Professor Tarr's Comments (4 Jan 1995): Harvey Graff's course on Dallas prompted me to send along this description of a new course I am offering in the spring semester in the Heinz School of Public Policy. I did teach Pittsburgh history in the history dept. many years ago but a colleague now does it. This course is much more policy oriented.

Introduction

The purpose of this course is to use the city of Pittsburgh as a case study of the larger economic, political, and institutional trends affecting urban America. At one time Pittsburgh was the world's most industrialized city and the world's greatest manufacturer of steel. Over a period of years, however, the city lost its lofty position, and by the 1970s and 1980s it was going through a process of rapid deindustrialization. These developments brought massive population and job losses as well as a regional shift from an industrial to a service base.

Pittsburgh was also the world's first major industrial city to attempt to renew itself, leading to the process of renewal and rebuilding known as Renaissances I and II (1945-1988). The Pittsburgh Renaissance model was widely copied throughout the U.S. as well as in other nations, and the city is still host to many visitors attempting to gain insight into the process of revitalization. Whether this model is still appropriate for the region, or whether another model might be more likely to accelerate positive change, however, is a topic for discussion. [The earlier model was largely a top-down model (Roy Lubove called it the "Reverse Welfare State"), but both the corporate structure and the political organizations have changed.]

The major themes to be emphasized in the course include:

1. Industrialization, Deindustrialization, and the economies of the future.
2. The Possibility of Reindustrialization
3. Public/Private Partnerships as a Vehicle for Change.
4. Environmental Problems and Policies.
5. Redesigning the Built Environment and Reshaping the Urban Fabric.
6. Community Development, Community Politics, and Neighborhood Change.

The class will be run primarily as a seminar, with reading and discussion. In addition, a number of actors from the public, private and non-profit sectors in the Pittsburgh region will visit.