Streets as Places - Reimagining Our Streets for Dining

The COVID-19 global pandemic altered nearly every aspect of life in Pittsburgh this past year. As COVID-19 cases continued to rise last spring, businesses across the world were severely limited in their capacities and abilities to continue to serve their patrons. In response, the City of Pittsburgh and the OBID responded by quickly implementing new street designs and management tools to ensure that people had safe spaces for social/physical distancing, while getting outside and continuing to patronize local businesses. These evolving practices have continued to shape our city over the past year as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the spring of 2020, the Oakland Business Improvement District worked with local businesses to create inviting streeteries — outdoor-dining areas built in parking spaces for the existing restaurants - along Oakland Avenue and Meyran Avenue, between Forbes and Fifth. These streeteries were a prime example of how we can use lighter, quicker, and cheaper tactical methods to pilot streetscape changes and a fundamental rethinking of our city's streets as places.

Now, as we move into the spring of 2021 and the weather starts to warm up, more folks are looking to get outside and experience all the Oakland has to offer! On Thursday, March 18th, 2021, the barricades were put back in place along Oakland Avenue to create space for the streeteries; the Meyran Avenue streeteries will be joining soon!

As we move further into 2021, we are looking to the future of our streets and public spaces. When done right — in a way that allows street life to thrive; that is truly inviting and comfortable to all diners, regardless of ability; that still lets folks pass sidewalks without dodging tables and chairs — streeteries are brilliant and lively additions to our city. Restaurants often operate at razor-thin margins in the best of times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought even greater challenges with space for diners being one of the major hurdles. When thinking through these hurdles as well as the outdoor-restaurant dilemma, we must pondering: what makes a good design, how do we create something that could potentially work on a variety of streets, how do we scale our designs, and how do we make these spaces comfortable, engaging, and safe. Furthermore, as we plan for life after the pandemic, what aspects of these innovations do we want to see remain.

 

Cate Irvin, Director of Placemaking & Activation August 2021