational Opportunities & Healthcare

Technological inequalities persist across classes, areas, and age groups as disparities perpetuate access to opportunities for income growth. The slow adoption of technology, characterized by limited access to smartphones, high-speed internet, and home computers, keep residents from securing high-paying jobs or starting businesses. The “digital divide” between low- and high-income communities, where the latter have better access to digital technologies, exacerbates resource disparities. Additionally, the lack of digital literacy among older adults restricts their engagement with social services, limiting their access to information and knowledge.

Reference

SOCIAL ISSUES

Pittsburgh’s socio-economic landscape is characterized by a complex web of social issues that significantly impact the well-being of its residents, particularly those from marginalized communities. These issues, deeply rooted in historical and systemic inequities, manifest across various aspects of daily life, leading to disparities in safety, physical and emotional health, and perpetuating biases and prejudice.

image 2.2 | Map illustrating poverty and percent black across Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Safety Concerns

The safety of Pittsburgh’s residents spans a broad spectrum, influenced significantly by environmental hazards and prevailing social dynamics. Neighborhoods with lower income levels and those predominantly inhabited by people of color often face compounded safety risks. These areas may suffer from environmental neglect, evident in poorly maintained parks and public spaces, leading to an elevated risk of accidents and heightened exposure to environmental pollutants. Furthermore, these communities frequently report higher instances of crime, including community violence, which severely impacts the residents’ sense of security and safety. The absence of adequately lit streets, safe pedestrian pathways, and reliable public transportation options further exacerbates these safety concerns, complicating daily activities and travel. Such a pervasive environment of insecurity not only undermines physical well-being but also perpetuates a constant state of stress and fear among community members, significantly detracting from their quality of life.

Physical Health Disparities

Disparities in physical health are deeply entrenched, with significant differences observed based on socioeconomic status and race. Communities of color and those with lower incomes disproportionately reside in areas proximate to industrial sites, exposing them to higher levels of air and water pollution. This environmental injustice is a critical factor in the prevalence of asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and other health conditions that are more common in these communities compared to their more affluent counterparts. The challenge is further compounded by limited access to healthcare facilities and services, making it difficult for these populations to receive timely and effective medical care. Additionally, the scarcity of grocery stores offering healthy, affordable food options and the lack of safe, accessible spaces for physical activity contribute to the perpetuation of health disparities, affecting these communities’ overall physical well-being and life expectancy.

Emotional Health Impact

The impact on emotional health due to socio-economic inequities in Pittsburgh is profound and multifaceted. Individuals and families in marginalized communities frequently experience stress, isolation, and despair as a result of living conditions characterized by poverty, discrimination, and financial instability. The stigma associated with mental health issues and poverty often discourages people from seeking help, leading to untreated mental health conditions and a cycle of emotional distress. Gender-normative biases and workplace discrimination add another layer of complexity, affecting individuals’ self-esteem and emotional well-being. The cumulative effect of these stressors can have a lasting impact on mental health, necessitating a supportive and accessible mental health care infrastructure that is currently inadequate for meeting the needs of these communities.

Biases and Prejudice

Biases and prejudice are pervasive elements within Pittsburgh’s social landscape, influencing the lived experiences of its residents, particularly those from marginalized groups. Racial and ethnic minorities face systemic barriers in employment, education, and housing, fueled by both implicit and explicit biases. These prejudices extend beyond race, impacting individuals based on gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status, and manifesting in various forms of discrimination and exclusion. The financial exploitation of vulnerable communities, through practices such as predatory lending, and the targeting of low-income neighborhoods for less desirable development projects, exemplify how biases and prejudices are institutionalized. Such systemic inequities perpetuate cycles of poverty and mistrust, hindering the city’s progress towards fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.

Reference

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Once heralded as the “Steel City” for its pivotal role in the industrial era, Pittsburgh’s legacy as a manufacturing powerhouse has left indelible marks not only on its economy and culture but also on its natural environment. Today, the city stands at a crossroads, grappling with the environmental challenges of water and air pollution, climate change, and environmental degradation. These issues, while reflective of global concerns, are deeply rooted in the local context of Pittsburgh’s industrial past. They demand our attention not solely for their impact on human communities but for their profound consequences on the ecosystems that coexist with this storied city.

image 2.3 | Elevated BC (and PM2.5) concentrations are found in communities in the river valleys, and people living in those communities have higher risks of adverse health impacts than the county average.

Water and Air Pollution

Pittsburgh’s air and water bear the historical burden of its industrial legacy, marked by decades of steel production and manufacturing. Air quality issues, particularly high levels of particulate matter and ozone, not only echo the city’s past but also present ongoing challenges to public health and the environment. Efforts to improve air quality are confronted with the need to balance industrial activity with stricter emission controls and green initiatives.

