thesis: dialogue 1
DESCRIPTION
My project will explore the intersection of society, infrastructure, industry, and urban development surrounding transit in Pittsburgh. I will seek to reveal latent infrastructural logics in the city’s terrain and form towards the development of an improved infrastructural urbanism. The system will reflect the formerly industrial landscape of the spaces it occupies, elucidating networks and patterns invisible after years of disuse. By including transit in this hybrid urbanistic development I hope to more deeply connect residents with the form and history of their home and provide a much-needed asset in Pittsburgh’s expansion as a relevant contemporary metropolis. The project will provide an expanded sense of place in contemporary Pittsburgh, a physical manifestation of the city’s cultural and historical landscape.TRANSCRIPT
LATENT INFRASTRUCTURES:mobility in the post-industrial landscape
INFRASTRUCTURE: the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system of organization)the permanent installations required for military purposesthe system of public works of a country, state, or region; also: the resources (as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity
1.
2.3.
INFRASTRUCTURE: infra (below) + structure (organization)
INFRASTRUCTURE: the means by which society mediates its landscape for improved efficiency of communication, commerce, and public welfare
George Westinghouse Bridge, East Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH’S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
Montour Mine No. 4, Cecil Township
Homestead Steel Works
Spring Hill, Northside
Fort Pitt Steps (to Duquesne)
Turtle Creek Valley, East Pittsburgh
“THE PITTSBURGH TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM”
Pittsburgh Railways Company, 1910
Inclines, circa 1910
Regional Rail Network, 1921
Streetcars, 1959
Mr. Rogers, Streetcar Proponent
Transit Expressway (Skybus) proposal, 1967
Transit Expressway (Skybus) proposal, 1967
Skybus Demo Track, South Park
PAT Bus Routes, present
Remaining railroads (some are unused), present
THE POST-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE
1937
2010
Carrie Furnace, Rankin
A NEW LANDSCAPE OF MOBILITY
Existing Rail Lines
Neighborhood Edges
1923
1937
2010
