Riding the T

Downtown Light Rail Map

Pittsburgh Port Authority

This past week, I rode the “T” for the first time. I started in Station Square and headed north into the city, exiting at the Wood Street stop, the last station currently open. It was a convenient way to get into downtown from across the river, however, because of the limited number of open stops, it didn’t get me very far. I have travelled on many public rail systems in my life: Rome, London, Paris, NYC, DC, Zurich, Boston and Dallas to name a few, so it was hard not to compare Pittsburgh to those other systems.

T Map

Pittsburghtransit.info

Examining the map of the current system, it is clear that the T is mostly a commuter rail. After the Station Square stop, there are only 5 downtown stops and 2 more stops under construction on the North Shore. Conversely, there are 56 stops outside of the city reaching as far as the Library and South Hills Village!

Station Sq stop

Ben Samson, 2011

It was mid afternoon, off-peak hours, when I rode the T last week, and it was still relatively busy. Here is a look at some of the details of my trip.

 You have to walk across the tracks at the stop to go north. The yellow line is where the trains stops in order not to hit pedestrians. Remember to look both ways!

Ben Samson, 2011

 The tracks- which you can stand on

Ben Samson, 2011

Platform

Ben Samson, 2011

The rail cars have 2 cars

Ben Samson, 2011

LED display

Ben Samson, 2011

Nice waiting area

Ben Samson, 2011

The electric system

Ben Samson, 2011

From the Station Square stop, we took the T north into the city, passing First Street station, Steel Plaza and we exited through Wood Street station. Here are some images of the train we entered. It felt a little old- clearly felt like the 80's when the system was built, but it was very clean.

 Train interior

Ben Samson, 2011

The Rail Map inside the trains. Note that it doesn't match the maps in the stations or maps online.

Ben Samson, 2011

Blue linoleum floor. 

Ben Samson, 2011

Matching seat fabric

Ben Samson, 2011

Train interior

Ben Samson, 2011

Here is a look at the Wood St station. It really felt a lot more substantial. The polished granite was a nice touch throughout the station. Also, the Steel Plaza station was very large and felt very metropolitan. 

Wood Street platform

Ben Samson, 2011

 Wood Street escalators- fairly packed

Ben Samson, 2011

 Wood Street escalators

Ben Samson, 2011

 Wood Street station. Not as professional as some other systems.

Ben Samson, 2011

Overall, I enjoyed exploring the T. It seems to be serving its purpose well, though is a little bit unrefined. It is clearly not a big presence in the city and if it took me almost 24 years of living in Pittsburgh to actually ride it, then it must not have a wide ranging purpose. The trip itself was quick, and though we only went a couple of stops, i certainly got a slice of the commuter life.

The trains were comfortable--also small-- and very clean. The materials were old, but not worn. There was a sense that it hadn't been updated in a while, but in no grave need of it. 

Some of the logistics were not very user friendly. The signage was a mess. None of the maps matched, and there was no real sense of identity to the system. We bought tickets from a teller at the Station Sq stop and we needed exact change. The stations in Downtown were clearly more substantial than at Station Sq, which added to some of the discord. 

However, none of these setbacks seemed to greatly affect the service which I found to be comfortable and efficient. Perhaps it is different during rush hour, but it the T seemed to live up to the Pittsburgh reputation of friendliness. It might have been the most amicable, and least pushy light rail I've ever used!

Sources:

http://www.pittsburghtransit.info/lrt.html

http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/BuswaysandT/LightRailTransitSystem/tabid/186/Default.aspx

The Image of the Steel City

In Kevin Lynch's "The Image of the City," he lays out a plan for understanding the built environment of a city based on human perception of the physical form of cities. Basically, he examines how the urban fabric is imprinted in our minds and accessed in our memories.

In this post, I am going to look at a more specific way a city imprints its "image" into our minds. Pittsburgh's historic image has imprinted itself not only in our memories, but also on the physical fabric of the current post-industrial city. It is this historic image of the smokey steel mills that has defined Pittsburgh, and even now in the 21st century, with the soot gone, the city's industrial image remains prevalent.

Smokey City

Eugene Smith, 1955

In 1955, photographer Eugene Smith captured Pittsburgh's industrial spirit in his work "Dream Street, W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project." In this three-year-long project, he portrays the city as an industrial dynamo, burgeoning in its prime. The city was the backbone of the nation's steel industry and Pittsburgh steel was used to build every great American urban center.  Here is a look at some of Smith's famous pictures of the Steel City.

Dance of the Flaming Coke

Eugene Smith, 1955

Pittsburgh, Steel Worker

Eugene Smith, 1955

US Steel, Pittsburgh

Eugene Smith, 1955

Pittsburgh Steel Mill

Eugene Smith, 1955

Today, the memories that Smith captured endure. This past week, I went around town searching for some of the remnants of Pittsburgh's industrial past, and was shocked at the extent of my findings. Aside from the textures that are imprinted with the soot from the steel mills (see Pittsburgh Textures post), here are a few examples of the historic image of the city.

Smokestacks at the Waterfront

Jeff Swensen for the NY Times

Mural, An Homage to Eugene Smith

Washington Post.com

Bessemer Court, Station Sq.

Ben Samson, 2011

Nine Mile Run Slag Heap

Nature in the Post-Industrial Landscape

Blowing Machine, South Side

Ben Samson, 2011

 The Steelers

Kingdom-Biz.net

Heinz Plant, North Side

Marantzer, Flickr, 2008

US Steel Tower, Tallest Structure between NYC and Chicago

GlassSteelAndStone.com

Though the steel industry is gone, its presence remains ubiquitous. It is something that the city cherishes, and owes its character. Pittsburgh remains a blue collar town (at least in feel). The people embrace their working-class roots. This history is a source of pride.  It is evident in the name of the NFL team, the Steelers, who are the cultural lifeblood of the city. It is seen in Pittsburgh's skyline, in the US Steel tower. Old machinery and smokestacks act now as sculptures and cultural landmarks. Hiking and Biking paths mingle along old slag heaps. 

One can find instances of the historic image of Pittsburgh in all of the five elements that compose the mental maps of cities, according to Lynch. It is found in Pittsburgh's paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. 

In designing any form of public transformation, a project that could vastly reshape the "image of the city," it is critical to consider Pittsburgh's industrial history and its historic image. The system must be respectful of this heritage and should coalesce with its deep cultural impact.

Sources:

Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City, MIT Press Cambridge, Mass. 1960.

Stephenson, Sam. Dream Street, W Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project. W W Norton and Co. 2001.

Pittsburgh Textures

Here is a look at a sampling of textures that I found throughout the city. It seems like most structures are brick or steel, with a few modern twists here and there. The palette is mostly dark, with deep greens and reds, but the bridges also utilize a more pastel color range. Most of the masonry around town is stained with a deep black from the decades of soot- the city's history has imprinted itself onto the urban fabric, giving the buildings a rich character and connecting each structure to its neighbor. It is as if the buildings have lived through some history together, which in turn makes the fabric seem that much more consistent.

Of course greenery is also a huge part of Pittsburgh's character too. With all the parks and mountains covered with trees, it seems like the city consists of greenery nearly as much as man-made urban fabric.