In the 1980s people spoke of Pittsburgh in the way that some are
speaking about Detroit right now. Steel was leaving this one industry
town and no one was exactly sure what to do. Since then, however,
Pittsburgh has been righting the ship and has seen a diversification in
industry and renewal of vibrancy and life. Can Detroit learn something
from Pittsburgh?
Excerpt:
Pittsburgh’s transition has been proceeding for decades in fits and
starts, benefiting some areas much more than others. A development plan
begun in the 1980s successfully used the local universities to pour state funds into technology research.
Entrepreneurship
bloomed in computer software and biotechnology. Two of the biggest
sectors are education and health care, among the most resistant to
downturns. Prominent companies are doing well. Westinghouse Electric, a
builder of nuclear reactors, expects to hire 350 new employees a year
for the foreseeable future. And commercial construction, plunging in
most places, is still thriving partly because of big projects like a
casino and an arena for the Penguins hockey team.
The question is
whether Pittsburgh can serve as a model for Detroit and other cities in
the industrial Midwest as they grapple with large-scale cutbacks in the
automotive industry.
Read the entire article
here.
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