The city of Pittsburgh was a manufacturing giant in the 20th century, and a significant generator of economic productivity in the Rust Belt, earning it the 'Steel City' nickname. The decline of industry in the region crippled the local economies of once powerful manufacturing hubs, a reality that still painfully manifests itself on the streets of many American cities. But from the ashes of the old world, Pittsburgh saw an opportunity for regrowth. Bolstered by strong technology, medical and education sectors, Pittsburgh has propelled itself to the top of numerous liveable city rankings. Though industry hasn't completely left the Pennsylvanian city, it no longer has a stranglehold on the area's economic output. Despite a diversified economy and low crime, housing in the city is surprisingly affordable, and a vibrant arts and culture scene emerging in key neighbourhoods is attracting young professionals from around the region.

Hatfield Street in July 2007, image retrieved from Google Street View

Lawrenceville is one of the largest neighbourhoods in Pittsburgh and it's the perfect example of the urban renaissance taking place in the city. Located northeast of the downtown core on the bank of the Allegheny River, its industrial fabric has birthed an environment focused on the arts, live music, shopping, and dining. New restaurants and coffee shops serve as premier hipster hangouts, while modernist affordable housing structures line city streets. Some of the largest riverfront warehouses in the neighbourhood have been repurposed or dismantled to permit future development. 

Hatfield Street in July 2015, image retrieved from Google Street View

The Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) purchased the site of the Heppenstall Steel Company — the sky blue structure in the image above — in 2002 and has since converted the building into space for Carnegie Robotics, a spin-off company of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center. The sprawling dilapidated warehouse along Hatfield Street was demolished to permit future development. The Geoffrey Boehm Chocolates building to the southwest has been given new life and now hosts some of Pittsburgh's fastest-growing firms. In only ten years, Lawrenceville has witnessed a transformative evolution in its cityscape and land use. As long as Pittsburgh's creative class thrives, large-scale neighbourhood regenerations like this will continue to pump activity into tired quarters of the city.