Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

mcvoid1 t1_iu6xs2j wrote

  • Topography- not only are surfaces not level, but also doesn't leave a lot of space for both streets and sidewalks, so it's hard to renovate without cutting off lots of access
  • Climate - routinely pulverizing sidewalks and streets
  • Topology - 5 and 7 street intersections make for weird sidewalk layouts. Squares and right angles don't really exist in this city.
59

Informal_Avocado_534 t1_iu8igia wrote

Excuses. Some of the most accessible cities in the world are old cities with weird layouts and/or in cold places. And plenty of Pittsburgh is at reasonable grades.

We’ve chosen not to invest in makes our streets better for everyone. Aligned sidewalk ramps. Wider sidewalks at the expense of roadway width (we all end up as sidewalk users). Modern sidewalk materials and maintenance.

And stop fucking parking on sidewalks, you pieces of shit.

34

DarkKnyt t1_iu8og27 wrote

In neighborhoods that 'we' often means the homeowner themselves. They are usually responsible for the 'public' sidewalk to the curb. The city and boroughs could offer incentives for repair but at $10k or more for a reasonable house's frontage, lots of folks are noping out of that.

I find that publicly or public service organization owned sidewalks are pretty reasonable - ramps and bump indicators at the intersections I think are all city so calling 311 can probably make some movement there. But I live in north Oakland: compare the sidewalks in front of little nippers and tamarind (and neighborhoods) to the high dollar ones outside Oakland Catholic, PNC bank, and the new cmu residence hall.

7

mcvoid1 t1_iu8x6gh wrote

Most of the cities in that list don't have to deal with the things Pittsburgh does.

Singapore is flat, mostly built up after cars were around and is close to the equator and so it doesn't have the freeze/thaw cycle.

Denver, while high up, is dry and with the exception of the western outskirts mostly flat and able to be gridded pretty cleanly.

Barcelona is ancient and not made for cars, but has a very temperate climate and so it also doesn't have that freeze/thaw thing going on.

Warsaw's flat. Melbourne's kinda flat.

Oslo - well you have me there.

5

VespiWalsh t1_iu7dbkq wrote

Thank you for explaining this from a geospatial perspective as I came to do, I assume you are also a geographer. Not everything is a conspiracy or intentional injustice against marginalized people, rarely there are less sinister and more mundane causes. This isn't the best city to live in for people, its growth was caused because the region could be exploited for its numerous resources conducive to heavy manufacturing, and had access to easy transportation of goods via the rivers, not because it was suited for human habitation. If all these factors didn't exist, there would not be a major city here, the only advantage it has is being being at the confluence of two major rivers. The challenges of building a major city in this terrain had to be greatly outweighed by what it could offer. The terrain here makes building things that other cities take for granted infinitely more difficult.

Hopefully the OP can help spread awareness of these issues, and work to ensure that politicians are elected that are empathetic to the plight of people living with disabilities. So that this poorly maintained infrastructure can receive the funding to be able to serve the community properly.

17

mcvoid1 t1_iu7exg5 wrote

Not a geographer at all. Just a software engineer.

4

guino27 t1_iu7tmxh wrote

Lack of tree maintenance. A lot of bad sidewalks are due to roots growing because someone 50 years ago planted an oak tree 2 inches from the sidewalk. I love trees. You have to if you are from here. But... there are some places a person needs to be careful what is planted.

14