History

At one time Pittsburgh’s rivers were home to a thriving ecosystem but the industries that have taken Pittsburgh to where it is now, have done so by damming the rivers and reshaping or filling the banks. ?while using the water for homes and manufacture?. Through the worst of these conditions people have found their way to the rivers.

Kids would ride floating train track ties down the rivers even though they came out covered with a black slime.It has taken the fall of Pittsburgh’s steel industry and strict federal laws to clean our rivers. Now people go to the rivers to hang their feet in the water, swim distance, water ski, race, and cool off, clean things, rope swing, kayak, cliff jump and fish. One of the main reasons there are so many activities at the rivers is because people enjoy the atmosphere. It is hard to describe it in words but many people can relax near the river, stunned by the beauty and sense of freedom. There are a lot of ways we can get into the water, but many people are still unfamiliar with the rivers and fewer enjoy them.

Most people do not go to the river because they lack basic information that had been lost sometime after commercial interest took over. You need to explain the first sentence then create a link to the next sentence. Recent developments like the Waterfront are perfect examples of a disconnect from the rivers we could be enjoying. . Homestead was settled because of access to the river, the steels mills were developed because of access to the river, but how does the Waterfront retail environment establish a relationship? The shops at the Waterfront are built on a famous industrial site and while the name draws people to the river instead of the historic place, there is no connection to or relevance to the water! The planners even failed to repair an existing set of stairs that led down to the water. The shoreline could have been a nice place to take walks, cool off, hang out and dock a boat, prior to, or after shopping.

The new North Shore Park and plans for an expanded Science Center acknowledge the rivers beauty but they do not provide easy access into the water. People will bike miles along the river just to get to an area good for swimming. There is even a group of kids who bike through the North Shore Park to get to a suitable swimming area.