In October of 2024, Riverlife facilitated a conversation called Artful Play: The Power of Play in Urban Landscapes where panelists discussed how design of urban landscapes and creative expression can work together to improve people’s lives through personal growth and community development. This is a valuable part of Riverlife’s work—facilitating the conversation about a vision for public spaces along Pittsburgh’s rivers and how we all interact with them.
The individual projects that Riverlife is currently undertaking are part of a greater goal. Together, they will create an amazing opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore and create their own unique river experiences:
- They will connect communities to the rivers and to each other.
- They will provide new opportunities for play and creativity, both individually and collaboratively.
- These public spaces will serve as an open-air canvas where people can be inspired by their surroundings and by each other.
“…how do we make sure that Pittsburgh’s riverfront and open spaces are among the most artful and playful places in the entire world? Right? Is that too audacious of a goal?”
Stepping away from the idea of purpose-built public spaces is an important part of modern design thinking. Over time, interests change. Creating spaces that can adapt and support evolving community activities is a critical factor in ensuring that public spaces remain relevant and used. The ongoing design of Riverlife projects is inclusive and aims to engage nearby communities. This means finding out how residents currently interact with these spaces, as well as how they imagine using them in the future.
Re-imagining Allegheny Landing
The latest plan for a revitalized Allegheny Landing park on the North Shore imagines a place for artful play and creative engagement. The existing lawn will be complemented by new smaller gathering areas, permanent and temporary art installations, and features for creative exploration and play. Visitors will have the opportunity to investigate from the water’s edge, up the hillside, and into a refreshed upper area along Isabella Street that connects to the Warhol Museum’s Pop District.
“Today, it’s fitting that we’re at Allegheny Landing, a site with incredible history, venerable public art, and a future that we hope will balance that history in that art with the need for a park that responds to a change in context. We have the Warhol’s Pop District. We have PNC Park. Both of those things were not here when this park was created.”
Making connections can inspire creativity. Allegheny Landing has a rich history that will be incorporated in the new design, calling back to its past as the site of a textile mill and related labor struggle. More than a sign or monument, it will be woven into and through the site. It will draw people through the space—to explore and to engage with the space—rather than simply offering a history lesson.
New Life for Allegheny Riverfront Park
On the downtown side of the Allegheny River, an updated Allegheny Riverfront Park will provide an important refresh for the space along Fort Duquesne Boulevard. New bluestone pavers are currently being prepared for installation and will become the actual groundwork for the improved space. Expanding the footprint of the park and changes to the landscaping and overall layout of the park will make it more conducive to gathering and play. Opening the park to the city side will create a more open canvas for visitors and events, allowing for a broader range of activations.
“It’s thinking about all of the invisible barriers we build up when we create spaces so that people feel not not only are free to come in, but actually are welcomed and invited in the way the spaces are built.”
Updated plans also create an improved visual and physical passage between downtown and the river. It will create new opportunities for exchange with the Cultural District, completing another segment in the connection across the Allegheny.
Sister Bridges Experience
The Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson bridges are a unique and inspiring feature of the Pittsburgh cityscape. The world’s only trio of identical bridges connect the downtown to the North Shore and, consequently, Allegheny Landing to Allegheny Riverfront Park. Besides being an important piece of transportation infrastructure, the bridges have also become an integral part of Pittsburgh’s cultural infrastructure. They have served as locations for events like Picklesburgh and the Three Rivers Art Festival. They transport thousands of pedestrians across the Allegheny River for Pirates and Steelers games, as well as concerts, plays, and other cultural events. In October 2023, the Roberto Clemente Bridge hosted Oktoberfest, presented by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Flyspace Productions, which featured a mid-bridge Ferris Wheel, supported by Riverlife.
“It allows for something really wonderful and magical to happen. And I think that concept I mean, we could take this really big, but that concept of letting go, letting go of control and letting go of expectations, boy, it’s really good for all of us mindful we have a Ferris wheel on a on a bridge right behind us, right? Something about not treating the spaces as an idea is as precious, right?”
In a way, the Sister Bridges have become one of the city’s ultimate blank canvases. They have evolved beyond their initial purpose to become something much more diverse, interesting, and inclusive. They don’t only move people from one side of the river to the other. The Sister Bridges have become places where communities from across the city and region gather to celebrate and play together.
River Rooms: Tying it all together
Developing a connected space that literally bridges the Allegheny River is the long term vision behind the updates to Allegheny Landing, Allegheny Riverfront Park, and the Sister Bridges Experience. This new River Room will create a uniquely Pittsburgh space that draws people across the river between downtown and the North Shore. Connecting important Pittsburgh hubs like the Cultural District and the Warhol Museum’s Pop District will provide more opportunities for activations across these spaces.
This is an entirely new experience for Pittsburgh. It presents a large, open, inspiring space, stretching from the Cultural District and deep into the North Shore. People can meander and “get lost” in the expanse. It will allow for a kind of open exploration and engagement with the city and river that will give people the opportunity to play in new and unexpected ways. It will create physical connections that inspire creative connections, leading to inspiration and new ideas. And, as the concept expands, so will the opportunities for experimentation and play.
“We heard all of these things from both kids and adults alike that these were things they wanted to play with and will be a part of this space hopefully in the near future.”
Riverlife is leading the charge to create great experiences along Pittsburgh’s rivers. We can’t do that without input from the individuals and communities that will use and enjoy them, though. Connect with us on social media and let us know how you would use these unique Pittsburgh spaces.
What is your vision for exploration and play along the riverfronts?
