Coordinator’s Introduction to the Forum

Abstract

In many ways, the redevelopment of Pittsburgh after World War II was similar to the experiences of many older American cities. Although the details of redevelopment varied from city to city, public–private partnerships between business elites and strong, often reform mayors worked to arrest the decline and restore the preeminence of their central cities by improving infrastructure, revitalizing downtowns, attracting new manufacturing firms, and eliminating slums. The Pittsburgh experience, locally called Renaissance, followed these familiar lines, but it had distinctive aspects that attracted national and later scholarly attention. The short essays of this Forum raise issues beyond Pittsburgh’s traditional Renaissance story, which invite a more balanced and nuanced consideration of this critical period in the city’s history. Informed partially by the ongoing national conversation about revitalizing American cities, Pittsburgh’s top corporate presidents under the leadership of Richard King Mellon formed the Allegheny Conference on Community Development (commonly called just the Conference) in 1943 and partnered with the powerful Democratic boss and mayor David L. Lawrence. The Conference generally set the agenda, supplied professional expertise, united the business community, and applied political pressure on state government. Mayor Lawrence delivered essential municipal requirements from the city councils, the ballot box, and referenda. The liberal and early use of authorities, in particularly the Urban Redevelopment Authority, overcame some political and revenue-raising obstacles. The partnership addressed the environment (smoke control, sewage treatment, and flood alleviation), infrastructure (expressways, international airport, and stadia), economic diversification (industrial and office parks), slum clearance (Lower Hill District), and downtown revitalization (Point State Park, Gateway Center, Mellon Square, and public parking garages).1 The partnership, like in most cities, eventually encountered strong resistance from disaffected neighborhoods, neglected industrial mill towns, and African Americans who bore the brunt of slum clearance. Opposition from several quarters in the 1960s, including an active civil rights movement and reaction to the riots following Martin Luther King’s assassination, ended the redevelopment program by the decade’s close.2 Nonetheless, clearing skies, diminished flooding, new infrastructure, and sparkling downtown office towers and parks garnered significant national acclaim. The partnership labeled its redevelopment successes as the city’s Renaissance, and the national media broadcast the term across the country. Pittsburgh’s importance in America’s postwar redevelopment experience stemmed from the city’s abysmal environmental reputation and the extreme concentration of power in both the private and public sectors. The Smoky City’s unhealthy, soot-laden skies and dirty, ugly