Downtown Population increased 25% since 2000 (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: apartment, lease, house)

[pman]

Dozen Bake Shop, which was established in 2006, has maintained locations in Squirrel Hill and Lawrenceville.
Recently, they made a move to the Cultural District, opening up a location on Liberty Avenue....
The Cultural District was an ideal Downtown location for us. It’s close to so many Downtown businesses, and it’s also close to so many cultural attractions.
It’s the kind of place where we have exposure to people who work Downtown every day, as well as people who only come in occasionally for shows and other events. We wanted to be in Downtown and had looked in several locations, but this one made the most sense for us...
There’s so much happening in this area, with the established businesses such as Crazy Mocha and other businesses new to Downtown like the Istanbul Grille, Shaw Galleries and Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.

Pittsburgh's Dozen Bake Shop gets desired exposure with Downtown location - Pittsburgh Business Times:

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Yep, the standard was something like four-story buildings without spaces in between along narrow streets, and people packed into the upper stories. Cathedrals and squares also tended to have a lot sheds and carts and such around them, with more people using those for shelter. As I recall, studies have found the median population density in these towns was something like 100 people per acre, which is about the same as modern Manhattan!

Those are still the norm throughout most of the world. I've been outside of the U.S. for about a decade, and currently living in Asia.

But throughout Asia, Europe, and South America cities...they all have that model of design. You have your business below you, and you live above it or near it. Very dense. Within a five to ten minute walk, you have countless restaurants, stores, entertainment options like bowling, karaoke, etc.

It's really only the U.S., Canada, and Australia that has that zone everything to death mentality, you must live way over here, and drive way over here to do something else.

It's part of the reason I'm so attracted to Pittsburgh. It is the only reasonably affordable city in the U.S. that hasn't been zoned to death separating from business and residential areas.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

It's part of the reason I'm so attracted to Pittsburgh. It is the only reasonably affordable city in the U.S. that hasn't been zoned to death separating from business and residential areas.

I grew up in a classic post-WWII master-planned single-use neighborhood. Forget about us walking to stores--there wasn't anything to buy within reasonable biking distance.

Anyway, I think you are right about that being a huge comparative advantage for Pittsburgh: we have a lot of those walkable neighborhoods, and they are relatively inexpensive. Of course every sort of neighborhood in Pittsburgh is relatively inexpensive, but I think the differential is particularly high for this sort of neighborhood.

[PreservationPioneer]

Have you ever seen an old printed view of Pittsburgh from the mid 19th century? Most of downtown was filled with little row houses, shops, and boutique style hotels. There were large residential areas downtown filled with little row houses where people lived. People also lived on the South Side Flats (Birmingham), Manchester, North Side, East Allegheny, etc. That was basically the city as it was in the mid 1800s. It was only over the next century that it sprawled into the mess it is today. lol. Call me old fashioned -- I wish the city looked like it did around 1870. Look at those printed drawings if you can find them, now that was city living.

[BrianTH]

Of course we would need another central business district if the Golden Triangle was still low-rise mixed-use space, but it is indeed too bad U.S. cities didn't do more to preserve their 19th Century architecture.

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

It's really only the U.S., Canada, and Australia that has that zone everything to death mentality, you must live way over here, and drive way over here to do something else.

In cities without zoning, developers created sprawl. But as soon as people decided they wanted to live in mixed-use neighborhoods, up they sprang.

In cities with zoning, zoning made sprawl law, and the law is a very difficult thing to change. I think Pittsburgh has been working on their new zoning ordinance, one that allows for mixed-use development, for a decade now. Downtown was one of the first neighborhoods re-zoned.

If they just did away with the whole zoning concept, redevelopment would be quicker.

[PreservationPioneer]

Well, look at center city Philadelphia. There are often skyscrapers, rowhouses people live in, and boutiques on the same block. I wish Pittsburgh could have followed that blueprint.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

But throughout Asia, Europe, and South America cities...they all have that model of design. You have your business below you, and you live above it or near it. Very dense. Within a five to ten minute walk, you have countless restaurants, stores, entertainment options like bowling, karaoke, etc.

It's really only the U.S., Canada, and Australia that has that zone everything to death mentality, you must live way over here, and drive way over here to do something else.

It's part of the reason I'm so attracted to Pittsburgh. It is the only reasonably affordable city in the U.S. that hasn't been zoned to death separating from business and residential areas.

I grew up in San Francisco living upstairs from my parents' business, steps from Golden Gate Park and walking distance to stores, schools, etc. SF has become unaffordable to me. I agree that Pittsburgh offers the same kind of options.

[pman]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Well, look at center city Philadelphia. There are often skyscrapers, rowhouses people live in, and boutiques on the same block. I wish Pittsburgh could have followed that blueprint.

to be clear, and to clarify Brian's post which is somewhat misleading, downtown as it is is somewhat a late 19th c phenomenon. I think the main difference between center city and the Golden Triangle is geography, Philly's was able to preserve more because it was larger. Pittburugh's downtown has a lot to recommend it though it could use some "softening"...is trees and better parks. regarding sprawl, zoning was created basically to create and enforce sprawl. mixed use is what existed BEFORE zoning. there are plenty of cities with sprawl and only one major city without zoning. in fact, zoning frequently outlaws mixed use. Pittsburgh lacks some in vibrancy and certainly coudl use some population growth but there's a nice mix of architecture. It's a little younger than Philly, for better and for worse.

[pman]

When its Cultural District store opened on Liberty Avenue last year, it was the company’s 14th, said owner Ken Zeff. Zeff just opened their 23rd location in Cranberry, and a 24th is coming this month to Downtown, on Ross Street. A 25th location on the North Side at the corner of Federal Street and North Avenue is scheduled to open in November....Our goal was to have many locations Downtown and have this location be our “showcase” store that would stay open seven days a week and late for the shows. We are ready to open our 11th Downtown space....How is the Cultural District location doing?
The store has been meeting expectations. Our evening and weekend business is better than we had planned. We see steady future growth based on housing and new development around the Trust.

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/10/05/focus3.html?b=1254715200^2197611