| Carrick was named in honor of the hometown of an Irish immigrant living in Pittsburgh in the mid-1800s. This is another hilly pre-WWII south hills Pittsburgh neighborhood. Developed originally as a bedroom community but tied in via streetcar service, Carrick has convenient access to Downtown and some assemblance of a historic main street on Brownsville. Brownsville has certainly seen better days, but the urban form and streetscape are largely in-tact with some neighborhood retail. Carrick fell on pretty hard times in the 80s, 90s, 2000s but seems to be stabilizing and has a strong residential market for SF detached 3 & 4 bedrooms homes with a nice backyard selling in the 100ks and low 200ks. What is needed to bring vitality to Carrick is much more than pizza joints and bars! Plenty of empty stores could be filled with unique and creative start up businesses. This, in my opinion, would make Carrick a more desirable place and result in renovations of its more unsavory housing stock. I’d also like to see in-fill housing where it makes sense. The density here is pretty low. |
URBAN STRENGTHS:
| * Carrick has very convenient access to downtown coupled with decent overall transit access. One can drive to dwtn in 15 minutes or get there in 30 via the bus. * This is a pretty diverse community, at least for Pittsburgh standards. 70% White, 15% Black, and a nice mix of Latinos and Asians. Also excellent generational and economic diversity. * Carrick hosts 3 cemeteries, which may be the most of any Pittsburgh Neighborhood. Phillips Park is a great amenity with lots of woods, sport fields, a pool, and recreational center. Several other ballparks nearby. * Some neighborhood retail amenities including a couple drug stores, a PA wine & spirits store, local hardware store, a dance center, a candy store, a discount grocery store, and several ethnic groceries. * Solid urban form and streetscape along Brownsville Road. * Great Tree Canopy |
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
| * No bike infrastructure in Carrick * The for sale market for Carrick is a bit soft and crummy with around 60% of its housing stocks selling for under 100K, but plenty of solid 3 & 4 bedrooms SF homes with large back yards selling in the 100Ks. Even some product selling in the 200Ks. Some rentals as well. All are pretty affordable. * Pizza and bars is about all the Carrick has culturally. Very Pittsburgh! Carrick probably has the best concentration of dive bars in town. * Limited specialty stores. * Carrick is sketchy in spots and certainly plenty of blight here. But the housing market seems to be slowly stabilizing. The commercial district on Brownsville, however, seems to be stagnant. * Schools include an elementary (well ranked) and High school (not well ranked) Also several pre-K schools. * ADA infrastructure is high quality along Brownsville (the commercial corridor) but hit or miss in the neighborhood. * Modern in-fill is pretty much non-existent. * Density is pretty low for a Pittsburgh neighborhood. |
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 