Similarly, water pollution remains a critical concern, as the city’s rivers and streams have been affected by runoff from industrial sites, untreated sewage, and chemical contaminants. These waterways, once central to the city’s industrial growth, now require significant rehabilitation efforts to restore their ecological health. Projects aimed at reducing pollution inputs and enhancing water quality are essential for revitalizing Pittsburgh’s aquatic ecosystems and ensuring safe, clean water for all inhabitants.

Climate Change

In Pittsburgh, the impact of climate change is evident through intensifying weather patterns, including more frequent and severe rainfall, exacerbated flooding, and rising temperatures. These changes place additional stress on the city’s ecosystems, undermining their resilience. The altering climate further facilitates the invasion of non-native species, disrupting the natural balance and threatening the survival of indigenous plants and animals. As a result, the rich biodiversity of the region faces increased pressure, signaling a need for strategic responses to preserve its ecological integrity.

Environmental Degradation

While Pittsburgh’s history of industrialization has significantly shaped its environmental landscape, current challenges extend to the effects of modern urban and suburban growth. Development practices that prioritize expansion into untouched natural areas contribute to a loss of biodiversity, disrupt wildlife habitats, and diminish the ecosystem’s ability to provide vital services, such as air and water purification. Additionally, soil contamination at sites of former industrial operations remains a lurking environmental hazard. These issues underscore the complex interplay between past industrial endeavors and present-day growth, emphasizing the imperative for sustainable development strategies that protect and enhance the city’s natural resources.

Interconnected Challenges

The persisting environmental issues such as — air and water pollution, climate change, and environmental degradation — do not exist in isolation but are deeply intertwined with the city’s social fabric. These challenges disproportionately affect marginalized communities, exacerbating existing social inequities. The areas most impacted by industrial pollution and environmental neglect often coincide with lower-income neighborhoods, where residents face greater health risks and have less access to clean, natural spaces. As Pittsburgh navigates its path toward environmental sustainability, addressing these intertwined environmental and social issues is crucial.

Reference

ECONOMIC/BUSINESS ISSUES

Due to its unique development trajectory, Pittsburgh is home to a large middle class. Those who have suffered from the industry transition in recent years have faced challenges in accumulating wealth and securing stable job status in their career development.

image 2.4 | Shifting job market is one of the greatest challenges middle classes in Pittsburgh face these days. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images, cited from Washington Post)

Wealth Accumulation & Homeownership

To begin with, we observed significant inequity between Black and White households. White residents have twice the median annual income and wealth compared to Black residents. The Black community significantly owns less property than the White community. Income from capital gains (or investment income) has increased for White families over the past 15 years, while it has played a generally small role in the overall wealth picture for Black families.

Another aspect involves disparities across different income levels. Low-income households with dependents face increased precarity as they are more likely to be non-salaried employees, with fewer or no accommodating benefits that allow them to take care of family members. Additionally, forin communities in need, home values are low, making it more challenging for residents to sell their homes and move to other areas.

Labor Market

One of the most significant challenges we have identified lies in the disparities among low-income families. According to the job market report, regional job growth is concentrated in professions that require higher income and skilled labor, while sectors offering medium and low-income jobs continue to decline. Typically, lower-income families or communities have limited access to resources that could connect them to job opportunities and training. Some individuals even hold multiple jobs to cover living expenses. Employment instability leads to higher rates of job turnover, which impacts other economic well-being indicators, such as the ability to pay for housing and food security. Often, they find themselves without sufficient savings or pensions, forcing them to continue working into retirement.

Additionally, we observed inequalities across other demographic dimensions such as gender and race. In fact, men receive higher salaries for the same work completed by women and individuals from other gender groups, while White residents enjoy greater job security than Black residents. Furthermore, unclear pathways into and within the science and technology workforce for local workers of color could lead to wider income disparities.

The broader job market environment further exacerbates the problem. The loss of corporate headquarters in the Pittsburgh area has eliminated job opportunities across all income levels. Within the capitalist framework, the profit motive encourages business owners to reduce costs, often at the expense of employee compensation, resulting in low wages. These factors collectively make it more challenging for minorities in the job market to achieve an equal standing.

Social Safety Net

Regarding the financial support provided by the government or public agencies, there is a dilemma in decision-making. From a broader perspective, the sluggish population and economic growth in the area have led to shrinking municipal tax bases, which in turn limit economic development and the extent of the social safety net. The non-profit, tax-exempt status of sectors experiencing high-income job growth, such as higher education and healthcare, benefits workers with high salaries but does not generate the tax revenue necessary to support public investments in underserved, low-income areas. These challenges have resulted in a stalemate situation in developing more comprehensive welfare support.

