“Perhaps the most striking opportunity noted for a large park is the valley of Nine Mile Run. Its long meadows of varying width would make ideal playfields; the stream, when it is freed from sewage, will be an attractive and interesting element in the landscape; the wooded slopes on either side give ample opportunity for enjoyment of the forest, for shaded walks and cool resting places.” —Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., 1910 The Nine Mile Run development site Acknowledgements A large number of individuals and organizations contributed significantly to the evolution and success of Ample Opportunity: A Community Dialogue. Carnegie Mellon University Roundtable Participants-Community Patrick Keating, Vice President for Business and Bridget Alexander, Kritsy Bannon, Elizabeth Barrow, Administration Sukauya Basu, Eileen Bell, Dean Benjamin, Paul Martin Prekop, Dean, College of Fine Arts Boas, Gundi Caginalp, Pat Carr, Caterina, Doug Edward Hydzik, Project Manager, Facilities Svc. Chaffey, Peggy Charney, Trishka Dargis, John Richard Palladini, Project Manager, Facilities Svc. Dawes, Mo Dawley, Bob Gangewere, Gary Goodson, Marilyn Ham, Rodney Harkness, Bob STUDIO for Creative Inquiry Hurley, Kenneth Kotovsky, David Kriska, Jerry Kruth, Research Assistants Petra Kuehl, Bill Lawrence, Lois Liberman, Anne Choli Lightfoot, technical and design research; Mates, Buzz Miller, Christine Mondor, Betty Mullock, Richard Pell, computer research and production; Julie Murphy, Jeremy Parsons, Paul Peffer, Richard Sean Lyons, history research and production; Piacentini, Mark Remchek, Jonathon Robison, Jeff Lynette Little, funding and administration, and Rothschild, Robert Rubinstein, Kate St. John, Rick Tom Birdsey, Chris Frankland, Sharona Jacobs, Elif St. John, Rita Schaier, Tom Schmidt, Uzair Shamsi, Konuk, Amy Marino, Cat Mazza, Niambi Sims, Lorne Tom Sheridan, Scott Sjolander, Marilyn Skolnick, Jon Colon, Gern Roberts, Peter Schwartz, Doug Lambert, Smith, Jack Solomon, Loree Speedy, Dianne Swan, John Paul David Tessitor, Ned VanderVen, Susanne Varley, Kathryn Vincent, Bill Wekselman, Jane Werner, Alan Steering Committee Wertz, Linda Whitney, Lois Winslow, Adam Young Joan Blaustein, Department of City Planning Jack Fisher, Regent Square Civic Association Roundtable Participants-Government Ivan Itkin, Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Benton, Paul Brown, John Doyle, Eloise Hirsh, Mark Knezevich, Urban Redevelopment Authority Jonathon Kass, Chris Logelin, Dan Sentz, Claire Joe Plummer, Environmental City Initiative Staples, Bill Wadell, Jerry Williams Mark Schneider, The Rubinoff Company John Shields, Swisshelm Park Community Assoc. Final Report Production Kenny Steinberg, Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition Design: Edward Hirsch, Reiko Goto Jeff Wagner, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Editing: Christine Simony, Jennifer Brodt, Karen Pryor Workshop Keynote Speakers Production Assistance: Susan Murray, Jessica Jack Ahern, University of Mass. at Amherst Cobert, Choli Lightfoot, Richard Pell J. Glenn Eugster, Environmental Protection Agency John Oyler, Zinc Corporation of America Supporting Organizations Ann Riley, Waterways Restoration Institute Pittsburgh Department of City Planning The Environmental City Initiative Workshop Advisors The Pittsburgh Children’s Museum Don Berman, John Buck, Jim DeAngelis, David Carnegie Museum of Natural History Dzombak, Court Gould, Judith Hull, Mary Kostalos, The Carnegie Mellon University-University of Andrew McElwaine, Ted Muller, Indira Nair, Nicole Pittsburgh Brownfields Center Newburn, Henry Prellwitz, Nancy Racham, Ray Reaves, Bob Reppe, Larry Ridenour, Harold Rollins, Ample Opportunity: A Community Dialogue, Kirk Savage, John Schombert, Kathy Stadterman, was made possible by a grant from Ken Tamminga, Sue Thompson, Mark Young the Heinz Endowments. Table of Contents 01. Introduction 03. Project Philosophy 09. Art, Science and Ecological Inquiry: The Case of 19th-Century American Landscape Painting Kirk Savage, University of Pittsburgh 14. History, Context and Public Policy Background Document History, Context and Policy Advisory Committee Keynote Address J. Glenn Eugster, Environmental Protection Agency Policy Panel Joe Plummer, Don Berman and Ray Reaves History Panel Andrew McElwaine, Joel Tarr and Ted Muller Public Policy Roundtable History and Context Roundtable 68. Stream Remediation Introduction Background Document The Stream Advisory Committee Keynote Address Ann Riley, Waterways Restoration Institute Regulation and Reality Roundtable Stream Ecology and the Urban Aesthetic Roundtable Stream Banks and Floodplains Roundtable 114. Community and Ecology: Slag, Soil, Plants and Wildlife Introduction Background Document The Community and Ecology Advisory Committee Keynote Address John Oyler, Zinc Corporation of America