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Observatory Hill- Pittsburgh’s Highest Point

Observatory Hill or Perry Hilltop was named both in honor of Commodore Perry and the Historic Allegheny Observatory, the City’s first astronomy building gracing the top of Riverview Park. The district also hosts the highest elevation in the City of Pittsburgh at 1,370 feet at the Brashear Reservoir and WPNT-FM  Radio Tower.

This North Hills district has remained a middle class strong hold in the northside and thus retained much of its historic housing and fabric. Riverview Park was a large factor in the neighborhood’s success. Observatory’s urban business district along Perrysville Ave has not fared as well and is littered with vacancies and limited retail amenities. Cultural amenities are also very limited. Building up the Perrysville Avenue business district should be the # 1 revitalization priority for the neighborhood. Secondary priorities include installing bike infrastructure, permanent affordable housing, opening new high quality schools, and improving pedestrian and ADA infrastructure.
Click here to view the full Observatory Hill Album on Flicker

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Convenient access to downtown especially via the car but decent transit and biking routes.
* This is a very diverse neighborhood among all measures.
* Very diverse for-sale price points starting at around 50K for a modest fixture upper to the 200Ks for a large historic home and everything in-between.
* Riverview Park is accessible to all in the neighborhood and holds almost any recreational amenity one needs.
* Overall pretty safe district, although some blight still remains.
* Lots of high quality historic architecture.
* The urban form of the business district is good but very small.
* Great tree cover.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Streets generally connect but are very curvilinear due to the district’s extreme terrain.
* Other than bike lanes in Riverview, Bike infrastructure is non-existent.
 * Not a ton of rental product but generally affordable. 1-bedrroms run between $500-$700, 2-bedrooms btwn $700-$1,100, and 3-bedrooms to the low to mid $1,000s.
* One deli and no restaurants or bars.
* Cultural amenities are basically non-existent. One needs to travel several miles south to the Allegheny Commons district and Downtown.
* Low-Medium density.
* Other than a couple convenience stores there is a bank, hair salon, thrift store, but not much else in the way of retail here.
* Perry High School is located here but rated poorly. No other schools within Observatory Hill.
* Most roads host sidewalks and ramps but ADA infrastructure is often missing.
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Marshall-Shadeland, a Northside Pittsburgh Community with great Urban Potential

Marshall-Shadeland is a largely residential area that was annexed by Allegheny City in 1870. Growth followed and the neighborhood filled in by the early 20th century. Most housing was constructed for workers but some larger homes reside along Brighton and Woodland along with 1920s and 1930s in-fill in the north edge of the district. Decline probably began shortly after WWII and accelerated in the 70s and 80s.

Fortunately much of the urban fabric remains and there is hope that the district will once again become a thriving urban community given its convenient access to downtown and proximity to other stable districts (i.e. Brighton Heights, Mexicantown, West Allegheny, and increasingly Manchester). Recent renovations have occurred resulting in home sales in the 100Ks. Yet much blight remains and there is a lack of neighborhood retail and cultural amenities.

Click here to view the entire Marshal-Shadeland Album on my Flickr Page.

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Good access to downtown vial all modes of transportation.
* While there are no bike stations here dedicated bike lanes run down Brighton Rd and along the river.
* Great generational and ethnic diversity here.
* Fair amount of rental product at moderate prices. 1-bedrooms go for around $600-$800 and 2 & 3-bedrooms between $900-$1,100.
*For sale housing is very affordable with prices ranging anywhere from 30K to 180K depending on size and quality.
* Decent park amenities including two ballfields, a parkette, several cemeteries, and decent access to Riverview Park.
* Because of the hills and ravines there is overall great tree canopy. The neighborhood could use more street trees however.
* What does exist of Marshall-Shadeland’s business district (node at Marshall and Woods Run) is pretty urban. But its rough and there the streetscape is lackluster.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Some economic diversity, but pretty low-income area.
* Lots of vacancies throughout district.
* There is still a perception of crime here.
* Some retail amenities including a Kuhn’s Supermarket, Dollar Store, Wine & Spirits, a Café-restaurant, and several low key restaurants and bars.
* Very little nightlife in the district other than a couple restaurants and bars but Marshall-Shadeland does have convenient access to other vibrant areas such in the northside (Mexican War Street, West Allegheny, etc.).
* Even with some recent revitalization successes Marshall-Shadeland still retains a pretty negative perception.
* ADA is a mixed-bag here. The main streets and flat areas are well served by ADA infrastructure. Hilly and more obscure streets often have limited ADA or no sidewalks.
* A couple specialty schools within the district but nothing else. Several schools lie in adjacent districts but generally not well rated.
* Really no cultural amenities within Marshall-Shadeland but convenient access to what lies in West Allegheny and Mexicantown districts.
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Spring Hill- One of Pittsburgh’s Great “View” Neighborhoods

Spring Hill was named for the abundance of springs near the site. Germans immigrated there from 1850 to 1920, giving the neighborhood a very Bavarian atmosphere reflected in its local streets (i.e. Rhine, Woessner, Haslage, Zoller and Goehring). The population of Spring Hill peak in 1940 around 8,000 and has stabilized down to around 2,500. Spring Hill Garden used to host around 4,000 and now is just under 1,000.

This is a very typical hillside Pittsburgh community, which has seem a drastic population loss but has managed to “right size” through losing population often in the most steep terrain and maintaining generations of families. Spring Hill and Spring Garden are beginning to see modest real estate interest given its close proximity to downtown and other revitalizing communities such as Deutchtown and Mexican War Streets. The old warehouses of Spring Garden are beginning to see new life through modern craft outfits, distilleries, and fitness centers. To elevate this district to a viable urban community continued real estate investment, new bike paths, improved public transit connections, and a walkable neighborhood amenities are needed. But this is certainly possible given the neighborhood’s good urban bones, proximity to downtown, and beautiful views and generous yards.
View the full Flick Albums for Spring Hill and Spring Gardens

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Good access to downtown especially by car, but decent public transit access. One could even walk to downtown in 30-45 minutes if they can handle the terrain. Getting to Oakland is much harder by transit by easy by car.
* All around great diversity in Spring Hill.
* For sale housing is very affordable with prices ranging anywhere from 25K to 150K depending on size and quality.
* Great tree cover thanks to all the steep terrain and hillsides.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Very low density for an urban district due to the extreme topography and steep population decline.
* No bike infrastructure across the district.
* Not much rental product in the neighborhood and what exist is very modest.
* There are a couple parks hosting ballfields, playgrounds, and the Lutheran cemetery.
* Sidewalks are often missing and very steep terrain, so ADA infrastructure isn’t great.
* Commercial is very limited (a brewery within the Spring Hill district but some neighborhood amenities existing on Spring Garden Road (i.e. pharmacy, family dollar, some light manufacturing, a cider house, and a couple of bars and restaurants.
* Very limited cultural amenities within the district, but the rich cultural of the northside and downtown is only 2 miles away.
* There is a poorly rated elementary school but not much else. 
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Pittsburgh’s Troy- the Plateau that looks over the City

Originally called the village of New Troy, the neighborhood was originally settled by German immigrants who worked in the mills, tanneries, breweries and railroads that lined the Allegheny river (including the Heinz Ketchup factory). Migration up to Troy Hill began when a Catholic church opened a small cemetery in 1842. Gradually the neighborhood filled in by the early 20th century and remained a stable working class community to the present day.

While Troy Hill lost a significant amount of its historic population, dropping from a historic high of 7,000 to around 2,000, it has retained much of its urban fabric due to the removal of many hillside dwellings and smaller families. The neighborhood has stabilized and seen recent investment with many younger families renovating modest rowhouses. Given the districts incredible access to downtown, the Strip District, and Allegheny Commons, it is a surprise the market has not taken off even more here. Hopefully more and more amenities move to Troy Hill without it becoming too expensive for its current population. The neighborhood is one of the most economically diverse in the City of Pittsburgh.

