The gateway to any area should be both functional to facilitate use and aesthetic to encourage such use by inviting people to enter. The entrance to Oakland can be improved on both dimensions in four main areas: access to/from Boulevard of the Allies; cluster of buildings at Craft Avenue; vista of Cathedral of Learning; general street appearance

Access to Boulevard of the Allies. Current access to the Boulevard of the Allies follows a circuitous and narrow bottleneck with a turn from Fifth down Craft and a narrow ramp to the boulevard. This route has several negative consequences. It slows traffic, leading to backups along Fifth, funnels traffic unnecessarily onto Craft, and consumes one lane of the Forbes entry route into Oakland. Additionally, the one lane ramp is separated from the rest of Forbes by unsightly Jersey barriers and the elevated portion of the ramp contributes to a gloomy and chaotic jumble at the Oakland entry point.

Access should be moved further down Fifth to a point currently occupied by several billboards. The roads are separated by only about 15 feet of elevation and are in reasonable proximity to each other. A ramp would be both easy from an engineering standpoint and relatively inexpensive to construct. A modern T-type intersection with a left turn lane and stoplight separated from continually moving right lanes would be ideal here. The same type of intersection could be constructed at Craft, contributing to a vastly improved traffic flow. Traffic along Craft would be significantly reduced and a lane of Forbes would be freed to serve as a left-turn only lane onto Craft. The Jersey barriers and the old ramp could be removed, greatly improving the appearance of the gateway to Oakland.

Building cluster at Craft Avenue. The building cluster between Fifth and Forbes will always suffer from awkward access due to the one-way street flows; this makes it unlikely that these building’s can be used for retail or anything requiring frequent entrances/exits. However, one of the buildings has been successfully redeveloped as offices. There are several underutilized or vacant buildings that could be converted to offices or, potentially, loft apartments providing sorely needed quality residential space at Oakland’s edge. The buildings also could also be used to house a technology incubator or spinoffs from the universities. Revitalizing these buildings would give the gateway a much-enhanced appearance as demonstrated by the handsome, recently completed Carlow College building across Craft.

Vista of Cathedral of Learning and general street appearance. Although the Cathedral of Learning is some distance from the entrance to Oakland, it forms an integral part of the gateway due to its high visibility and symbolism. The cathedral has come, in some ways, to symbolize Oakland and, as one drives up Forbes, it is one of the first sights greeting any new arrival. The cathedral’s appearance assumes an important role in forming a first impression of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the tower is currently rather grimy and streaked with black. Although a cleanup is not a cheap undertaking, the change in appearance would be striking, creating a vastly more favorable impression from the gateway as well as from miles farther afield. The improved air quality in Pittsburgh would be visibly demonstrated by a clean and shining Cathedral of Learning.

Currently, the section of Forbes between Craft Ave. and the vicinity of Coltart Street lacks attractions and features a series of drab structures. This stretch falls vastly short of the vibrancy present nearer the Pitt campus; it fails to link the Oakland gateway with the node of nightlife near Atwood Street or the cultural center of the Carnegie Museums. Extending these nodes of day and nighttime activity down to the gateway is a crucial part of increasing Oakland’s vitality and making it a more desirable place to live, work, and visit. A large but urban-friendly movie theater and "super" bookstore have played a significant role in increasing the liveliness of urban areas around the country, ranging from Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, to West Philadelphia to Georgetown in the District of Columbia.

Movie theater. A movie theater represents a vital component of making Oakland more attractive at nighttime as well as making it a potential destination. The ultimate success of the theater and its contribution to Oakland hinge on four components.

Physical characteristics. The movie theater should have between 12 and 24 screens to achieve proper economies of scale and a sufficient diversity of offerings to serve as a magnet for residents and visitors. The upper bound of this limit is extremely large for an urban location so the ideal size is probably toward the lower end of the range. The theater’s architecture must conform to its urban setting. It should resemble successful treatments in other cities where attractive architecture is required on more than just the front of the theater.

Underground parking provides an added incentive for individuals from nearby neighborhoods to visit and could be utilized during the daytime for hospital and university workers.

Success factors. Pittsburgh is currently underserved by movie theaters, compared to other major metropolitan areas in the nation. The demographics of the area with its youthful student population intersect the prime movie-going customer base. Oakland currently lacks significant evening attractions for the under-21 student base and its nonstudent resident population. Finally, the theater would complement and interact with the nearby Atwood Street section of restaurants and bars.

