A proposed mixed-use development on the Ohio River would enhance connections to the river and feature a Ferris wheel in tribute to the ride's inventor.
Pittsburgh's riverfront redevelopment could be anchored by a 174-foot ferris wheel, an homage to the wheel's inventor, George Ferris, who lived in a nearby neighborhood. The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is weighing a proposal to build the wheel alongside "a 300-unit apartment building with affordable housing, a hotel, condos, plenty of retail stores, a parking garage, and a public marina at the edge of the Ohio River," reports Jon Delano.
The 15-acre development, dubbed The Esplanade, depends on the URA's willingness to sell 5.6 acres of public land to the developer, Millcraft Investments. The project would revitalize a formerly industrial area and reconnect the Manchester neighborhood, which was cut off from the river by the elevated Ohio River Boulevard, to the waterfront. According to another article by Mark Belko, "For the past two years, Millcraft also has been working with North Side community groups to try to find ways to improve access to the area and to the riverfront. In materials accompanying the URA agenda, the authority stated that possible upgrades could include the conversion of one-way Beaver Avenue into two ways and the enhancement of existing connections between Manchester and the riverfront.
The improvements, writes Belko, could be funded in part by a proposed Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID), a financing mechanism created by the Pennsylvania legislature in 2004 designed to encourage transit-oriented development.
FULL STORY: 174-Foot-Tall Ferris Wheel Could Highlight New Riverfront Development Project
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.