| Brookline was linked by streetcar to downtown Pittsburgh in 1905 by Pittsburgh Railways who built a single line south along West Liberty Avenue (the district western edge). The neighborhood continued developing and mostly filled in by WWII. The soul of the Brookline is built around its main street on Brookline Blvd. The community has successfully stabilized its main street through a streetscaping program and incentives to bring many new businesses. Brookline also has a stable housing stock but moderately priced making it an ideal place for young families to settle. With a light rail line and decent bus service, Brookline is also served by good public transit. Areas Brookline could improve include doubling down on sidewalks, ADA modernizations, and bring bike lanes and bike stations to the community. It would also be nice to see more apartments in the neighborhood. |
URBAN STRENGTHS:
| * Solid public transit access including a light rail line running along the eastern edge of the neighborhood. * Only about a 10-20 minute drive to dwtn and a 30-45 min commute via public transit. * Excellent economic and generational diversity and decent racially diversity. * Nice array of 2 & 3 bedroom rentals at reasonable rates. Limited 1-bedrooms. Stable for-sale housing generally ranging btwn 130-280K depending on size and condition. * Good array of neighborhood amenities mostly focused along Brookline Ave including several ethnic grocers, a drug store, public library, post office, a florist, and much more. Other retail amenities along Liberty Avenue but this is very auto centric. * This is a very safe community overall. * 3 solid elementary schools within Brookline and a Catholic High School just south of the neighborhoods. * Good urban form & streetscape along Brookline, terrible along Liberty. |
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
| * No bike infrastructure in Brookline. * Only two parks in Brookline, but what exist have strong amenities including a recreational center, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and recreational fields. * Culturally Brookline includes a nice array of restaurants & bars and a local theater. * ADA infrastructure is hit or miss due to the neighborhood’s terrain. Sometimes its completely missing but along Brookline and other flatter streets its very good. |
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 