Benefits to the city and Oakland. The theater helps establish Oakland as more of a nighttime destination and provides an alternative activity to bar-going. This increases the attractiveness of the neighborhood as a place to visit or reside. A movie theater represents a significant source of employment for students, South Oakland residents, and people living in the Hill District. It can also become an additional source of property and sales tax revenue for Pittsburgh. The current line of attractions and activity beginning near CMU would be extended westward toward Oakland’s Gateway.

Site. The ideal site is on the north side of Forbes around Coltart Street in an area currently occupied by Arby’s, Stratus nightclub, a laundromat, etc. The site is quite large and flexible without any difficult grades. This area is within walking distance of the heart of Pitt and CMU’s student population as well as much of South Oakland. It is only a short drive to other parts of Oakland, the Hill, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside. The location is near an existing parking structure, and removal of currently existing structures would be easy and greatly improve the attractiveness of the area.

Super bookstore. A large format bookstore can be both an important daytime and nightime destination for Oakland. Such a bookstore would not compete directly with the specialty bookshops on Craig Street since they focus on used books while the new store would feature new titles. These super bookstores have boomed in the U.S. during the past 10 years and have been successfully anchors for major retail developments. The ultimate success of the bookstore and its contribution to Oakland are dependent on a similar list of factors as the movie theater.

Physical characteristics. The bookstore must have approximately 100,000 square feet of space to be viable and serve as a destination. It also should have a café within it and plenty of seating areas. The standard format used by these super bookstores in Washington, D.C.; New York; Chicago; and Fort Worth, Texas, is ideal with its sensitivity to the urban environment.

Success factors. Oakland currently lacks such an amenity and the early closing hours and different product lines of the specialty bookstores limit the degree of competition. The university environment provides an attractive setting for a bookstore and the partially commuter-based nature of the student population signals an opportunity to provide a comfortable place to relax in between classes. Oakland currently lacks significant evening attractions for the under-21 student base or a large portion of its nonstudent resident population. The store would complement and interact with the potential new movie theater as a place to wait before a film or linger afterwards.

Benefits to the city and Oakland. The bookstore provides an additional activity in Oakland during both the daytime and this nighttime, increasing the attractiveness of the neighborhood as a place to visit or reside. The store generates additional property and sales tax revenue for the city. The store links the potential new movie theater with other nodes of activity and solidifies the Forbes Avenue corridor.

One of the greatest potential improvements possible in Oakland is to increase the quantity and variety of retail opportunities available. Several cities around the United States have vastly increased the vibrancy of retailing by offering a purpose-built indoor retail space. For Oakland, this retail galleria would not take the form of an enclosed, boxy mall but rather a soaring glass-roofed vault.

Physical characteristics. The galleria would be a glass-roofed vault or arcade similar to structures in Dallas and Cleveland that provide a light and airy appearance and feel. The structure would occupy the greater part of two city blocks spanning the distance between Forbes and Fifth (considering Euler Way a street bisecting the area into two blocks). Parking would be provided by a new parking garage across Fifth, which would be linked to the galleria by a pedestrian walkway. Ideally, such a walkway would be underground, but this represents a significant cost to tunnel and handle traffic disruption. The sidewalks on Fifth Avenue would be widened not just in front of the Galleria but along the entire corridor between Darragh and Bellefield streets, stimulating pedestrian traffic for all retail establishments. This proposal requires the removal of one lane of traffic but this conforms to several past proposals for Oakland; the traffic improvements at the Gateway as well as the fact that Fifth is wider in this stretch than at the bottlenecks at either end should mean no increase in congestion.

Store mix. It is not necessary for the galleria to obtain a department store as an anchor tenant and one is not currently envisaged, though the design easily accommodates a department store, should one express interest in leasing. Clothing stores represent a key component of the store mix. Additionally, shops selling novelties and conveniences are a good fit. The hospital customer base provides a strong draw for florists and those selling cards. A food court is an essential component, and, if a CD superstore does not open outside the galleria, this is an excellent opportunity. There is also the potential for electronics stores considering the shortage of such stores near Oakland. All but the last are an excellent fit for the prime customer base of those shopping with time constraints and a limited ability to haul heavy or bulky purchases.

Success factors. Pittsburgh currently has a lower concentration of retail square footage per capita than the national average; this lack of retail is especially marked in the city itself outside Downtown. Traditionally, such developments have had a large office tower as a sort of captive market and the hospitals along Fifth provide a similar latent customer base. The pedestrian link to the parking garage across Fifth assures ease of access. Additionally, the resident student population has considerable purchasing power and is largely captive to the area since many students lack cars. Commuter students are also an excellent potential market since there are potential time gaps between classes that must be filled and the galleria will be only a short distance from the Cathedral of Learning. The galleria will also be an inviting space in wintertime and in inclement weather and the nearest other enclosed retail space of any size is outside the city limits.