Click here to view my full Troy Hill album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Pretty easy access to downtown especially for cars, but decent public transit access. Due to the hikes, bike commuting is challenging.
* Housing is pretty affordable here. Most homes selling in the $100s but some outdated product selling between 50-100K and larger resent renovations selling in the 200Ks. 1-bedroom rentals going anywhere between $700-$1,200 and 2-3 bedrooms in the low to mid $1,000s.
* Good recreational amenities with several ballfields, a few playgrounds, and a spray park.
* Streetscape and urban form pretty solid in the heart of Troy Hill along Lowrie St, but pretty weak along Spring Garden Rd. (the district’s northern edge).
* Good tree cover due to the many dense groves along the hill sides. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES
* No bike lanes through the hard of Troy Hill nor any bike stations, but a dedicated lane along 28.
* Culture amenities are decent but not great in Troy Hill. The neighborhood hosts a couple of restaurants, a café, two breweries, and several bars. This is also the home of St. Anthony (the largest collection of relics.
* Some neighborhood retail including several delis, a drug store, a fitness center, and several banks.
* Three schools within or in adjacent districts, but overall low ratings. 

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Lincoln-Lemington- Pittsburgh’s “forgotten” East End Neighborhood

Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar is a predominantly black neighborhood that was majority Caucasian from the 1920s until the 1970s.Sadly the neighborhood fell into decline after its racial transition. What was once a comfortable early 20th century bedroom community with an intact main street now is a half empty with most of its main street erased.

Yet there still are several assets worth mentioning including its attractive early 20th century architecture, good public transit access, short commute to downtown,  quality park amenities, and thick tree canopy. There is much revitalization work needed to make this a viable urban community once more. Given its high home ownership, and the ability to build African-American wealth, this seems like a worth endeavor. 
Click here to view my Lincoln-Lemington album on Flickr.

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Decent public transit access and easy drive to Downtown.
* Good historic architecture. Just not always well maintained.
* Decent park recreation’s with several playgrounds, ballfields, and a recreational center.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Not great racial nor economic diversity. Still a high rate of poverty here.
* For-sale housing is depressed but some quality product selling between 50K-75K. Not a ton of rental product but generally a mix of affordable and moderate rental.
* Retail and stores limited to a couple convenience stores, car repair stores, and churches.
* Mediocre ADA infrastructure.
* Very limited cultural amenities.
* Some assemblance remains of the historic urban streetscape along Lincoln Ave but not much is left.
* No walkable schools in Lincoln-Lemington a couple in adjacent districts but not highly rated.
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Morningside- A tight-knit Pittsburgh Community

Morningside development really took off around 1905 with the creation of the Chislett Street trolley line extended from Stanton Avenue into the neighborhood. The community was fully filled in with houses and a  some small commercial district by the 1930s. Morningside first welcome Irish families and eventually large numbers of Italian families ending Pittsburgh’s last wave of Italian immigration in the 1970s.

Morningside never experienced significant crime and blight issues but has seen a resurgence in interest in the past 5-10 years. Buyers are attracted by Morningside’s front porches, tight knit community, historic homes, convenient access, and modest back yards- a premium in the City. Renovated homes are now selling in the high 200Ks-300Ks. Morningside also has quality recreational spaces within the neighborhood and adjacent districts. What is needed for Morningside to transition from a good urban district to a great one is more dedicated retail and entertainment options, some additional multi-family housing , quality walkable schools, and dedicated bike infrastructure.
Click here to view my full album for Morningside in Flickr
URBAN STRENGTHS

* Good access to downtown via decent public transit access and easy driving.
* Great economic and solid age diversity.
* Good price diversity with home ownership ranging from 150K-400K but prices are certainly on the rise.
* Decent ADA infrastructure with curb cuts at every intersection but not always ADA compliant.
* Great historic architecture .
* Residents have great access to several sport complexes, playgrounds, the morning side greenway, and Highland Park is nearby (although hard to access by foot).

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* No dedicated bike infrastructure.
* Rentals are pretty limited but moderately priced. 1-bedrooms going for $800-$1,000 and 2-bedrooms in the low $1,000s.
* No schools within Morningside but a couple decent ones in adjacent neighborhoods.
* Really no modern in-fill in Morningside.
* Some retail exists in Morningside including a cafe, several restaurants & bars, salons, Rite Aid, a daycare facility, and even a specialty fabric store. Most residents are 1 mile from the Bryant commercial district.

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Pittsburgh’s Homewood Neighborhood

Homewood was annexed into the city of Pittsburgh in 1884.The neighborhood started as an area of estates for the wealthy including  Pittsburgh industrialists Andrew Carnegie. By 1910s, Irish, Italian, German, and upper middle class black families moved to Homewood helping create an ethnically diverse neighborhood. At first relations between the white and black residents of Homewood were good, but things become strained In the 1950s when the Lower Hill Urban Renewal project displaced 8,000 people, many of whom ultimately settled in rental apartments in Homewood. White flight ensued as demographics shifted from 22% black in 1950 to 66% black in 1960. The MLK riots of 68′ severely crippling the business district. This was followed by the proliferation of gangs and drugs in the 1970s and 1980s. So yea, Homewood has been through a lot.

The situation appears to have stabilized with crime plateauing. Some investment, mostly driven by government, non-profits, and philanthropy, has led to some new businesses on N. Homewood, new housing, and the Susquehanna job focused renovation. Flippers are also slowly discovering the district’s quality historic architecture and easy access to the East busway with renovated homes selling in the 100Ks. But Homewood still has a long way to go before becomes a viable urban district, requiring a blight and real estate intervention of scale. 
Click here to see my full Homewood photo album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Good access to public transit.
* Lots of families households here.
* Between the many park lets, sport fields, playgrounds, public pool, and a YMCA Homewood has very good recreational amenities.
* Good ADA infrastructure through Homewood.
* Gorgeous historic architecture of various sizes and typologies. Unfortunately much of it is blighted. Some good in-fill especially along Homewood Ave.
* Good tree cover helped by the hills and elevation change.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* No bike lanes, but several dedicated bike stations.
* Very high poverty rate (around 35%) and some economic diversity especially in the western portions of Homewood.
* Not great racial diversity either.
* For sale product is generally very in expensive. Vacant and blighted property sell below 30K or so. Decent product between 30-85K. Some renovated SF homes selling now in the 100Ks.
* Rentals are also inexpensive, but limited product officially listed. Nice 2-bedrooms go for around $850.
* Not great cultural amenities but some including a mix of several  barbecue and soul food restaurants, dive bars, and the Afro American Music Center.
* Some retail amenities including a bakery, cafe, hardware store, several beauty salons & Barbers, and convenience stores. The Coop and Construction Junction are just south of Homewood.
* Still pretty high crime and lots of blight.
* Westinghouse HS is the only school in the district and not rated well.
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Pittsburgh’s Larimer- A Legacy Neighborhood Poised for Rejuvenation

The neighborhood takes its name from William Larimer, who after making a fortune in the railroad industry, built a manor house overlooking East Liberty. His daughter married a Mellon who eventually sold off the land for real estate speculation. German immigrants came to Larimer in the later half of the 19th century leaving a mark with the still standing St. Peter and Paul gothic church (featured in the Dogma movie).  By the early 1900s Italians from Abruzzi, Calabria, Campania, Sicily and Northern Italians became the dominant ethnic group. These settlers were slightly better-off than their Bloomfield kinsmen and therefore built somewhat nicer detached brick homes with small yards. Larimer was Pittsburgh’s Little Italy until the 1960s when residents began moving to the suburbs and other Pittsburgh neighborhoods (most notably Stanton Heights and Morningside).  Urban renewal efforts in adjacent East Liberty and new housing projects helped accelerate Larimer’s deterioration.

Larimer used to be a thriving, dense community with distinct commercial districts along Larimer Avenue and Lincoln Avenues supplementing the thriving shopping hub of East Liberty. Frankstown and Hamilton Avenues along Larimer’s southern border hosted numerous industrial and warehousing plants. Sadly much of the fabric was removed with the neighborhood’s decline, especially its commercial districts. Larimer used to have a population of around 10,000, which meant a density of 25K per sq mile. Now it sits at around 2,000 souls.