Reference

POLITICAL/LEGAL ISSUES

The government should act as the primary force behind local improvements and adjustments, possessing greater power and resources for negotiation and execution. However, we observed a complex relationship between the local government, the tax base, current legislation, municipal preferences, and the citizens within this sector.

image 2.5 | Allegheny County, located in Pennsylvania, possesses the authority to govern regulations and make decisions regarding public construction.

Shrinking Tax Base

Tax income is one of the primary resources for governments to construct infrastructure and public facilities. However, a slowly growing population and the departure of young talent lead to a shrinking tax base. State and local legislation also make it difficult to annex areas to capture tax revenue from suburban migration. Specifically, low-income communities generate less income-based tax revenue, resulting in fewer funds available for bonding or other forms of capitalizing social service or infrastructure investments. These phenomena, in turn, create difficulties in policy implementation.

Civic Engagement

Income inequity discourages certain groups from participating in civic engagement. For residents who hold multiple jobs or cannot afford childcare, accessing opportunities to engage in civic activities or other forms of volunteer engagement is challenging. Overall, voter turnout is lower in low-income areas. Furthermore, it is evident that since low-income areas are isolated both physically and economically, they have limited opportunities to form cooperative alliances that would build a collective voice. These obstacles make civic engagement even more difficult and less prevalent in rural communities.

Municipal Corporation

The complexity of the wicked problem and the obstacles ahead make actions from municipal corporations both vital and challenging. Often, municipalities show a preference for attracting high-income residents, leading to zoning regulations that favor expensive, exclusive, low-density residential developments. In some areas, municipalities and their parks and recreation departments lack the revenue to invest in public green spaces for residents. This scarcity of resources and funding has significantly contributed to the reluctance to develop rural areas.

Regarding complexity, municipal corporations also face challenges in enacting changes. Negotiating shared responsibility for communal resources, such as mobility networks, proves difficult due to the number and complexity of jurisdictions involved, many of which operate under home rule charters. In these situations, low-income communities, which would benefit from intergovernmental cooperation, find themselves at a disadvantage in effecting change.

Limited Legislation and Discriminatory Policy

Another main reason we identified is the lack of effective policies that serve as a barrier to protect minorities and empower them with equal rights. In fact, limited legislation and discriminatory policies exacerbate inequality.

Regarding socioeconomic classes, public investments in urban development projects often favor the financial interests of wealthy lobbyists. These lobbyists effectively persuade politicians to subsidize projects through tax incentives or similar benefits, prioritizing these interests over those of existing residents. Politicians also tend to support growth industries, such as technology, despite the fact that the jobs created are often inaccessible to low-income workers.

Concerning racial disparities, federal income tax policies favor certain types of capital income. Black and Hispanic families are less likely than White families to benefit from these provisions because their investment portfolios are smaller and less likely to include tax-preferred assets. Furthermore, historical and ongoing discriminatory housing policies have significantly contributed to racial disparities in residential patterns observed in Allegheny County. Current financial regulations fail to adequately address persistent racial discrimination in home mortgage rates.

Reference

III. Reflection

Scoping challenges inherent in the problem definition

As alluded to earlier, our group selected “social-economic inequality” as our “wicked problem” as the broader umbrella implied by the problem’s more general focus presented an opportunity for each team member to pursue a particular aspect of the problems based on their unique personal interests while remaining within the framework of the broader research focus. Our open and inclusive posture provided an efficient on-ramp to starting the assignment, narrowing our choice to a relatively non-commital consensus, however, the breadth of the category quickly presented our group with a practical scoping challenge that we assumed to be characterist of all wicked-problem mapping exercises. The tersely phased, diplomatic choice soon spawned an unruly web of multi-dimensional complexity that in the confines of the assignment (specifically its limited duration and constrained digital platform) made managing and delegating research, which required clear scoping and parsing component pieces, elusive. The challenge to sufficiently parse the problem space before delegating research tasks meant that the group replicated some research and, more importantly, slowed our development of an organizing framework that we knew would help bring hierarchy and clarity to our map. Furthermore, given the entrenched and interconnectedness of the various aspects of the problem, we struggled to adequately isolate problems from their various relationships, resulting in bloated or difficult-to-categorize problem statements.

Combatting emergent illegibility with tags

Asynchronous work within a digital platform exacerbated by our struggles to isolate issues with the various force categories. Working within the context of the digital platform of Miro, we all found it difficult to follow the connections that we were making, let alone those that others had made, and as a result, opportunities to cross-reference other work became limited as the inefficiency of following the digital connections added significant friction to the effort. We agreed that synchronous collaboration might help mitigate these issues, yet when attempted digitally within the same platform, issues persisted.

