To be fair, Pittsburgh has done a better job of reinventing itself than most midwestern cities. To my mind, only Cleveland and Indianapolis have done as well. To recover from the loss of its industrial infrastructure, Pittsburgh has turned itself into a high tech hub.
Pittsburgh reminds me of at least two of Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.” First there’s Armilla, the city of pipes, which resembles the elaborate network of factories and industry that amply represent Pittsburgh’s industrial past. Then there’s Maurilia, the city that rebuilds itself not with brick but with the exchange of merchandise and becomes a center of commerce.
The way it’s described in this post puts me in mind of Esmeralda, a city “where cats, smugglers, illicit lovers, conspirators and mosquito chasing swallows cut arcs across roads, sewers and sky.”
To be fair, Pittsburgh has done a better job of reinventing itself than most midwestern cities. To my mind, only Cleveland and Indianapolis have done as well. To recover from the loss of its industrial infrastructure, Pittsburgh has turned itself into a high tech hub.
Pittsburgh reminds me of at least two of Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.” First there’s Armilla, the city of pipes, which resembles the elaborate network of factories and industry that amply represent Pittsburgh’s industrial past. Then there’s Maurilia, the city that rebuilds itself not with brick but with the exchange of merchandise and becomes a center of commerce.
The way it’s described in this post puts me in mind of Esmeralda, a city “where cats, smugglers, illicit lovers, conspirators and mosquito chasing swallows cut arcs across roads, sewers and sky.”