Even with all this deterioration, Larimer has great urban bones. Its sits next to the revitalizing East Liberty complete with new apartments, shopping, and convenient access to the Bus Way. Google has set up shop on Larimer’s southern border creating the Bakery Square development (a mixed of office, apartments, and retail), and entrepreneurs are slowly filling empty warehouses along Hamilton and Frankstown (i.e. Eastend Brewing Company, Absolute Ballroom,  KLVN Coffee Lab, and Red Star Kombucha.) Thus Larimer remains a very walkable and transit rich community. With a robust revitalization strategy, Larimer could easily become a viable urban community.
Click here to view my full Larimer Album on Flickr
URBAN STRENGTHS

* Great public transit and good access to major jobs centers (i.e. downtown, Oakland, and esp. Bakery Square, which resides in Larimer).
* Several bike stations site on Larimer’s southern edge (i.e. Bakery Square) and two dedicated bike lanes run along the district’s edges on Negley Run and E. Liberty Blvds.
* Decent amount of families here and generational diversity.
* Good recreational amenities including the Kingsley Center, several community gardens, playgrounds, and pocket parks.
* Neighborhood amenities are concentrated in Bakery Square and adjacent shopping areas in East Liberty. This includes a target, several grocery stores, several restaurants & cafes, Staples, and several retail stores. This is all within a mile for most residents. Some amenities also opening along Hamilton and Frankstown Rd as warehoused get repurposed (i.e. dance studio, cross training, East End Brewery, auto parts and contracting supply stores).
* Other than a couple art galleries cultural amenities are concentrated in Bakery Square and adjacent East Liberty. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* High poverty rate including 1/3 of the population with a AHI of around 35K.
* Listed for-sale product is limited. Generally lower end product but an increasing about of renovated product selling in the 100Ks. Most homes still selling below 100K.
* Significant amount of blight and abandonment remain in the neighborhood. Rental product is very limited. High end units however, are now available across the street from Larimer on Penn Ave.
* Limited racial and economic diversity.
* 2 public schools located within Larimer but not highly rated. Several other schools nearby in adjacent East Liberty, Homewood, and Shadyside with mixed ratings. 
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Edgewood- Pittsburgh’s Illusive, but Exclusive Historic Suburb

This high-end inner ring suburb was incorporated in 1888. The borough slowly grew reaching just over 1,000 souls in 1900 and peaking around 5,000 in 1950. Since then the population has nearly halved sitting at 3,000 residents. Even with loosing this much population you wouldn’t notice it. Edgewood has maintained its historic housing stock, with some of the nicest mansions in the Pittsburgh region. It has convenient access to the Regent Square commercial district, on its western edge, and easy access to Oakland and Downtown via the East Busway.

Even though it sits next to one of the poorest African American Borough’s in the region, Edgewood is mostly wealthy and well off. Diversity is certainly an area for improvement. There are also several mixed-use buildings in the heart of the Borough on Maple Ave that with several new businesses could significantly improve the neighborhood’s walkability. Bike lanes is also something sorely missing here. 

Click here to view my full Edgewood album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Generally pretty good ADA infrastructure but inconsistent.
* Solid public transit and good access to major Pitt job centers.
* Very safe community with low vacancy.
* Great generational diversity, lots of young adults and young families.
* Nice diversity of for-sale product with small homes starting in the mid $100Ks, medium sized homes in the 200Ks& 300Ks and mansions above 400K. Some rentals that are moderately priced… 1 bedrooms lease for $700-$900 and larger house rentals generally in the mid $1,000s.
* Amenity wise Edgewood is served by both Regent Square (historic commercial node with many restaurants, bars, and some nice boutique stores) and Edgewood Town center, which is a auto centric strip mall with a supermarket, pharmacy, banks, and lots of retail. Also a public library and rec center in the heart of Edgewood.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Bike infrastructure limited with some lanes on the edge of the borough and no dedicated bike stations.
* Limited racial and economic diversity. Generally well off community with a fair amount of middle class households.
* Only the Koeing Field complex sites within the Borough but convenient access to adjacent 9 mile run, Frick Park, and Whitney Park.
* One solid elementary schools within the Borough, but no other walkable schools.
* Some cultural amenities in Regent square (restaurants, bars, cafes) but not much else.
* 10 minutes from closest hospital but lots of doctor office in Regent Square.
* Other than Edgewood Town Center and some in-fill in Regent Square, not much new construction. 

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Braddock, PA- Pittsburgh’s Rustbelt Poster Child

Braddock is named after General Edward Braddock who led am Expedition in Western PA at this place. The area surrounding Braddock’s Field was originally inhabited by the Lenape, ruled by Queen Aliquippa (a  friend of George Washington). Nearby in Turtle Creek, the first permanent English settlement was established west of the Allegheny Mountains In 1742.  Braddock’s first industrial facility, a barrel plant, opened in 1850 and the borough incorporated in 1867. The town’s industrial economy began in 1873, when Andrew Carnegie built the Edgar Thomson Steel Works on the historic site of Braddock’s Field. Braddock is also the location of Carnegie’s first public library. Braddock lost its importance with the collapse of the steel industry in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s and was brought to its knees by the crack cocaine epidemic of the early 1980s.

Braddock is the most extreme case of industrial decline in Pittsburgh, which is probably why it’s the poster child for the rust-belt in Pittsburgh. The town reached a population high of 21,000 in 1920s and  now hosts  just over 2,000 souls. Population decline significantly picked up after WWII. Yet Braddock still has good bones with a comfortable street grid, high quality public transit, and good access to downtown. The recent Braddock “resurgence” shepherded by former mayor John Fetterman and restaurateur Kevin Sousa have returned Braddock to the spotlight and helped spur a mini resurgence with new restaurants, bars, cafes, vintage shops and interest for local non-profits. But Braddock really needs people to return, and in the thousands, for this to once again be a viable urban district.
Click here to view my Braddock album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Great generational diversity.
* Solid public transit access and very connected street grid. Braddock has the bones of a highly walk-able community.
* Braddock’s resurgence is being led by several new restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries. Braddock has gained regional attention by several well know restaurateurs, local foundations, and community groups. But still a very long way to go. This resurgence is also attracting hip clothing, and vintage antique and restoration stores augmenting the remaining wholesaling stores, dollar store, beautiful Carnegie library, and post office.
* Good amount of tree canopy.

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Very high poverty (30%) and some racial diversity.
* Very depressed for-sale market. Very little sells above 50K. Not a ton of rental product but very affordable. 2-bedrooms generally go for between $700-$800.
* Very limited parks space with Braddock, the only “official park” is the Verona Street Park.
* No supermarket or drug stores. The nearest hospital is a 10 min drive in McKeesport.
* Only two schools within Braddock and poorly rated.
* Sidewalks and curb cuts are common but in rough shape. Very few ADA compliant curbs. 
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Munhall, PA a Middle-Class Haven with Convenient Access to Downtown Pittsburgh

A large portion of the Homestead Works existed in Munhall. The borough was in 1901, out of a part of Mifflin Township. Its most noted landmark is the  Homestead Library  donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1896. Development picked up in Munhall in the late 1800s to early 1900s with the building of the northern half of Munhall closest to the Monongahela River and Homestead. The southern half of Munhall was developed between 1910s to the 1950s. Munhall’s population peaked at around 17,000 in 1960 and has slowly declined to its current population of 11,000 souls.

Munhall is an inner ring suburb attractive to middle income families desiring to purchase an affordable house with some walkability, convenient “driving” access to the expansive Waterfront Lifestyle shopping center and close proximity to Downtown Pittsburgh. Main Street is the north to south spine that runs along the Ridge and provides a moderate level of neighborhood retail and amenities. Not much in the way of cultural amenities within Munhall, but easy access to adjacent Homestead where recent reinvestment to its historic Downtown along 8th Street is bringing many new restaurants bars, art galleries, and nightlife options.

Additional medium density mixed-use  in-fill along Main Street would go a long way to increasing vibrancy in Munhall and helping to stabilize its population. Not much else can be done to increase urbanity here unless the borough completely rewrites its zoning codes and the Port Authority brought better transit service to the community.

Click here to view my full Munhall album on Flickr.