Public Access and Habitat Roundtable Vegetation, Habitat and Environmental Ed. Roundtable Soil, Slag and Geology Roundtable 188. Sustainable Open Space Introduction Background Document The Sustainable Open Space Advisory Committee Keynote Address Jack Ahern, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Roundtable One Ken Tamminga, Pennsylvania State University Roundtable Two Larry Ridenour, Recreational and Trails Consultant Roundtable Three Jack Ahern, University of Massachusetts at Amherst 280. Conclusion of A Year’s Work 295. Maps 297. Bibliography 298. Organizations 299. Image Sources Pennsylvania Allegheny County Nine Mile Run Watershed Pittsburgh Ample Opportunity: A Community Dialogue Nine Mile Run Greenway Project Co-Directors: Bob Bingham, Tim Collins, Reiko Goto Project Coordinator: John Stephen Senior Advisors: David Lewis, Joel Tarr In Partnership with: The Pittsburgh Department of City Planning The Environmental City Initiative In Association with: The Brownfields Center STUDIO for Creative Inquiry Director: Bryan Rogers Associate Director: Margaret Myers Administrative Assistant: Jennifer Brodt The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry is an interdisciplinary research center in the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts. The STUDIO provides an interdisciplinary research environment for artists. The goal of the STUDIO is to encourage work that bridges creative activity and intellectual inquiry within the context of community. The Community Resource Trailer Introduction The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, a research facility The first two chapters introduce the project philoso- in the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon phy and historical precedents for an interdisciplinary University, is the home of the Nine Mile Run inquiry in art, science and ecology. Four chapters Greenway Project (NMR-GP). This project is a follow which correspond to events and subject research initiative which considers the issues of matter specific to the Nine Mile Run open space post-industrial (post-modern) culture, ecology, and opportunity. Each of these subject chapters intro- ideology. An initial component of this research duces and analyzes the event and presents the initiative is entitled "Ample Opportunity: A advisory board members. Community Dialogue," which has been made The subject chapters include the following possible with the generous donation of funds from information: the Heinz Endowments. Ample Opportunity is 1. Background document created by the advisory directed by three artists and an environmental board and distributed to a 600 person mailing list. activist/attorney. Colleagues and advisors from 2. A transcript of the speech by a nationally academia, industry and municipal government have recognized professional in the field invited to worked closely with the project co-directors to present the keynote address.* develop the programs. Pittsburgh's Department of 3. A transcript of the community dialogue at each City Planning and the Environmental City Initiative event’s breakout tables. have been invaluable partners providing access to The final chapter includes a synthesis of the year’s information and planning discussions about the efforts. development. None of the work would have been Our goals for the past year were laid out in the possible without the support of our graduate initial program proposal: research assistants and the administrative staff of 1. Coordinate a series of educational workshops the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry. intended to inform, expand and enable discourse Over the last 12 months, the STUDIO has worked about public space and sustainable development. to create an informed public discussion about a 2. Develop programs, tools and systems which specific open space opportunity on a brownfield (or promote individual expression and discussion post-industrial property) that is about to be about public space. developed into a mix of housing and public 3. Document the process and disseminate the greenway. This discussion has considered the results. question of "how" the site has evolved and what the This document is testament to the tools we real potential and problems are in terms of developed and the information we compiled. The reclamation, revegetation, and social reuse. This larger challenge is to examine how WELL we final report outlines our philosophical approach, and accomplished our goals. presents the historical precedents. We then assembled the sum of material from the Community Dialogue series and close with a final synthesis and analysis of the work by trying to answer the question: “How do we begin to measure the value of a conversation?” * We chose not to include the local advisory team presentations in workshops 2, 3 and 4 due to the replication of material. 1 Site overview