Benefits to the city and Oakland. The galleria provides a destination or reason to visit Oakland during the daytime and early evening hours as well as vastly increasing the residential attractiveness of Oakland by providing for people’s needs. It also provides a form of activity since shopping is an important social activity in modern American culture, especially for those under 21. The galleria functions as an arcaded link between Forbes and Fifth, helping to increase pedestrian cross-traffic. A retail complex represents a significant source of employment for students, South Oakland residents, and people living in the Hill District. It can also become an additional source of property and sales tax revenue for Pittsburgh. The galleria should not sap the vitality of Craig Street or Walnut Street since it offers a different type of shopping experience with differentiated stores and a largely separate customer base. It may even aid Walnut and Craig streets by slowing the proliferation of chain stores there which overcrowd the areas and drive rents above the levels affordable by current tenants. The current hub of activity around the Pitt campus and Atwood would be extended into a line stretching westward and linking to the proposed movie theater and super bookstore.

One of the key points in Oakland lies at the intersection of Forbes and Panther Hollow. This area links Central Oakland and Pitt with CMU and Squirrel Hill. It also serves as the terminus of the vibrant Craig Street corridor and as a sort of "front yard" for the Carnegie Museums. Unfortunately, this crucial area fails to live up to its potential being home currently to a jumbled collection of buildings housing a bar, a gas station, some offices, etc. A small-scale collection of offices and retail could potentially revitalize the area and better link Pitt and CMU while tying in the Craig Street area and Panther Hollow.

Physical characteristics. The office/retail node could have two sections for the opposite sides of Forbes. On the northern side, a small cloistered courtyard and a three- to four-story office building would be constructed. The office building would be more in keeping with Craig Street architecture and better respect the historical styles in the near vicinity than the current white concrete structure. On the southern side, a series of small buildings with courtyards and steps leading downward to Panther Hollow would be constructed; the entire effect would be similar to an Italian village cascading down a hillside. A fountain could be placed near the entrance on Forbes and feed a series of small waterfalls and pools leading down the hill and drawing visitors inward. The sites are difficult ones due to their compact size and, to the south, a steep slope to Panther Hollow. However, the engineering and architectural problems are by no means insurmountable, though some cost will be incurred for the foundation work and general difficulty of building there. The entire project could be built at once or the two halves could be constructed separately.

Tenant mix. The office buildings would have a natural market in doctors and dentists who wanted to locate near UPMC but not be directly within its shadow. Also, companies with ties to the hospitals like medical equipment suppliers, pharmaceutical providers, etc. could provide a natural market. The buildings could also house small technology companies in a transitional stage between ideas by professors and students and fully independent self-supporting enterprises. If Forbes Hall is razed to make way for the retail galleria near Meyran Street any Pitt administrative functions there would also require a new home. The shops would be very small scale like newsstands, bagel spots and coffee shops to service the office tenants and passers-by over the bridge. There also is a possibility that stores could feed off the Carnegie traffic by selling arts and crafts or items related to natural history like dinosaur memorabilia. The Carnegie itself may want to consider placing an annex to their museum shops here due to the rather cramped conditions inside the museum. The hillside village would also be an ideal spot for lunch cafes or upscale restaurants that could take advantage of the outdoor courtyards and ambience created by the cascading water and views of Panther Hollow and CMU.

Success factors. The area lies at the intersection of a great deal of foot traffic as well as being proximate to one of Oakland’s great attractions. There is already a supply of parking in the Carnegie garage. The location near Craig Street with its stores and restaurants serves as a further inducement for individuals/companies to locate offices in the immediate area. Also, the completion of the Eliza Furnace Trail and the increasing use of Panther Hollow should stimulate traffic through anything serving as a convenient gateway.

Panther Hollow constitutes one of Oakland’s great potential assets, yet it is severely underused. The area could be made extremely aesthetically pleasing but it currently still shows the marks of a century of industrial use. The linear nature of Panther Hollow is ideal for becoming a parkway like Rock Creek Parkway in Washington, D.C., flanked by hiking and biking trails, as well as picnic areas.( Also, the linear nature means this new park and parkway would serve much of Oakland rather than a more concentrated area like Schenley Park. There are five key factors in creating the park and parkway: Road and nonroad use; Landscaping; Linkage with Second Avenue; Tie-ins with Oakland; Removal of a few existing structures.

