Uptown Update (Pittsburgh, Reading, Duquesne: lofts, house, landscaping)

[nuwaver88]

Uptown: Pittsburgh's next hot neighborhood?

[grimacista]

It's too bad that in the last month or so there have been a couple shootings in the neighborhood. Lot of potential but lots of structural problems. And, on the annoying side, it seems like there is a bus stop every 1/4 block on both Fifth and Forbes.

[hnsq]

Very interesting article. I don't know that area at all...does anyone know what the official borders are between uptown and the hill?

Reading that article they never really specified...I guess I was wondering if I wanted to explore uptown a little, how far do you go until you hit the hill/should start really worrying about safety?

[pman]

location, location, location

[Herodotus]

Most Pittsburghers consider Uptown to be a subsection of the Hill. Between Forbes and Colwell, from Jumonville, west to Sixth Ave. That's Uptown. South of Uptown is The Bluff. East of Jumonville is Soho, although you don't hear that name used as much anymore. With the exception of The Bluff, most who live in those areas consider themselves to be Hill District folks.

[soniqV]

People been saying this for decades... I'm sure it will happen eventually, but I just can't see the Bluff making any great strides without a change in the Hill itself. This isn't the first time people have attempted to capitalize on the prime location.

Also even though they were once two distinct areas, I think people nowadays pretty much use Bluff/Uptown interchangeably, as the residential areas of both shrink to expanding development.

Ultimately I believe that pattern of development will continue and commercial use will eventually dominate the whole corridor. Despite the recent strides I have a hard time picturing any great residential renaissance in the area.

[PreservationPioneer]

Which is a shame considering some of the fabulous Victorian residential architecture that still exists in the neighborhood!

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by pman

location, location, location

This is it. The neighborhood is not very big, which makes revitalization doable. I feel much of the revitalization, especially in the area around the Birmingham Bridge, will be more aesthetic improvements as opposed to an influx of residents and housing structures. I expect many older structures to come down and some new landscaping, streetscaping, signage, etc. to be put into place. The areas closer to Duquesne and Consol Energy Center will see some new businesses and lofts above. I have heard that there is not much quality housing at Duquesne for upperclassmen and grad students on campus or nearby. That is why many of them choose the South Side. I fully expect to see more businesses move in along Fifth and Forbes in the coming years. This will create a vital neighborhood where Duquesne students and others will want to live because the location is outstanding. If one works in Oakland or Downtown, we are talking a very short commute to work. There are also plans for an ambitious plan in West Oakland called the Oakland Portal. This will further connect Downtown, Uptown, and Oakand.

[Blackbeauty212]

Not much you can do with 5 AV from the Birmingham up to Carlow on the South Side, but there's Plenty that can be done with North Side of 5th

[DaBurgh]

A few months ago, I priced a house in the area, but it was a little too high - 150k. Would love to live there. I suspect the situation with the Hill District is holding back development a bit.