Riverlife’s Nina Chase talks to West Virginia Public Radio via The Allegheny Front about how building riverfront public open space and amenities for recreation can have a significant economic impact on river towns.
From the story:
“The decline of industry was devastating to the region’s economy … [O]ne positive side effect is that more people hang out on the river here. That’s true in Pittsburgh, too.
‘We’ve been working to make the river an exciting cultural place for the city,’ says urban designer Nina Chase, who works with a nonprofit called Riverlife. Her organization has overseen the development of a system of parks and trails along Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. With a price tag of $130 million, it hasn’t been cheap. But Chase says it was a wise investment.
‘That $130 million in investment has actually triggered $4.1 billion in investment in riverfront and adjacent riverfront development projects downtown.'”
