Category: News

Buff Zone: Color Park controversy

A couple of weekends ago I went for a run along one of my usual routes on the South Side stretch of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. While crossing beneath the span of the Birmingham Bridge I noticed the words "Buff Zone" graffitied onto the pile foundations and sporadically spotting the asphalt of the trail … Continue reading Buff Zone: Color Park controversy

Closing the 2022 Pirates season

This baseball season really tested my Pirates fandom. For six years I’ve followed the team (a relative baseball baby, I admit), never letting a losing record dampen my enthusiasm. Commiserating about ownership and the team’s performance felt like a Pittsburgh rite of passage, and a stalwart standby to have in the conversational toolkit. This season … Continue reading Closing the 2022 Pirates season

L.A’s 6th Street Bridge as urban communication convergence zone

Last month the city of Los Angeles celebrated the opening of the new 6th Street Viaduct bridge. The new structure replaces the original 6th Street bridge, an iconic landmark that spanned the L.A. river, connected downtown to Boyle Heights, and appeared in numerous films and other media. The original bridge was constructed in 1932 and … Continue reading L.A’s 6th Street Bridge as urban communication convergence zone

Josh Gibson Heritage Park opening

It’s been a busy summer for the Josh Gibson Foundation. Sean Gibson has arranged a full slate of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his great-grandfather’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On August 3rd Gibson’s Hall of Fame plaque was on display at PNC Park during that evening’s Pirates game. And the … Continue reading Josh Gibson Heritage Park opening

Shots from the Block: Stray South Side Scenes

For a belated update this week I’ve assembled some random snapshots that I’ve taken around South Side so far this summer, mostly from June. The start of summer brought some of my favorite Pittsburgh weather. The spring thaw also brought a gaggle of baby geese for our resident waterfowl, and they’ve been a regular fixture … Continue reading Shots from the Block: Stray South Side Scenes

Mobility for Who? Pittsburgh Mobility Report

I’ve been deep in the weeds with a writing project — as well as dealing with all the other stresses of life and getting through the winter — so activity at the blog has unfortunately been sparse. However I wanted to make my regular weekly update with some further news about mobility in Pittsburgh (one … Continue reading Mobility for Who? Pittsburgh Mobility Report

Black History Month in Pittsburgh

Black History Month is well underway and the city of Pittsburgh has spotlighted some local resources for commemorating Black history in the region. The City is hosting an exhibition of Charles "Teenie" Harris photographs in the City-County building through the end of the month. And Visit Pittsburgh has assembled a handy guide to local events … Continue reading Black History Month in Pittsburgh

Bridges, Biden, and the Sublime Object of (Pittsburgh) Infrastructure

Last Friday President Joe Biden stopped in Pittsburgh in order to use some of the Steel City’s post-industrial transition into technology research and development as the backdrop for a speech about the Infrastructure Bill. News of Biden’s visit only broke the day before, and the timing seemed coincidental for me personally because Biden was to … Continue reading Bridges, Biden, and the Sublime Object of (Pittsburgh) Infrastructure

The Medium play at Pittsburgh’s City Theater

This past weekend City Theatre in Pittsburgh’s South Side began staging The Medium, a performance inspired by the work of Marshall McLuhan. The production was developed by New York-based SITI Company beginning in 1993 and was first presented at City Theatre in 1996. This means that The Medium was created during a unique moment in … Continue reading The Medium play at Pittsburgh’s City Theater