There are only a handful of Pittsburgh neighborhoods that have both the quality transit and walkability that make it convenient to live without a car. These include places like much of Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, as well as the parts of East Liberty near the busway station. These places tend to have higher housing costs
How the Pittsburgh Zoning Code Makes Housing more Expensive
For the first six years of our marriage, my wife and I owned a two bedroom condominium in a ten story building in Squirrel Hill. We loved our condo, and it was so convenient not having to mow a lawn, shovel a driveway, or worry about exterior building maintenance. Since the condo didn’t have stairs,
Should Pittsburgh allow Shuttle Service in Junction Hollow?
Pittsburgh is planning to make a major capital investment in Junction Hollow and Hazelwood. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) will be implementing a $28 million infrastructure project to manage stormwater run-off and address chronic flooding in lower Greenfield. The City would leverage the PWSA work to more cost effectively implement several transportation improvements.
Delayed Testing Results is Hindering Contact Tracing in Allegheny County
The surge in COVID-19 testing has resulted in delayed processing of COVID-19 tests around the country. The youtube channel Wendover Productions recently released an excellent video on the logistics of COVID-19 testing that describes why it is challenging to process tests quickly. The delay in test results is impacting Allegheny County as well. In a
Allegheny County Should Close Gyms
This is my third post on the press conference Rich Fitzgerald and Dr. Bogen gave on July 7, 2020. The first can be found here, and the second here. When Dr. Bogen was asked about closures other than restaurants and bars, she stated that there are no other activities associated with people who have tested
Contact Tracing Logistics are Broken
This is my second post on the press conference Rich Fitzgerald and Dr. Bogen gave on July 7, 2020. The first can be found here, in which I talked about staffing challenges to Allegheny County's contact tracing program. Inadequate staffing may not be the biggest challenge for Allegheny County's contact tracing program. Time is essential
How Many Contact Tracers does Allegheny County Need
Rich Fitzgerald and Dr. Bogen gave a press conference on July 7, 2020. I had thoughts on three topics that were discussed, so this is blog post part 1. While Progress is Being Made, More Contact Tracers are Still Needed Dr. Bogen stated that the Medical Reserve Corp of Allegheny County is being used to
Allegheny County Needs to Fix its Contact Tracing Program Before Reopening Restaurants
Allegheny County can improve its response to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. However, before I identify improvements, let me say that Allegheny County has responded better to its recent rise in cases than any other county in Southwestern Pennsylvania. A week ago I wrote that Allegheny County should close bars and restaurants, the state
Allegheny County Failed to Prepare for the Green Phase
Allegheny County reported a record of 90 new cases of COVID-19 today (June 27, 2020). This is not a one day anomaly, but part of a clear trend of rising case numbers. There is about a two week delay on average between a new infection and a publicly reported case number (see chart 7A here),
Concerning Rise in COVID-19 Cases
There has been a concerning rise in COVID-19 cases in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in the past week. Westmoreland county has had more new cases per capita over the last 14 days than Allegheny, and their case numbers are growing more rapidly. Allegheny Health Department Directory Debra Bogen gave a press conference about it today.