To combat the emergent eligibility of the problem map late in the process, we tried to resolve this limitation by applying two additional categorical identifiers to the STEEP categories that structured the assignment. To reveal these additional categories, we added tags to the notes on the map, which provided several beneficial qualities:

1) additional visual hierarchy for more efficient scanning and pattern recognition without the need for excessive mouse control, and

2) keyword searchability for alternative navigation.

Without the use of a relational database or network graph, both of which would render relationships more explicit through edges and nodes with definable qualities and additional opportunity for structural analysis, these additional, text-based categories provided a low-barrier-entry option suggesting such structure without the need to follow graphic lines across necessarily cacophonous terrain.

The additional categories we selected were 1) themes and 2) identities. The first subcategory specifies a particular domain within the category, and the second specifies a demographic category that tries to parse the characteristics of the community experiencing disparate outcomes within our broader income focus. While the subcategories we developed were informed by patterns that emerged from the group’s secondary research and group discussion, we decided to rely on predefined categories that are prevalent in the literature and available within many public datasets, including the American Community Survey (ACS), which includes the various socio-economic demographic and identity dimensions experiencing disparate impacts as evidenced in the multitude of reports we referenced.

To further specify this set of characteristics, we looked to the “protected classes” identified in 1960s civil rights legislation, most prominently The Civil Rights Act of 1964, as these categories were among the first to be included in laws that enshrined equality, specifically in housing and employment, as a legal right in the United States. Additional categories have been added through more recent legislation, including the American Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1992.

Nationally recognized classes include:

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • National Origin
  • Immigration Status or Citizenship
  • Disability
  • Veteran Status

States also can elect to include more protected classes, common among them are:

  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender identity
  • Marital status
  • Salary history
  • Credit history

Notable omissions in this list of protected classes are categories for which discrimination remains legal. They include:

  • Educational attainment
  • Criminal History
  • Immigration/documentation status.

This non-exhaustive list reveals the breadth of possible identity dimensions of socio-economic inequality. Creating the list we quickly realized how we had been inadvertently limiting our own perception of the problem. The non-exclusive nature of these categories represents the complex reality of every individual’s lived, intersectional positionality in our society. We realized that had we identified these categories initially, we might have generated a more full and robust mapping. However, the depth of these embodied, instersectional experiences also hinted at the risk of exponential growth in the relative complexity of our endeavor as we aimed to draw correlations among these dimensions.

We also found that the legislated list did not exhaust the potential groups whose rights to equity play a prominent role in impacting the outcomes of others and must, therefore, be considered stakeholders. We added “nature” and “place” to capture the unique spatial and ecological dimensions comparable to disparate impacts routed in socio-economic systems. We have an intuition that these categories may have uniquely networked positions in the problem space and constituted broader complexes in and of themselves. These dimensions will likely require further research to elaborate on their quality and how to articulate them.

By adding both themed tags and identity tags, which we called “cross-sector parameters,” we tried to add a level of hierarchy and legibility from the fully zoomed-out state of the Miro board. While imperfect, we believe that tagging could be further refined and also provide the basis for building a network graph that has the capacity to capture and deliver structured insights into the networked nature of these connections.

Limitation of available data in published reports and the need for further exploration with primary source data

We felt that the complex multivariable set of correlations we sought to understand through the network map of the wicked problem required a more nuanced understanding than that provided by the paper and reports we referenced. The limitations of the reports, relative to transition design-related ambitions, are derived from the lens through which the commissioned reports see the wicked problem that biases their approach. We felt that a better grasp of the primary determinants would expand our capacity to analyze the problem holistically. To this end, the group conducted primary research with publicly available data and published data sets from The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), which performs Community Need Index (CNI) research to inform the organization’s strategic planning and resource allocation decisions. Below are some exploratory data analyses that suggest frameworks for further refining the appropriate scope and focus on tackling “socio-economic inequality” through a more structured approach that is informed by data. This process included mapping income across other indexes, identifying visual patterns and forming hypotheses, testing hypothesis through statistical analysis, and pursuing further research. Those efforts are briefly described in the image captions below.

The high proportion of manufacturing jobs in 1970 in river adjacent Census tracts in the region reveals the spatial nature of the manufacturing industry’s connection to the river.
In Pittsburgh, industrial jobs in 1970 concentrated in the Monongahela River valley.
Deindustrialization has impacted the entire region as most of the manufacturing jobs have left by 2012 (represented in this data).
In Pittsburgh, industrial jobs in the Monongahela River valley have been reduced by 80% in many cases.
These spatial and economic dimensions reveal the limitations of assuming meaningful causation from correlation. More nuanced research reveals how a determinant like educational attainment might not be as impactful in a distressed, post-industrial context.
These complexities reveal the need for more sophisticated correlation analysis and regression modeling to understand better how variables are related and if new categories may be required for focus.

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WH Martin
Transition Design Seminar 2024

Written by WH Martin

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