Rob Pfaffmann: 'We need lots of unique and quirky'

Sunday, August 10, 2003

The news of the city's job and service cuts (including 10 in city planning) cast a depressing cloud over my usually optimistic nature about the future of Pittsburgh.

	Which way up for Downtown? The announced departure of Lord & Taylor rattled the retail outlook for the Golden Triangle. We asked four observers to assess the impact and look forward. (V.W.H. Campbell, Jr. Post-Gazette) Related articles Jake Haulk: Let the market decide Rob Pfaffmann: Think big by thinking small Eve Picker: Shoot for the stars Barry Hannegan: Not-so grand illusion

Since I arrived here in 1983 at the depth of the collapse of our industrial base, we have made great progress in some areas and failed in others. Yet as I watched the mayor emotionally relay the bad news about the city finances, a week after learning of the Lord & Taylor closing, I wondered if hitting bottom (so to speak) is a blessing in disguise for us.

So what do we do now? We have an opportunity to put the Fifth & Forbes dilemma in a new perspective, to go "outside the box" of conventional development and architectural thinking. Some people seem to believe that those remaining city planners should not worry about anything but building more parking lots. But I believe we should tie parking to mass transit, creating more incentives to ditch the car before arriving in the Golden Triangle and, in the process, boosting the ridership of transit. If we tried to satisfy our parking addiction the way many propose, we would have no Downtown to visit -- it would be all parking spaces.

So what should we build -- and rebuild? Kravco (the firm chosen to guide development) appears headed in the right direction if a balance of re-use and new construction is achieved. The distrust created by the first Fifth & Forbes is still an obstacle. Emphasizing housing over retail is a good start.

The underlying causes of Lord & Taylor's pullout are key to understanding where the industry might be headed. At one time, department stores were anchors -- the place where you bought most everything. Today, the sad truth is that Wal-Mart is our dominant department store model; it just doesn't fit into our tight-knit urban neighborhoods (maybe someday they will figure this out in an appropriate way). Surrounding Wal-Marts are seas of specialty big-box stores. As with most retail trends, the big-box retail boom will end someday; there will be some new hybrid form of retailing, perhaps storefronts backed by the Internet portals. The Internet, while not killing bricks-and-mortar stores, will challenge the current suburban retail models. You can't be everything to everybody, but you can provide a diverse and unique set of services and products to set your self apart from the competition. The same is true for our housing strategy.

If we were growing, maybe this debate would be different. But the truth is that we need to think big by thinking small -- lots of unique and quirky, surrounded by a few big bangs of residential and retail. Think BMW Mini, not Hummer!

So what should the architectural goals be? Sustainable in every sense of the word. Sustainable architecture is not just more efficient construction. Sustainable retailing is not just a box for holding businesses for just one tenant lease period. Likewise, historic preservation is not just a pretty facade. It is an expression of who we are and what we value, what we hold in common. The reuse of old buildings can set us apart from the competition and sustain many generations of businesses and changing market trends. Old buildings can breed new ideas. That is where the city failed at Lord & Taylor.

The most sustainable cities are similar to Chinese cuisine: lots of choices, flavors and textures and layers. Diversity of occupancy types or uses is critical: retail/residential, high/low, big/small are what makes a downtown district hum. In environmental terms, they are ecosystems in balance.

For now, we enjoy our lunch at the Buon Giorno in Market Square, a building funky enough to make Starbucks believe it should be next door. That simple little corner is a wonderful place to spend lunchtime; with housing nearby it will expand and evolve. This is how cities grow and accommodate change. If every business had the entrepreneurial spirit of a Buon Giorno, Fifth & Forbes would be in swing.

Rob Pfaffmann is principal of Pfaffmann + Associates, a Downtown architecture and planning firm (rob@pfaffmann.com)

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