Road and nonroad use. The goal of this transformation is both to improve Oakland’s functionality through better transportation links and to provide an attractive green space that serves as a destination, making Oakland a better place to live and visit.

It is important that the road not dominate Panther Hollow so a sinuous two-lane nondivided parkway is envisaged. The twisting nature of the road will follow the natural shape of the hollow with speeds limited to 30 mph. This curving should also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the roadway. It would connect with Oakland’s core at Neville Street, providing convenient access to/from the heart of Oakland. On weekends and holidays the road could be closed and given over entirely to recreational use. The parkway would have a few small parking areas (20 or so spaces) for those using it as a means of accessing the park and its various amenities.

The hollow would also contain a hiking and biking path similar to the trail there now, as well as picnic areas and green fields to draw families, recreational sports players, bicyclists, rollerbladers, and a host of others. The link with downtown via the Eliza Furnace Trail and the growing importance of outdoor activities in America should help ensure the heavy utilization of these assets as people bike to work, exercise or simply enjoy themselves. They also make Oakland and Pittsburgh, in general, a more desirable place to live and work.

Landscaping. The Panther Hollow area is naturally attractive, but this natural beauty can be considerably enhanced via landscaping, much as Frederick Law Olmstead did with Central Park in New York. All remaining building debris, slag, gravel, etc. must be removed. Trees will be planted both on the hollow floor and its slopes, while underbrush and dead vegetation should be thinned. The floor of Panther Hollow should be graded so there are no steep inclines or declines within this area (gentle rolling is fine and desirable). A water course should be created, flowing from Oakland out to the Monongahela. Large rocks or boulders can be placed strategically in formations to enhance the overall appearance. The final result should be extremely beautiful and a great improvement to the current scene as well as a fitting companion and corridor to Schenley Park.

Link to Second Avenue. By linking the parkway to Second Avenue, a convenient route between Oakland and Downtown is established, bypassing the congestion of Forbes and Fifth. Also, the pending completion of the Hot Metal Bridge roadway establishes a new and convenient route to the South Side as well as a route into Oakland for residents of developments on the J&L site. As the Pittsburgh Technology Park matures, the "Panther Parkway" link with Second Avenue provides an alternative method of coming into Oakland instead of the steep path via Bates Avenue and navigating the residential streets of South Oakland. Also, any future developments on the former location of the Hazelwood coke plant would find this an extremely convenient route into Oakland.

Tie-ins with Oakland. To ensure the maximum possible utilization of the park as well as the maximum benefit to Oakland, a series of links or tie-ins between Panther Hollow and the neighborhood must be created or preserved. The parkway continuation into Neville Street as well as the "hillside village" cascading down to the hollow at the Carnegie Museums have already been mentioned. In addition, there are a few small streets climbing from a neighborhood within the hollow to South Oakland and these should be retained. Wherever possible, steps or trails should be constructed or renovated between South Oakland and the park; these steps would preferably be of stone and more attractive than some of the current steps around Pittsburgh. Also, a new incline could be built down to the park, echoing Pittsburgh’s history while providing a convenient and functional method for pedestrians to access the park’s amenities.

Removing structures. The plan does not envisage removing any of the houses in the small neighborhood just below the Carnegie Museums, although there are one or two houses or structures within the hollow itself which would be razed. To properly connect with Second Avenue, it would be necessary to remove between five and 10 houses and restaurants/bars in the neighborhood at the base of the hollow. The major proposed removal would be of the rail lines currently in Panther Hollow. These lines used to connect with the B&O terminal downtown, the J&L steel mill, and the Hazelwood coke plant, which are all gone.

The lines still connect with a CSX yard in Hazelwood, but it should be possible to access this yard from other points. Removing the lines would have no negative economic impact on Oakland or Pittsburgh, while removing a source of visual blight. Removing these rail lines would also reduce vibration underneath Oakland from the CSX tunnel there as well as freeing up the tunnel for use by a light rail system connecting Oakland with Downtown. The Panther Parkway plan can still go forward if removing these lines is impossible or infeasible, but it is greatly enhanced by such an action. Overall, the park and parkway will remove or destroy as few structures as possible to avoid the costs and dislocations attendant with such an action.

In no way does the plan presuppose that these are the only potential areas for change or that other elements cannot be added to the plan. Within the core area, there may be a significant need for residential space or other amenities while North Oakland near Baum Blvd. Boulevard and South Oakland below Forbes are full of opportunities. The plan is designed to be flexible and inclusive of other developments and enhancements.