TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION AND CHANGING SPATIAL PATTERNS: PITTSBURGH, 1850-1910

IN 1850 PITTSBURGH HAD NO FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND WAS CHARACTERIZED BY MIXED LAND USES AND IRREGULAR RESIDENTIAL PATTERNS. INTRODUCTION OF THE HORSECAR AND THE COMMUTER RAILROAD HAD BY 1888 CONTRIBUTED TO DISPERSION OF THE POPULATION ALONG CORRIDORS. CABLE CARS AND ELECTRIC STREETCARS FURTHER ACCELERATED A TREND TOWARD SPECIALIZED BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL LAND USES IN THE CENTER CITY. BY 1910 THE CBD WAS LARGELY DEVOTED TO COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE USES STAFFED BY WHITE COLLAR WORKERS WHO USED STREETCARS AND COMMUTER RAIL FOR THE DAILY JOURNEY TO AND FROM OUTLYING RESIDENTIAL AREAS. DURING THE PERIOD UNDER STUDY, DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVED MOBILITY WITHIN THE CITY AND LED TO CHANGES IN SPATIAL PATTERNS. MANAGEMENT, HOWEVER, WAS HAPHAZARD; NEW LINES WERE FREQUENTLY EXTENDED TO AREAS OF MARGINAL DEMAND; AND, BY FAILING TO CONCENTRATE THEIR ATTENTION ON INPROVING RIDERSHIP AND SHORT-HAUL SERVICE, THE OPERATORS OF THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM WERE UNPREPARED TO COMPETE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE AUTOMOBILE, WHICH BY 1910 HAD BECOME AN ECCEPTED COMMUTER MODE. CONSEQUENTLY, SERVICE AND PATRONAGE IN THE PITTSBURGH SYSTEM HAD BEGUN TO ERODE YEARS EARLIER THAN IN OTHER MAJOR CITIES. /UMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO URT-5
• Corporate Authors:

  Carnegie Mellon University

  Transportation Research Institute
  Pittsburgh, PA  United States  15213
• Authors:
  • Tarr, J A
• Publication Date: 1972-4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Central business districts; Commuters; History; Horse drawn vehicles; Land use; Mode choice; Public transit; Railroad transportation; Residential areas; Suburbs; Transportation; Trend (Statistics); Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Modal selection
• Subject Areas: Economics; History; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00240720
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 23 1972 12:00AM