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Good access to downtown via driving and even decent commute biking (using the Allegheny Passage Trail).
* Very low crime rate.
* Recreation in Munhall consists of several sport field clusters around Munhall schools and several more traditional parks near the Homestead Carnegie Library.
* Great Tree Cover.
* Munhall hosts some “light” retail along its traditional Main Street (drug store, banks, restaurants, bars, liquor store, flower shop, barbershops, nail salons, and a post office). The bulk of its retail are located in the brownfield redevelopment, the Waterfront straddling the border of Munhall and Homestead. While a very auto oriented shopping center it includes several supermarkets, Target, Lowes, Dicks, and many retail chain stores.
* Several medium to well rated schools within Munhall that are pretty walkable. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Sub par public transit for an inner ring suburb, although the north half of Munhall is served well.
* Because of the very hilly terrain, about 1/4 of residential streets don’t have sidewalks. Even the traditional business district running along Main St. generally doesn’t have ADA compliant ramps.
* Bike infrastructure limited to the Allegheny Passage Trail running along the Mon River.
* Not a ton of rental product, but generally in the lower moderate range. The limited 1-bedroom product rents between $500-$800. 2-bedrooms around $850. And whole houses anywhere from $1,000 to $1,600. Higher prices in south Munhall.
* For sale prices are very moderate ranging anywhere from 50K to 200K.
* Cultural amenities consist of only a handful of American restaurants and bars. But Munhall has convenient access to Homestead which hosts more diverse cultural amenities including a cineplex.
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Brentwood- A Pleasant Pittsburgh Suburb close to Downtown

Brentwood is an inner ring suburb located on the southern border of Pittsburgh. Development began around 1910 and the Borough grew to about 8,000 residents by WWII. The Borough continued to grow after the war reaching a peak of 14,000 in 1970. Since then Brentwood has lost about a quarter of its peak population and now sits just above 9,000 souls. Even so, this is a relatively health community for Pittsburgh standards with limited blight and vacancy.

Brentwood’s moderate density, transit connectivity, and urban main street along Brownsville road have created a fairly desirable urban community for individuals desiring some walkability, convenient access to downtown, while still retaining a good sized yard. Other positives are its solid schools and low crime rates. For Pittsburgh standards, Brentwood is also seeing a growing Nepalese population evident by several Nepalese run restaurants emerging along Saw Mill Road.

The largest areas to improve the urbanity of Brentwood includes new mixed-use infill along Brownsville Road, additional recreational amenities, and dedicated bike lanes running along Brownsville Road. Not much else that can be done given the borough’s hilly terrain and auto centric commercial thoroughfare running along Saw Mill Road. 
Click here to view all Brentwood photos on my Flicker page

URBAN STRENGTHS

* Very safe community.
* Decent public transit access, and good access to downtown.
* For sale housing is pretty affordable but decent price and size variety. Most product sells in the $100Ks but a fair amount below 100K and in the 200Ks.
* Pretty good neighborhood amenities (although most of located on Saw Mill or in the Brentwood Towne Square shopping center). Brentwood hosts a supermarket, several banks, several pharmacies, plenty of salons, cafes, and a good amount of boutiques

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Because of the very hilly terrain, about 1/3 of residential streets don’t have sidewalks. ADA compliant curbs are reserved for Brownsville (the main traditional business district).
* Saw Mill Run is completely auto centric and hosts many of Brentwood’s businesses.
* Not a ton of rental product, but generally in the lower moderate range. The limited 1-bedroom product rents between $500-$750. 2-bedrooms for $800-$1,000. And whole houses generally in the low to mid $1,000s.
* Only one park in the Brentwood (Brentwood) park. It is a large park with lots of amenities (including a rec center) and fortunately is pretty centrally located in the borough.
* Cultural amenities limited to restaurants and bars. Some diversity added with several Nepalese restaurants.
* Solid school options for K-12 and generally walkable. 

Swissvale, Pennsylvania- part of the Pittsburgh Region

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Swissvale is named after the Swisshelm family, who owned a farm where the town is located. Jane Swisshelm became a noted abolitionist and political activist. The family settled here in the late 1700s. Widespread development did not come to Swissvale until the early 1900s with the industrialization of the Borough. The Population peaked at 16,500 in 1950 and rapidly declined. There are now approximately 8,500 residents here, but signs are positive that the population is stabilizing.

Swissvale has a lot of good things going for it from an urban perspective. It’s located at the end of the Pittsburgh East Busway, providing convenient access to downtown. Regent Square and Frick Park are nearby as well. Swissvale still retains much of its housing stock and traditional main street, which is centered around a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stop.

There are signs that investment is picking up in Swissvalle, especially in the western and more stabilized western half of the borough. Increased targeted investment in the urban commercial district would go a long way towards making this a quality urban district.

Click here to view my Swisshelm Flickr Album
URBAN STRENGTHS

* Solid public transit access throughout most of Swissvale. And good access to Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland.
* Excellent economic and generational diversity and decent racial and diversity.
* Great range of for sale housing starting at around 40K for the rougher product to 300K for the best housing in the most stable streets. Rentals are on the cheap side with 1-bedrooms ranging from $500-$800 and 2-bedrooms anywhere from $800-$1,300. Lots of rental product.
* While set in a strip mark, the Edgewood Shopping Center provides residents lots of important neighborhood amenities (i.e. Liquor store, Supermarket, clothing stores, banks, etc.). In the traditional main streets along  Monongahela and Noble St there are some neighborhood shops, cafes, restaurants, some boutiques, churches, and the public library.  

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Recreational amenities can be limited depending on where you live. Residents in Swisshelm and the western edge of Swissvale have great access to 9 mile run and Frick Park but only 3 other small parks throughout.
* Cultural amenities pretty limited. There are some restaurants, bars, and cafes but not theaters or museums. One is about a mile though from Regent Square, which hosts many restaurants, bars, and cafes.
* A fair amount of blight and vacancy still exists throughout.
* Several walkable schools within Swisshelm but generally poor ratings.
* ADA infrastructure is a mixed bag. Generally there are curb cuts, but often not ADA compliant infrastructure.
* Not much modern architecture, and what does exist is pretty suburban.
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Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield-Friendship Neighborhood

Bloomfield is referred by many locals as Pittsburgh’s Little Italy as it was settled by Italians from the Abruzzi region of Italy and has been a center of Italian-American population for many decades. Friendship is small adjacent district of large Victorian houses in the East End.

In 1868 Bloomfield and Friendship were annexed by the City of Pittsburgh. Development started more or less from west to east with narrow lot row-houses between the 1870s and 1890s. By the 1890s, the trolley extended to Friendship via Baum Boulevard and large square homes designed for professional-class families were constructed in Edwardian and Victorian styles. 

By the 1960s, many prominent families in Friendship moved to the suburbs repulsed by the construction of massive housing projects in nearby Garfield and misguided urban renewal in East Liberty. Zoning changes in the 1950s allowed landlords to subdivide these massive Victorian houses beauties into multi-unit apartments, and by the 1980s, over 70% of the housing stock were rentals. Bloomfield remained a solid working class neighborhood holding on to its Italian heritage.

Recently, the neighborhood has become an attractive place to buy or rent bolstered by the general gentrification of the East End and housing prices continue to steadily climb with more diverse residents. With great access to downtown, public transportation, neighborhood amenities, restaurants/bars, attractive historic homes, and proximity to other great East End neighborhoods like Oakland, East Liberty, Lawrenceville, and Shadyside; its no wonder that Bloomfield-Friendship has become such an in-demand location.

The Bloomfield-Friendship neighborhood is bordered by Penn Avenue to the north, Negley to the east, Baum to the south, and the Bloomfield Bridge/40th Street to the West. Friendship is a smaller sub-neighborhood that became an official City designated neighborhood in recent history. This is the area between Aiken-Negley and Penn-Liberty-Baum. 

Click here to view my Bloomfield photo album & here for my Friendship Albums on Flicker
URBAN STRENGHTHS

* Very good bike infrastructure, public
 transportation, and access to Pittsburgh’s 2 largest employment centers: Downtown and Oakland.
* For sale prices heating up in neighborhood but still plentiful housing options available for 200-350K and still slightly below national median levels. 350K-500K large homes available in Friendship. Rental prices also very reasonable. 1-bedrooms can be found for 600-1,300. 2-bedrooms in the 1,000s.
* Great access to many smaller parks, playgrounds, City pool, and Historic Allegheny Cemetery.
* Culturally, good access to diverse restaurants, bars, many art galleries along Penn Avenue. Also within walking distance to several other solid commercial districts… East Liberty and Ellsworth, Highland, and Walnut in Shadyside.
* Very good access to retail, restaurants/bars, grocery stores, etc. at 3 businesses districts (Liberty, Penn, and Baum/Center). 

