EMINENT DOMAIN [How Pittsburgh Democrats hurt the poor & minorities, & destroy jobs & housing]

I know that your 2¢ would be worth hearing on this topic, especially as pertains to urban renewal failures in the East Liberty area.

Willie, I was walking to Peabody HS every day right through the wrecking balls that were destroying one of the most vibrant and unique neighborhoods not just in Pittsburgh, but in the entire United States.

Being from Garfield, I had heard nearly every word in the book by then, but I can't even come up with the proper curse words for what those rotten SOB's did to East Liberty.

All I can say is that from the late 40s to the early 60s when they trashed neighborhoods like East Liberty, the concept of urban renewal switched from being a common sense "local" approach, such as Gateway center, to becoming a multi-billion dollar industry all funded with Federal dollars. The political parasites walked away with many millions by destroying neighborhoods.

BTW. They are ripping out most of their "miscalculations" in East Liberty now, but I don't have a lot of hope that the brainstorms of the current generation of "urban planners" will be any better. Seems like these guys are "artists" who paint with other people's lives.

Pittsburgh has been the great pioneer in eminent domain ever since its leaders razed 80 buildings in the 1950s near the riverfront park downtown. They replaced a bustling business district with Gateway Center, an array of bland corporate towers surrounded by the sort of empty plazas that are now considered hopelessly retrograde by urban planners trying to create street life.

In the 1950s, there was no "Riverfront Park" downtown. It was an ugly mess and had been for decades because it was a flood plain and serious owners did not want property there. I remember riding through the streets towards the decrepit Point and Manchester bridges, and all that was there were empty industry buildings and a closed railroad station. It was not "bustling" in any sense of the word. It was ugly and empty. It was nothing but broken down, empty warehouses and there were zero residences or citizens in the Point area.

Point State Park appeared only after the industrial slum was removed and I can not recall any owner being "forced" away from his property to make way for another private owner.

Gateway Center, further up town, was built by the Equitable Life Insurance Co. with some serious backing from the Mellons, and they purchased all of the land at market rates. Some of the buildings may have been condemned by the city, but they in all probability deserved condemnation. I remember nothing but ugly, ready to fall down buildings in that area.

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