So I was only able to come up with one idea so far for the Pittsburgh project. My group is in charge of making something for all the gentrification that is going on in Pittsburgh. I was thinking about what would be the best thing to stop the gentrification in cities like Pittsburgh. Since I do not know too much about gentrification all I know is wealthy companies go through and destroy old historical types of places the kind that may be possibly falling apart and they destroy them for corporate buildings, malls, sometimes apartment buildings (if people are lucky). The reason they are able to do this is because they want these prime locations that everyone is going to want to be a part of it some way or another. The Corporate big wigs are also going up against people who are extremely poor. I am proposing an app that helps these people who lose their towns to big business. It is an app that gives a bunch of other locations the big businesses could choose that are not going to make people up root their lives and they will also be good enough locations that will still turn a nice profit. I was thinking it could have a description as to where it is (by a highway exit, in a town, the middle of nowhere) and give a number at to how many people live around their in a 20 mile radius. This app will also have an option for a petition people can sign to save their towns. Then nobody has to go around making every sign a petition and waste their time doing so. I know this may not be the most realistic idea, but I think it could have possibilities of working and it would be a way for people to use the internet to their advantage as well.

Gentrification is a recent trend that seems to take place in urban neighborhoods. This controversial occurrence consists of a displacing of low-income families and businesses by wealthy residents and businesses. This results in a loss of culture and tradition, but an increased attraction and lower crime rate. The difficulty in this topic is that on a personal level I can agree with both sides on the issue. I feel terrible knowing how much history I would be destroying if I tore down every house on Meyren. However, I would feel at ease knowing that the residents of these new houses wouldn’t have to deal with: no air conditioning, creaky steps, faulty appliances, disgusting interior, etc. I guess the deciding factor for my feelings of revamping vs. preserving solely depends on my relationship with the location. When it comes to South Oakland, I can’t think of any reasons not to create a healthier and happier environment. Although the idea of gentrification seems to be troubling to most, the early developing stages happening in Pittsburgh don’t seem to bother me.

In South Oakland, I would promote the idea of gentrification via digital media. For land developers and landlords, I see the most beneficial way of communicating my point through a website. Because I am looking to inform and persuade these people in favor of gentrification, I see a visual example of a recently gentrified area as a positive way of introducing the topic. From here, I would need to provide heavy amounts of research and information about why South Oakland would benefit from re-vamping. The reason I chose a website to communicate with these specific people is because it allows a hefty amount of information to be available at all times. Furthermore, gentrification is an evolving topic. A website allows for the addition/subtraction of relevant info.

Public transportation is vital in any thriving and growing city that has a goal to create equality for all of it’s residents. Public transportation is the main means of transportation that people use to get to and from work or to gain access to certain public services. Majority of the time, the people who are using public transportation are low income people who don’t have the means to afford a car, insurance, gas, etc. It is important for a city to allow equal opportunity to it’s residents regardless of social status to be able to have access to things in and around the city. If a city fails to do this, it causes an even larger gap between the low and upper class people. Public transportation is mostly an issue discussed in public planning departments. I feel like the topic of public transportation and it’s weaknesses are not really focused on in other forms of media and that majority of people overlook the faults in the system.

An option for our group to do would be to re-plan the public transportation map in Pittsburgh, as well as implement a more technological advance in bus times and ways to pay. Another, less media way, to approach this topic is to also look at how affordable the bus system is for the people who use it everyday and how effective transfers are, etc. It is important to highlight the fact that sometimes a taking the bus to and from work can be a large portion of that person’s already probably limited paycheck. Forms of media that can be used, for example, would be indesign to re-plan the transit system. This could be possible with extending the T train that currently only operates downtown and to more affluent suburbs. The end goal, without cost being considered, would just to be able to create a more efficient and affordable transit system that allows people to easily get to and from work or other areas in the city.

For our project we have chosen the issue of public transportation. Currently, Pittsburgh has two forms of public transportation, the Port Authority bus system. While clean, and arguably relatively easy to use since there are a variety of apps that will tell you what buses to take without having to be familiar with the bus routes, it is time-consuming and limiting in terms of ease of travel. Waiting for the bus and sitting in traffic takes a significant amount of time, and traveling from outer boroughs to downtown make taking the bus an even less preferable option when you consider regular and rush-hour traffic. Pittsburgh also has the Light Rail System, which connects the Northside/Downton to the South Hills. Unfortunately, other populated boroughs like Lawerenceville, Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are left without this option. As Pittsburgh tops most-livable city lists time and time again, neighborhoods are gentrified and populations increase, it’s critical that an accessible, wide-reaching and affordable public transportation option is introduced to make travel easier and make all areas of the city easy to access.

Currently our group is considering designing a subway route, using a map, app and possibly a website to advertise and explain the system to the public. In particular, the app would be used to help navigate the subway system. It would have a basic map, so that users could see all possible destinations. Like Google Maps, they would be able to put in their current location and destination to figure out what trains to take and what stations to use. Arrival times of trains could also be viewed, as well as projected future arrival times and the current location of a desired train. The app could also be used in place of a subway card, though those could also be available, to get into the station and it would be linked to your bank account so that it can be easily reloaded to pay for travel.

