Pittsburgh is smoothing over the residue of its industrial past, turning an abandoned railway into a waterfront park, Paige Miller reports.
Just two years ago, Forbes gave Pittsburgh the distinction of America's most livable city, noting a trend it called a "rust belt renaissance." And as it makes its way out of a three-decades-long slump, Steel City is finding ways to take advantage of the landscape it once relegated to manufacturing and shipping.
"The riverfronts were designed around industry rather than the community, and the land around them does not connect to our neighborhoods," said Lena Andrews, senior planning specialist at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
But with the help of federal grants from the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city was able to move forward with the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard, "a multi-modal transportation corridor that includes park access, open space programming, neighborhood design, stormwater management and habitat restoration," writes Miller.
Officials are considering proposals to use the Green Boulevard as a transit corridor, as well.
FULL STORY: Spotlight on Sustainability: Pittsburgh’s Waterfronts

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont