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Perspectives: Future lies down by the riverside
Sunday, February 27, 2000 By Linda Dickerson
Most agree that this city's most underutilized resources are its rivers -- which is ironic, since the rivers initially were the city's reason to exist. They were the heartbeat of virtually all commerce that transpired in Pittsburgh from the mid-1700s through the heydays of steel production.
Linda A. Dickerson is a principal in Mangus & Dickerson Ink, an issues consulting firm.
Through the efforts of the newly formed Riverlife Task Force, Pittsburgh hopes once again to tap its rivers as a source of economic vitality. Mayor Murphy appointed a distinguished panel of 39 civic leaders to serve on the task force that will develop a plan to make Pittsburgh's urban waterfront one of the world's most spectacular.
"Our main charge is to come up with the grand vision and the master plan, and to come up with that plan with a process that's inclusive," said Davitt Woodwell, executive director of the Riverlife Task Force. The process that he envisions is slated to last between18 months and two years. Paul O'Neill, the retired chief executive officer of Alcoa, and John G. Craig Jr., editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, co-chair the effort.
"In two to three years, I see the recommendations of the plan being implemented with public/private dollars," Woodwell contended. He is confident that his group's effort will produce a result that is sufficiently compelling to attract significant private funding as well as government money.
More importantly, he said, "The rivers will be getting the recognition that they deserve. If this is done right, it adds value to everything in the region."
Woodwell believes that doing it right requires involving multiple stakeholders. "We're going out to see what everyone thinks should be done."
As a starting point to build consensus among divergent stakeholders, Woodwell plans to rely on a fundamental belief that all share. "Everyone agrees that doing something about the riverfront is key."
However, he cautions, "Not everyone agrees that it should be development that we should focus on. The process that's coming along will enable people to talk about it," said Woodwell, who is relying on informed dialogue to resolve differences of opinion and produce bold ideas that most will enthusiastically endorse.
Part of the Riverlife Task Force's stated mission is to generate a "vision that will galvanize the region around the best possible use of the city's three rivers."
Woodwell readily accepts the challenge for an even more ambitious undertaking. "We will change the way that the world thinks about us by focusing on the rivers," he said unabashedly.
Because the rivers here hold such tremendous potential, they do have the capacity to transform the way that the rest of the world views this region.
In order for this to happen, though, the Riverlife Task Force must be accorded the license to be daring, imaginative and extreme in its thinking. It must remain untethered by the constraints that the community usually imposes on similar processes.
Another potential roadblock will be the desire to reach out to all stakeholders. Inherent in consensus is mediocrity. Garnering everyone's consensus requires a benign proposal, and a benign proposal will not attract worldwide attention.
Therefore, the leadership of the Riverlife Task Force must demand the latitude to propose unprecedented recommendations that may on the surface appear to be ridiculous. Only by working with this kind of latitude can this task force produce those ideas that will differentiate this region from its counterparts elsewhere.
"Twenty years ago, if you said people would be living on Herrs Island, you'd be laughed out of town." Today, Washington's Landing is one of Pittsburgh's most sought-after addresses.
By adopting the same dare-to-be-different thinking that the current and previous mayors brought to the development of Washington's Landing, the Riverlife Task Force will be able to innovate.
"Everyone talks about world class. We need to be Pittsburgh class," Woodwell said. The group's dialogue must be comprehensive and expansive. "Our discussions will include water taxis and a whole new look at transportation," Woodwell explained. "Waterfront dining and shopping" will be explored, because "you have to have the amenities that make people want to live here."
Woodwell's belief that the rivers can spawn a host of attractive and unique amenities drives his passion for the task force's work.
"If what businesses are looking for in the future is talent, then you need to be a place [where] talent wants to be."
The rivers can be a compelling reason for knowledge workers to locate here. Vibrant waterfront living and entertainment will create something magnificent.
"Traditionally, this region hasn't looked at quality of life as an economic development tool, but this must change."
It is hoped that the Riverlife Task Force will spur this change. Although quality of life is a critical impetus to economic development, so is the utilization of underutilized resources. The rivers serve both dimensions of economic development well.
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