URBAN WEAKNESSES

* Tree cover great between Gross and Negley, but pretty sparse west of
Gross St.
* Some sections of Liberty and Baum are pretty auto centric. Sections of Penn Avenue and Liberty can feel pretty dead at night. 
* Racial diversity is ok but over 65% of residents are white. Also percentage of family households are much lower than the average in Pittsburgh.

Old Forge, PA- A Scranton Metro Historic Town know for its unique pizza

Old Forge like most boroughs in the Scranton area was settled in early 19th century. It received its name after an old iron forge along the Lackawanna River. Like much of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Old Forge’s development was strongly influenced by the ups and downs of coal mining industry. The town reached 5,500 residents in 1900 and quickly doubled to 11K in 1910 but after 1930 Old Forge went into a consistent decline until 2010 where the population bottomed out at 8,500 from a peak of 12,500 souls. For Northeastern Pennsylvania this level of decline isn’t that bad. Old Forge is also known for its unique style of pizza. The past couple of decades have generally been good to Old Forge as it has witnessed more economic diversity and opening of several new shops.

It will be difficult to make Old Forge a viable urban place as its main street lacks cohesion and is semi-autocentric in character and the population density is very low. Without a major population increase making new construction feasible I don’t see the urban form of Old Forge changing anytime soon.

Click here to view my Old Forge album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Only a 15 minute drive to dwtn but public transit is still 45 min- 1 hr.
* Good walkable schools.
** Limited 1-bed options but lots of 2-bed rentals leasing anywhere btwn 1K and the low 2Ks. Some 3-bed options leasing around 3K.
* For sale 2-beds sell btwn 70K-280K, 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 70K-400K.
* Decent Park amenities.
* So so retail amenities including a dollar store, butcher shop, a couple drug stores & banks, a couple dessert joints, a t-shirt store, several salons,  a couple medical offices and plenty of churches.
* Overall a very safe community.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • No bike infrastructure.
  • Not great public transit access
  • Culturally there is a good # of restaurants & bars and a small performing arts theater, but not much else.
  • Limited density for an urban district.
  • No walkable supermarket, post office, or library.
  • Main street lacks cohesion is a really lengthy semi-autocentric corridor. Really no clear center of Old Forge.
  • Tree canopy is good in spots but on most streets is limited.”

Dunmore, PA- An Inner Ring Scranton Suburb with an Irish History

Dunmore has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1835. It gets its name from the large number of Ireland immigrants who were attracted by the area’s coal mining opportunities. Dunmore is a village in County Galway.  The borough was officially incorporated in 1862. Thanks to a coal mining boom in the area Dunmore quickly grew to 4,300 residents by 1870. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dunmore continued to experience significant industrial growth and added new immigrants, particularly from Italy and Eastern Europe. Dunmore reached 12,500 residents in 1900 and peaked at 23K in 1930. The decline of the coal industry in the mid-20th century led to economic challenges and Dunmore dipped to 14K. Both thanks to its diversifying economy and convenient location on the edge of Scranton Dunmore’s population has stabilized recently.

Along with its strong sense of community Dunmore’s strength lies in typically suburban amenities of good parks, quality schools, and safety. Dunmore hosts a great array of economic diversity with an array of housing options and lots of affordable rentals. Dunmore’s economy has also been bolstered by Marywood University, a college of 3,500 students. While Dunmore has decent retail and cultural amenities the urban form of its two business districts (Blakely and Drinker) is fragmented with too many chunks being devoted to autocentric uses. I would particularly like more attention paid to building up the place making where these road meet as it is the heart of Dunmore. Dunmore also needs better tree cover, bike infrastructure, a central supermarket, and mixed-use infill along its main streets.

Click here to view my Dunmore album on Flickr

URBAN STREGNTHS:

  • Excellent access to dwtn as with a 7 min drive and 10-15 minute bus ride.
  • Generally pretty good sidewalks and ADA infrastructure but several streets without sidewalks on the northeast corner in the 1960s & 1970s development.
  • Excellent economic diversity.
  • Overall a very safe community.
  • Some attractive historic homes on Green Ridge and surrounding streets but genially Dunmore has very working housing type aesthetics. Dwtn just doesn’t have enough historic fabric left.
  • Lots of walkable schools and well rated. Several Catholics schools as well.
  • Decent array of small and medium parks spread throughout Dunmore. Also a modest recreation center and a YMCA.
  • Rentals are pretty affordable but also plentiful.
  • Good for sale diversity with a handful of for sale 1-bed. 2-beds sell anywhere from 85K-275K. 3 & 4 beds sell between 90K-500K. Decent amount of dedicated affordable hsg as well.
  • Decent cultural amenities including a good # of restaurants & bars, several cafes and the performing arts at Marywood University a college of 3500 students.
  • Decent retail amenities include a couple ethnic groceries, a couple drug stores, several boutiques & consignment stores, a large religious store, a couple florists, a couple banks, a handful of dessert joints & a YMCA, and several churches. Also a walkable post office and public library.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Public transit is so so. Should be better as an inner ring suburb.
  • So so density
  • Literally no bike infrastructure here.
  • In fill consist of a fair amount of auto centric commercial uses in the biz districts and 1960/1970s suburban homes on the outskirts of Dunmore.
  • Okay tree cover overall.
  • Supermarket is located outside of the Dunmore core in a shopping mall across the highway with limited pedestrian access.
  • The urban form and streetscaping of Dunmore business districts (Blakely and Drinker) leaves much to be desired. Some assemblance of an urban sense of place where these streets cross but it both streets quickly become semi-autocentric corridors.
  • Streetscaping is uninspiring.”

Olyphant, PA- Historic home of the Lackawanna Coal Company, now a walkable bedroom suburban of Scranton

Olyphant’s history dates back to the early 19th century.  It was the headquarters of the Lackawanna Coal Company but was also a center of the railroad industry . This mining boom attracted a wave of European immigrants, including Italians, Poles, and Eastern Europeans, who sought work in the coal mines and on the railroads. As the demand for coal diminished in the mid-20th century, Olyphant experienced economic challenges and decline and quickly went from nearly 11K residents in 1930 to just under 6K in 1960. Since then Olyphant has stabilized and transitioned into a more diverse economy while retaining most of its historic footprint and tight-knit community. Olyphant now hosts just over 5K residents.

Olyphant’s strengths lies in its historic walkable fabric where most buildings along its historic main street (Lackawanna Ave) remain hosting decent retail and cultural amenities. Olyphant also hosts good economic diversity, lots of affordable housing options, and is only a 15 minute drive to Dwtn Scranton. Olyphant recently made the top 10 list for safest cities in Pennsylvania, But for Olyphant to become a great urban suburb it needs mixed-use in-fill to fill in the surface lots along the main street and bolster the Borough’s population. I’d also like to see more walkable schools, better ADA infrastructure, and several dedicated bike lanes.

Click here to view my Olpyhant Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Decent access to Dwtn with only a 15 minute drive and 35 minute bus ride (only comes every hour however).
  • So so density.
  • Good economic diversity.
  • For sale homes are generally affordable but some diversity. 2-beds sell anywhere from 70K-180K, and 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 50K-300K. Decent amount of dedicated affordable housing.
  • Great historic business architecture but residential historic architecture is pretty plain.
  • Decent # of small and medium sized parks .
  • Olyphant is actually a very safe City across all metrics and appears on top 10 safest cities in Pennsylvania. The only safety metric is doesn’t score well in is a fair amount of blight.
  • Pretty good urban form and cohesion along Lackawanna, the urban biz district. Streetscaping however is pretty dated and several large parking lots in the dwtn area.
  • Central Olyphant has a decent # of restaurants, bars and a live music & event venue, and a couple local museums.
  • Decent retail amenities including a supermarket (just across the river), a butcher shop, family dollar, a couple pharmacies, several boutiques/clothing stores, a music store, a couple banks, a bakery, several churches, a post office (but not very walkable), and a couple doctor’s offices.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* ADA infrastructure is ok. Most streets have sidewalks and ADA standard curbs are restricted to the dwtn area.
* Bike infrastructure is limited.
* 80% White population but a growing Hispanic community (around 15%).
* Only a handful of walkable schools.
* Rentals are generally pretty affordable but limited product, esp. listings on Zillow.
 * Modern in-fill is pretty much non-existent.

Carbondale, PA- one of the first American towns created to exploit anthracite coal

Carbondale was founded in the early 19th century as part of the first regions in the US to exploit  anthracite coal deposits. The discovery of coal in the region in the early 1820s marked the beginning of the town’s rapid growth. Carbondale was established as a city in 1851, and its economy continued to thrive until the early 20th century. Carbondale’s population maxed out in 1930 at around 20K. But as coal demand dwindled Carbondale’s industrial importance and population declined. Carbondale has lost over half of its peaked population and currently has 8,800 residents. Surprisingly Carbondale has limited vacancy and has maintained most of its historic business district footprint without widespread abandonment. The town has a wonderful array of historic commercial structures and decent number of restaurants and retail businesses. Downtown also hosts an attractive historic plaza creating a great center point for Carbondale.

But the town is a 25 minute drive and feels far removed from downtown Scranton. Unless the City sees a major influx of immigrants Carbondale seems destined to continue its slow decline and won’t be able to capitalize on its dense, walkable existing urban fabric.

Click here to view my Carbondale album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Great historic stock especially in the commercial district.
  • Decent generational diversity.
  • So so parks in central Carbondale including a medium sized recreational park, a cemetery, and skate park.
  • Overall a pretty safe community and limited vacancy too.
  • Good number of restaurants, bars, and cafes but not much else culturally other than the Carbondale Historic Society and a historic house hosting classical concerts.
  • Decent retail amenities including a supermarket, several drug stores & banks, several boutiques & gift shops, a five below store, a couple antiques stores, a dwtn public library & post office, a couple dessert joints, a YMCA, several doctor offices, and plenty of churches.
  • Good main street and several secondary business districts (Church & Salem). Also a good downtown plaza creating a Civic Heart for Carbondale.
  • Pretty good urban fabric with limited surface parking lots and autocentric uses. Decent streetscaping too.

URBAN WEAKNESS:

  • Sidewalks are pretty consistent in the Carbondale but ADA curb cuts are mainly restricted to just the commercial areas.
  • Density is pretty poor for an urban area.
  • Pretty poor public transit access.
  • Not a terrible drive to Dwtn Scranton (25 mins) but a bus ride is over 1 hr.
  • Bike infrastructure is limited but there is at least a recreational trail on the northern edge of town.
  • A couple schools in quasi walking distance they have medium ratings.
  • A handful of rental options but all very affordable.
  • For sale housing is very affordable topping out at 250K for a large 4 bedroom.
  • Modern in-fill is pretty much non-existent.”

Pittston, PA – Scranton Metro Area Historic Town and dubbed “The Quality Tomato Capital of the World”

I included most of Pittston but cut out the Upper Pittston north of Parsonage St as its lower-density and has a lot of newer development. In 1853, Pittston broke away from Pittston Township and officially became a borough. Pittson quickly grew to 3K by 1860 and quadrupled to 12K by 1900. Pittston became a vital center for coal mining in the 19th century, part of the larger Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania. This era attracted a large influx of immigrants, mainly from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe. By the mid 19th century the demand for anthracite coal declined and Pittston began to decline like many other rust belt towns in the area. Yet Pittston’s population had already peaked in 1920 at 18,500 souls. Even with the decline in coal mining Pittston’s economy remained strong from 1930 to the 1980s, as the town emerged as a national center for clothing manufacturing. But this dried up by the late 20th century as well and the town was faced with continued population decline, increased poverty, and vacancy.  Yet civic leaders never gave up and in 2008, under the leadership of Mayor Joseph P. Keating, the City invested heavily in its Downtown area with a complete streetscape refresh. new street art through numerous sculpture pieces and colorful brick pavers, creation of a new riverfront park, and investment of many of its historic buildings and even in-fill urban development. Pittston now promotes itself as “The Quality Tomato Capital of the World.” as the region is a major tomatoes producing area especially for New York’s insatiable appetite for tomato imports.  Fortunately Pittston population decline has slowed since 2000 and the City now sits  at 7,600 residents.

The next stage for urban renewal is the revitalization of its residential areas. Much blight and disinvestment still exist in Pittston’s residential areas and there is a need for more economic diversity as nearly 30% of the town lives in poverty. I’d also like to see more bike infrastructure, immigration, rental housing variety and investment in Main Street outside of Dwtn (esp. north as this is a major blighted area in town).

Click here to view my Pittston album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Decent Dwtn access as Pittston is located btwn Scranton & Wilkes-Barre; 20 min drive to each. But 1 Hr bus ride to Scranton and only 25 mins to Wilkes-Barre.
* Nice recreational trail running along the Susquehanna River on the southern half of Dwtn.
* Pretty good generational diversity as the medium age here is 35 (much lower than the state of PA). Also a good pct of families w/ children.
*Good array of elementary and middle schoos in Pittston and pretty good rating. The high school, however, isn’t walkable to most residents sitting on the edge of town.
* For sale housing is generally pretty affordable but some good medium range options too. 2-beds sell btwn 70K-350K. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 50K-350K.
* Decent # of affordable rentals provided by the Pittston Housing Authority.
* Great Riverfront park located right next to the main street. Completement by a couple nice medium sized parks and a couple of smaller parklettes dwtn.
* Highly in-tact and attractive dwtn main street. Several excellent historic churches near the main street as well.
* Excellent urban form in the heart of Dwtn which runs about 5 blocks. Excellent streetscaping project along Main St Dwtn and running to the souther border. Urban form and streetscaping along Main street north of Dwtn is pretty poor.
* Good cultural amenities several restaurants & bars, a distillery, several cafes, a couple art galleries and lots of public street art including an intential sculpture campaign, and several night clubs.
* Also good retail amenities including a couple dollar & drug stores, several boutiques, clothing stores, and gift stores, plenty of banks, a dwtn public library  & post office, a music store, a couple dessert shops, a YMCA and a couple gyms, several churches and a couple doctor’s offices.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Other than the river trail, there is no bike infrastructure here.
  • Sidewalk infrastructure is generally good but sometimes missing on the residential streets which almost never have up to date ADA curbs. Core of Main Street is solid.
  • So so public transit
  • Some economic diversity but poverty is high here, 27%.
  • 80% White population but the Hispanic population appears to be growing.
  • Crime seems to be higher than average in Pittston and the town has a good amount of grit and blight. But it doesn’t feel unsafe walking the Main Street.
  • Decent # of rentals but not much variety as they are all pretty affordable. 1-beds lease around 1K. 2-beds btwn low 1Ks and a handful of 3-beds leasing for a bit more.
  • Historic residential housing is pretty gritty thanks to the working class styling.
  • Some decent in-fill bldg dwtn but a fair amount of autocentric crud on the southern end of Pittston.”

Hazelton, PA- An Eastern Pennsylvania City literally surrounded by Old Coal Fields

Hazleton was originally settled in the early 19th century, primarily by people of English and German descent. It was officially incorporated as a Borough in 1851 when it had 2,000 residents  and later as a city in 1891. The discovery of anthracite coal in the surrounding areas in the early 19th century led to Hazleton becoming a bustling coal mining town. The coal mines attracted a large number of immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe, Ireland, and Italy. Because of this influx of immigrants, Hazleton’s population drastically changed during the “boom period” starting in 1890 when the population w as 12K to 36K in 1920. The population peaked in 1940 at 38K. By the mid-20th century, the demand for anthracite coal declined, leading to the beginning of a period of decline in Hazleton. Fortunately a major influx of Hispanic immigrants primarily from Dominican Republic has stabilized the City. Hazelton’s population bottomed out at 23K in 2000 but thanks to a major influx of Hispanics the population grew to 30K, having grown by 20%  in only a decade.

Hazelton has a solid urban fabric with good density and two in-tact business districts: Broad Street (the Historic Dwtn) and Wyoming St (a solid secondary urban biz district) perpendicular to Broad St. Some decent mixed-use fabric also along Diamond and Poplar St to the south. But Hazelwood is incredibly gritty, which makes sense as the town is literally surrounded and often constrained by old coal mines. While Hazelton has good retail amenities, its cultural options are limited. Sidewalks are often in poor condition and the town has no bike infrastructure but the City has lots of quality walkable schools and well dispersed park amenities. Housing, while affordable, is not diverse and limited to those with higher incomes.