During the beginning workings of our group project, we talked about the transportation in Pittsburgh, and more about the problems with the system. We talked about how the bus routes are a bit ridiculous, and also how something as convenient as a subway does not travel through more of the outskirts of Pittsburgh, such as Squirrel Hill and Shadyside. There is only the T, which only really runs downtown. So, we talked about how, if we came up with a sort of blueprint for creating a new and better transportation system in this part of Pittsburgh. We thought to create a map that could demonstrate this.

The map could be a part of an app that another member of my group planned to talk about. Mostly, it’s just an idea to show different and better routes through Pittsburgh that are not be implemented currently. It could be incorporated for all of Pittsburgh, or even just narrowed down to specifically Oakland and Pitt’s campus. For example, even the 30 C doesn’t go that far into South Oakland, and there should be more options for people who live even farther.

Also, there is an issue sometimes with SafeRider, which even sometimes help depending on whether you are too far from campus, or even too close. There are just may issues that could be addressed, and more ideas could be coming up as we work more, and together. Hopefully something like a virtual map, or the mock-up of a virtual map could be a beneficial way to address transportation in Pittsburgh.

For our project, my group and I will be focusing on how biking is currently being handled in Pittsburgh and how we can make biking a safer, more accessible form of transportation and recreation in the city. The addition of Healthy Ride Pittsburgh, a bike sharing system, along with the growing fad of “green” transportation, has made biking a hot issue in Pittsburgh. This biking movement has taken the city by storm, and its popularization has lead to criticism of how Pittsburgh is handling making the influx of bicyclists.

The death of the beloved Pitt teacher, Susan Hicks, along with many other Pittsburgh cyclists this year have caused an outcry that demands more safety measures be implemented to protect bicyclists. The road she was on had no bike lane, and it’s hard not to wonder that, if the roads were more accommodating to bikers, this tragedy could have been avoided.

Pittsburgh has plans to create more bike lanes on major roads that are clearly marked in green paint in the next 8 years. As the addition of bike lanes is happening, slowly due to the construction process and of a push-back by some, it is important that the people of Pittsburgh must be educated on how to share the road with cyclists. There are many already existing websites that deal with biking safety and accessibility, and ours will have that too, only it will be unique in that it was also invite non-bikers into the conversation.

The end goal is simple: to continue the ongoing conversation of biking safety and accessibility to the Pittsburgh population with a new focus on how teaching the community how how to respect and accommodate their cycling neighbors on the road. Biking is becoming an increasingly rewarding way to get around the city and the people who choose to use this mode of transportation should not have to fear for their safety. It is our responsibility as a city to be aware and educated of what we can do as individuals and as a community to prevent further tragedies and make the roads safer for all.

With the increased usage of bikes in the city of Pittsburgh comes many advantageous things, including a greener and healthier city of Pittsburgh. However, many have brought up problems that come along with having so many cyclists on the streets. Our group project will focus on bettering the cohabitation of motor vehicles and bicycles on city streets. Looking forward, several issues must be tackled in order to make Pittsburgh a safer and more aware city for cyclists. One of these issues is how to properly inform people of proper bike riding.

While drivers of cars must be aware and responsible for the safety of bike riders, it is also up to bike riders to protect themselves through responsible riding. Through our media platform, we hope to inform bike riders of some helpful guidelines of driving Pittsburgh streets.

Before cyclists hit the rode, they should prepare properly for the ride. While helmets are not legally enforces, they dramatically increase the safety of cyclists. On our media platform, we will convey the statistics of survival rate for cyclists who do wear helmets when they get into accidents. Helmets may seem momentarily inconvenient but are key to safe rides. Bikers should also properly equip their bikes for a safe ride. This includes attaching lights and reflective stickers to bikes for night riding.

Lastly, we will focus on proper road etiquette for cyclists. It is extremely important that cyclists know that they must follow the same street laws as motor vehicles while riding. Cyclists must stick to the streets to keep pedestrians safe and in doing so, should learn how to properly deal with road traffic. Many accidents occur from being unaware of these laws. Hand signaling is one of the ways cyclists should communicate with cars. Stopping at red lights and stop signs are key to proper road etiquette.

My group project topic is South Oakland. We want to focus on a few different topics that effect South Oakland such as pollution, traffic issues, public safety, and slumlord housing. For our media project we want to make a video that showcases these issues. I think that an example of a solution that could be made to the pollution of South Oakland is the implementation of a city wide system of trashcans and recycling bins. In my hometown of Newark, Delaware this happened a few years ago, and I think it has helped people recycle more and helped clean up the city. This idea could be incorporated into our video on South Oakland through diagrams and pictures. Another issue, public safety, could be improved with the implementation of more street lights and security cameras. This is something that could also possibly be incorporated into the video with before and after photos made with a program like Photoshop. These issues, as well as other issues can be shown in our video using a combination of video footage, sound editing, and diagrams/text.