City Planning and the Cost of Living in Pittsburgh
PURPOSE AND PREPARATION OF THE REPORT
A factor in the cost of living in Pittsburgh is stated graphically in the frontispiece of this report. These drawings also suggest, from Pittsburgh's own provision for some of her needs, a method to decrease this cost. All delays and congestion of traffic, such as illustrated on Fifth Avenue and East Ohio Street in the frontispiece and as shown by illustrations in this preface and the introduction, add to the expenses of manufacturers, the costs borne by wholesale merchants, and the prices charged consumers by retail dealers; in short inadequate traffic facilities in Pittsburgh, as in other cities, add to the cost of doing business and of living.
The map at the end of this preface portrays a second factor influencing the cost of living. This map shows how much land Pittsburgh has, both used and still unused, for business, manufacturing and residence districts and for means of communication, i. e., streets between these districts. A glance also indicates the almost unparalleled problems of this city because of the large amount of territory 25 per cent or over in grade. For land of this grade is not only unused for buildings and streets, but also often erects barriers to the natural growth and spread of business, manufacturing and residence sections. Consequently, Pittsburgh must exercise greater ingenuity and foresight than other cities to prevent such congestion of all these activities as would increase rents of all kinds abnormally. This would mean again an added burden to the ultimate consumer for all life's necessities.
In addition, tax rates are chronically assailed as a charge on the cost of living. But taxes are spent largely for improvements to furnish adequate streets, to provide for the city's spread and growth and to carry out other improvements which alone can make life livable and desirable in a modern city. In fact, "taxes may actually diminish the cost of living, if the city's money is spent economically in the performance of necessary co-operative service." But taxes are often wasted because the improvements are made piecemeal, by patchwork, with no reference to future needs. Taxes for such improvements should be made only as a part of a far-sighted and comprehensive plan. Then, without waste, work done at the present will fit into the work to be done in the future.
DIAGRAM SHOWING MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC AT IMPORTANT STREET INTERSECTIONS IN PITTSBURGH—WIDTH OF BAND REPRESENTS NUMBER OF CARS AND VEHICLES PER RUSH HOUR.
Note: Vehicle traffic on Market Street, between Fifth and Liberty Avenues, now discontinued