Click here to view my Hazelton Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Excellent gridded street fabric with short blocks.
  • Good density here
  • Good generational diversity with large number of households with children.
  • Good number of walkable schools throughout Hazelton generally with decent ratings. Large school campus just outside the City limits on the NW corner of town where the Public High School and middle/elementary School and Catholic High School are located. Just walkable to many Hazelton residents.
  • Good amount of housing authority run building providing lots of permanent affordability options.
  • Better retail amenities including several supermarkets and tons of Hispanic grocerias, plenty of drug stores, several boutiques and clothing stores, some gift shops, several banks, an Ollie’s Bargain store & lots of thrift shops, tons of salons, plenty of dessert joints and bakeries, plenty of gyms, a couple dollar generals, a dwtn library & post office, a major hospital and plenty of doctor’s offices, and several churches.
  • Decent amount of the quality historic commercial bldgs exist on Broad street. Residential is very worker housing and not terrible attractive.
  • Parks aren’t spectacular but a good number of small-medium sized parks that are well distributed throughout.
  • Decent pedestrian activity thanks to Hazelton’s density and high % of residents w/o cars.
  • Good mix of uses as there are lots of corner stores and restaurants/bars outside of the two main streets.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • There is a local bus service with a fare number of lines but service is infrequent.
  • Sidewalks are consistent but often in poor condition and without modern ADA infrastructure on the residential streets. Better sidewalk and ADA infrastructure on the main streets.
  • While Hazelton has its own modest dwtn its far from Dwtn Wilkes-Barres and Scranton; 35 & 50 minutes respectively. 1 Hr by bus to Wilkes-Barres.
  • No bike infrastructure to speak of.
  • Very Hispanic City, so much so that I wouldn’t consider this a diverse City as Hispanics make up 70% of the population.
  • Limited economic diversity as well as 25% of the population is living in poverty.
  • Crime itself doesn’t seem to be a major problem in Hazelwood but a very gritty city with a fair amount of blight.
  • Zillow listed rentals are pretty limited although I suspect there are plenty of unlisted rentals available. Product is generally in the low-mid 1Ks with a decent # of 2 & 3 beds.
  • Decent array of for-sale product but generally pretty affordable and not a ton diversity. 2-beds sell btwn 50K-260K and 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 60K- low 300Ks.
  • Tree canopy is so so. Better tree cover on the edge of development.
  • Cultural amenities are limited to several Hispanic & Italian restaurants, several bars & lounges, a couple cafes and art galleries, a small local history museum.
  • Any modern in-fil that exists is very autocentric.”

Hyde Park- West Scranton’s most iconic and in-tact neighborhood

Hyde Park is the most defined neighborhood in West Scranton due to the historic Borough that gave it its namesake but it is still difficult to nail down the boundaries. I choose to use Main Street as the eastern border, the railroad tracks as the western, Cathedral Cemetery as the northern border, and the Scranton Municipal line as the southern border. This seems to capture the core of Hyde Park and leave the area between Main Street and the Downtown as a separate neighborhood, which many would consider Bellevue.

Hyde Park is a tight-knit Scranton neighborhood, which developed rapidly during the turn of the 20th century. While the neighborhood’s rise was fueled by the coal mining industry, the neighborhood has also always had a strong middle class. Main Street is the neighborhood’s historic commercial street with the best concentration of businesses and urban fabric between Washburn and Lackawanna. The rest of Main Street is pretty mixed-use in character. While a decent number of businesses remain along Main Street, it is quite gritty and has lots of vacant storefronts. The residential areas of the neighborhood are generally intact thanks to new waves of Hispanic immigrants who are increasingly replacing the neighborhood’s strong Italian and Lebanese character.

Hyde Park is a fairly walkable community with convenient access to Dwtn and supports a wide array of affordable rental and for-sale housing options. Also great walkable schools remain here. For this to be a premiere urban district, Hyde Park needs to reinvest in its historic main street filing up vacancies and encouraging mixed-use in-fill development. The tree canopy and park amenities are limited, and bike infrastructure is non-existent. 

Click here to view my Hyde Park album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Sidewalk infrastructure is consistent across the neighborhood but ADA standard curb cuts really only exist along Main Street. A decent amount of sidewalks have been paved over by asphalt.
  • Pretty good density
  • Excellent access to Dwtn only 1.5 miles away. 6 min drive and a 25 min bus ride.
  • Good street connectivity and grid although blocks can be long at points.
  • Good diversity metrics all around. Large Hispanic Population here as well accounting for about 25% of the population.
  • Overall a safe community with limited blight but plenty of grittiness.
  • Decent urban form along Main Street especially several blocks btwn Washburn and Lackawanna.
  • Good array of walkable schools including public schools covering all grades and a couple private Catholic grade schools. Public middle and high schools are rated 3 out of 10 however.
  • Decent array of rental options and generally pretty affordable. 1-beds lease for around 1K, 2-beds for btwn $900-1.6K, and lots of 3-bed options that lease in the 1Ks. Even some 4-beds. Also an affordable senior high rise.
  • Good retail amenities including a supermarket, several Hispanic & Italian grocerias, a drug store, a hardware store, a family dollar, a couple furniture stores, several salons, a couple bakeries & gyms, post office, several banks, and several churches.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Within Hyde Park the only parks really are cemeteries. The expansive McDade Park isn’t too far way however.
  • Very mediocre public transit access. Bike infrastructure is non-existent.
  • So so cultural amenities which includes several restaurants (mostly Lebanese, Hispanic, and Italian), and couple bars.
  • Tree canopy is pretty mediocre.
  • For sale housing is very affordable but not a ton of diversity. Limited 1-bed product. 2-beds sell btwn 50K-low 200Ks and 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 50K- low 300Ks.”

The Hill Section- Scranton’s best urban district and home of the University of Scranton

The boundaries of the Hill Section are a bit fuzzy but its pretty easy to carve out with Dwtn to the West (along Jefferson), Dunmore to the north, and the highway to the south and east. I included Scranton University in this evaluation. The Adam biz district just to the west of the Hill Section in Dwtn essentially functions as Scranton University’s biz district. Some business activity along Mulberry and a couple of  mixed-use blocks at Ash St and Prescott.

The Hill Section was developed in the years following the Civil War as Scranton’s first suburb as coal barons who did not wish to live amidst the pollution in the Dwtn area and in the valleys built their homes high in the clean air of the Hill Section. Middle and working class Scrantonian’s increasingly moved to live in the Hill Section a couple decades later as they moved up in society. The Hill Section has also hosted many waves of immigrants including many Eastern Europeans in the turn of the 20th century, African Americas in the mid twentieth century, and in the present day  immigrant groups from Latin America, and East and Central Asia. The University Of Scranton, which is the largest Hill Section institution was founded in 1888 as Thomas College but was renamed The University of Scranton and moved to its current location in 1940. 

This is Scranton’s best urban area thanks to its density, seamless connection to Dwtn, large institutions, good walkability, and housing diversity and affordability. For this to be a premiere urban district I would start with further urbanizing Mulberry Street with mixed-income apartment buildings to fill in the many underutilized lots. Other important areas to improve is more frequent transit service, bike lanes, more walkable schools, and important retail amenities (i.e. supermarket, post office, and public library).

Click here to view my Hill Section album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great density for a middle-sized City neighborhood.
* The Adam biz district just  to the west of the Hill Section in Dwtn but essentially functions as Scranton University’s biz district. Some business activity along Mulberry and a couple mixed-use blocks where Prescott and Ash St. intersect.
* Very consistent sidewalk infrastructure generally in good shape. ADA curb cuts consistent along the main streets but only exist on about 1/3 of residential intersections.
* Excellent access to Dwtn being on its eastern edge and lots of employment opportunities within the Hill Section including Scranton University, Moses Taylor Hospital, and the Geisinger Community Medical Center.
* Great street grid and connectivity.
* Decent rental options especially 2-beds. 1-beds lease btwn $800-1.2K. 2-beds btwn $900-$1,800. Also a good # of 3 & 4 bed rentals leasing anywhere from the low 1Ks to mid 2Ks.
* Pretty good for sale market albeit without any condo options. 2-beds sell btwn 85K-low 300s. 3 & 4 beds btwn 50K-low 400Ks.
* Overall a safe community with limited blight.
* Good array of historic homes. For Scranton standards properties are in pretty good condition.
* Some urban in-fill especially near the university along Mulberry St. Some autocentric crud in spots but not too bad.
* Good tree canopy throughout.
* The neighborhood hosts the best park in the City: Nay Aug Park which is a planned park with great trails, a bandstand, outdoor pool, museum, iconic bridge, etc. Nearby are tons of ballfields, and Darcy park. However there are only a handful of smaller parks throughout the rest of the neighborhood although Scranton University has nice quads. Half of the residents aren’t within a 10 min walk of a park.
* Decent cultural amenities including several restaurants & bars, the Scranton Art and Natural History Museums, cultural amenities of Scranton University, the Caitlin House Museum and convenient access to Dwtn cultural amenities especially all the bars and restaurants along Adam St.
* Decent retail amenities including a pharmacy, some boutiques, a couple antique stores, a couple banks, the University bookstore, a couple dessert joints & gyms. a florist, two hospital, several medical offices, and convenient access to Dwtn retail amenities, which is pretty good.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Biking infrastructure is very limited.Transit is so so.
  • Student population dominate the demographics of the Hill Section but still some age diversity and a fair # of households with Children.
  • Only a handful of small elementary age schools. Public schools are located north of Dwtn. Not too far away, but also not walkable to Hill Section residents.
  • Missing retail amenities including a post office, community library, churches, and grocery store.”

Scranton’s South Side- Center of the City’s growing Hispanic Community and one of Scranton’s most Urban Communities

Scranton’s South Side community is a classic working classic neighborhood that grew when  German, Irish, Polish, Italian communities moved to the neighborhood to fill the mines and factories. The neighborhood hosts Scranton’s longest and most intact historic business along Pittston, which is complemented by a small business district (Cedar) a couple blocks away. Scranton’s withering economy at the turn of the 21th century hit the South Side neighborhood particularly hard and the neighborhood started to fall into decay with major drug and prostitutes issues. Thankfully the influx of Hispanics has turned the trajectory of the neighborhood around since the 2010s and new businesses are opening and the neighborhood has avoided large scale abandonment. This is no doubt still a very gritty neighborhood with lots of poorly constructed housing (as much of Scranton is), but there is energy and hope here.

Scranton’s South Side also hosts some of the best urbanity in the City thanks to its large business districts, accessibility to Dwtn, density and walkability, good walkable schools, and affordable housing. For the South side to really take off and be a premiere neighborhood  it needs to clear up and invest in its business districts improving the streetscaping and making more storefronts available. There is also the need for more park amenities, bike infrastructure, better transit access, and a much better tree canopy.

Click here to view my South Side Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Good Density
  • Convenient access to Dwtn and Scranton University.
  • Excellent street grid and small block connectivity.
  • Good economic diversity although South Side skews pretty low-moderate income.
  • Very racially diverse community with large Hispanic populations in the northside half and more White populations in the southern half. Also good number of Asians and Blacks here.
  • Good age diversity thanks to the large Hispanic community with larger families.
  • Several walkable schools including two public grade schools, a Catholic grade school and public middle school. Decent ratings.
  • Few 1-beds but good # of 2 & 3 bed rentals. 2-beds lease in the low-mid 1Ks and 3-beds lease generally in the mid 1Ks. Even some 4-bed rentals.
  • Better retail amenities including a supermarket, many ethnic grocerias, a couple drug stores & family dollars, some boutiques, gift shops, and clothing stores, a hardware store, a couple banks, several dessert joints, a couple floral shops, a bike shop, tons of salons, several churches, and decent access to a Hospital in the next neighborhood.
  • Generally a pretty safe community just lots of grid and some blight.
  • Some nice homes and interest historic architecture on the main streets (Pittston & Cedar) but neighborhood overall is very gritty.
  • Pretty good urban form along Cedar and Pittston, a very long biz district.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* So so public transit access and no bike infrastructure.
* For-sale housing is very affordable but not much diversity. The high end of the market is around 300K.
* Connell Park on the southern edge of the neighborhood is the premier South Side park. Good size and lots of amenities including trails, a public pool, playground, and ball fields. Only a handful of other smaller parks in the neighborhood and a couple of cemeteries.
* Tree canopy is so so.
* Decent cultural amenities including several restaurants (often ethnic) and  several bars. But not much else. Convenient access to all the Dwtn Cultural amenities less than a 5  drive and 20 minute bus ride.
* Limited in-fill. A couple good urban buildings but some strip mall and autocentric development along Washington Ave.
* Sidewalks existing on 85% of streets in the South Side but most residential streets don’t have ADA standard curb cuts although the main streets do. Also some sidewalks on the business districts (Pittson & cedar) are in terrible shape.

Cocoa Village, Cocoa’s Historic Core and Major Space Coast Tourist Destination

I evaluated the portion of Cocoa referred to as “Cocoa Village”, which is essentially dwtn Cocoa. I didn’t exactly use the officially boundaries of Cocoa Village but instead used the two boulevards on the northern and western borders (King and Cocoa Blvd), the City boundaries to the south and Indian River to the East.

Cocoa was established in the late 1800s. Cocoa’s business district was mostly destroyed by fire in 1890. But redevelopment fortunately came quickly thanks to the extension of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Indian River Ralline to Cocoa. The City was chartered  in 1895 and in the 1910s, population growth accelerated reaching 1,500 in 1920. The population rose dramatically following the development of the space industry, quadrupling from 3,000 in 1940 to 12,000 in 1960. Cocoa Village has a small permanent population of just under 1,000 residents and its energy is driving by tourism including major Cruise liners coming from Port Canaveral for day trips. The City also sponsors around 50 special events each year to keep the City active.

From an urban perspective Cocoa has a great array of retail and cultural amenities with great vibrancy and walkability. But like many historic Florida centers few people live here and most visitors drive to Cocoa instead of walking or biking here. Because of this public transit is limited, there are few rentals available, for-sale housing is expensive, and the median age is around 65. Cocoa Village is also missing a supermarket and drug store. For Cocoa to turn the corner they need to incentivize more housing development, which should be prioritized along the western edge where there is currently lots of vacant and surface parking lots. I’d also like to see the Cocoa Blvd Stroad tamed and become more walkable.

Click here to view my Cocoa Village Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

  • Excellent Riverfront parks (Cocoa Riverfront Park & Lee Wenner Park) along with a central plaza.
  • Economic diversity.
  • Excellent sidewalk and ADA amenities btwn Florida Ave and the Indian River. But west of Florida Avenue the residential streets generally lack sidewalks.
  • Great cultural amenities including tons of restaurants, bars, cafes, a couple breweries, several art galleries & night clubs, a larger historic theater complex, a couple local museums and several historic sites along with a couple live music venues.
  • Good retail amenities including tons of boutiques, gift shops, and clothing stores, several antique stores, a couple banks, a book store, toy store, a bike shop, a hardware store, several dessert joins, a couple gyms, a post office, several churches, a couple medical offices, and the public library is located several blocks to the North.
  • Cocoa Village is very safe but the surrounding inner city Cocoa neighborhoods are pretty rough. You get a sense of this for the Dwtn Cocoa areas west of Florida Ave.
  • Excellent historic architecture with a good mix of historic commercial bldgs and older homes.
  • Mix of more urban in-fill (especially along the River) and auto centric crud along the Blvds.
  • Excellent urban form and streetscaping in the portions of Cocoa Village east of Florida but terrible urban form along the Blvds and large surface parking lots on its western edge.
  • Solid Tree Canopy.
  • Good pedestrian activity.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Very low density for an urban area.
* So so public transit access.
* Lots of small population centers in the Space Coast Region (i.e. Titusville County Seat, beaches, and Cape Canaveral) but all a spreadout and not well connected by transit.
* No Dedicated bike infrastructure.
* While the broader Cocoa FL is very racial diverse  Dwtn Coca is very White an elderly (median age 65).
* Within Dwtn Cocoa there is only a Episcopal academy. A handful of small schools in the area and a larger middle school but not really walkable.
* Listed rentals are very limited.
* Some for sale product but limited 1-beds and generally expensive. 1-bed sell in the 200Ks. 2-beds are either small sf homes that sell around 200K or expensive waterfront condos selling btwn 600K-1m. 3 & 4 beds range btwn 300K to the lower 1 Millions depending if its a sf home or fancy waterfront condos.
* Missing a drug store and supermarket.