# Pittsburgh: Hell on Earth



## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

You guys know I don't mind showing a city's warts along with all of the good stuff. So if I'm gonna show some nasty stuff, it's only fair that I start off with the old hometown.

Of course most of the town doesn't look this bad, but here is some of the worst of Pittsburgh.


These photos have not been approved by the Chamber of Commerce!

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Beware! Your town might be next.


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## Sideshow_Bob (Jan 14, 2005)

Too bad for Pittsburgh.. What's the plan for these areas??


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## Octoman (Nov 16, 2006)

What a shame. Some of those buildings in ruin are actually nice old family homes. I do hop they get restored rather than bulldozed as is so often the case.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

Sideshow_Bob said:


> Too bad for Pittsburgh.. What's the plan for these areas??


Actually, there is a fair amount of new construction in some of the worst areas. I might go out and take some pictures of it.


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## juanico (Sep 30, 2005)

Was it all taken in the same part of town or all over the city?


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## gappa (Mar 13, 2007)

Woot urban decay!


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## earth intruder (Apr 4, 2006)

wow... why the city looks like that? like a huge slum...


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## philadweller (Oct 30, 2003)

Pittsburgh is actually pretty healthy compared to most US cities.


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

bizi said:


> wow... why the city looks like that? like a huge slum...


The city is not a huge slum. The whole city does not look like that. There are nicer areas aswell. But great to see photos of these urban decay areas.


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

AWESOME THREAD! Abandoned/decaying city buildings actually interest me!


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## Fido (Dec 27, 2004)

Quite a few nice old buildings in there! A shame they are neglected like this, wouldn't happen in my country (Netherlands). A lot of those buildings have a special status here, so that they can't be demolished.

The pics remind me of Detroit in movies like 8 Mile and Four Brothers


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## Pegasusbsb27 (Sep 5, 2005)

too bad, so sad!!! you're a nasty, nasty boy, showing stuffs that meant to be hidden from the third world hahahahahahahahha!!!


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## WinoSoul (Sep 14, 2005)

bad!


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## Tharsis Montes (Oct 14, 2007)

Whoaa, interesting, reminded me of that Detroit decay thread.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

Tharsis Montes said:


> Whoaa, interesting, reminded me of that Detroit decay thread.



Pittsburgh is very different physically from Detroit though.


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## lkm370 (Jun 24, 2006)

bizi said:


> wow... why the city looks like that? like a huge slum...


there used to be a lot of industry in pittsburg, they all left or went out of business so the people left with them, so a bunch of empty houses were left behind.


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## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

Pittsburgh has mojo. I mean that seriously. It's down 50%, or whatever, but it still has that industrial hill town feel. Nothing like old buildings winding up vine- and tree-covered hillsides. PS, that very first picture shows South Side (sp?) in the foreground -- one of the greatest neighborhoods in the US, and very vibrant. 

Since we SSP'ers love to daydream about possibilities, how's this: how much could a group of friends do to improve a neighborhood? Imagine buying five or six houses in a row and fixing them up, moving in...helping get the ball rolling...


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## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

jezus... that's horrible. And right after looking at the Detroit thread too. I was in Buffalo just a few days ago... a shithole as well.

Character aside, I don't see why people can remain positive about a city like that. I don't care how wealthy or vibrant parts of a city are... if whole neighborhoods simply die like that, serious questions need to be asked. This simply doesn't happen in other developed countries.

Thanks for the tour, BTW.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

algonquin said:


> jezus... that's horrible. And right after looking at the Detroit thread too. I was in Buffalo just a few days ago... a shithole as well.
> 
> Character aside, I don't see why people can remain positive about a city like that. I don't care how wealthy or vibrant parts of a city are... if whole neighborhoods simply die like that, serious questions need to be asked. This simply doesn't happen in other developed countries.
> 
> Thanks for the tour, BTW.


Who said that these pics represent whole neighborhoods? These are selected pics from various parts of the city. Only the Hill District, which is the oldest area of the city, looks consistently bad like this.


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## koolkid (Apr 17, 2006)

Thats the problem with showing everyone a bit of everything your city has. Many refuse to recognize that this is only a small part of the city. MANY CITIES HAVE RUN DOWN AREAS, PEOPLE. STOP WITH THE IGNORANCE AND GET OVER IT. 

Considering the responses in this thread, Herotodus, you better not come to my city! lol
Naaa! New York has some pretty run down areas but in all, it's a very nice place. Great thread, that first shot had me begging for more!


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

That is by no means typical Pittsburgh, I could show you equally decrepit parts of my city and give the same impression.


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## koolkid (Apr 17, 2006)

algonquin said:


> The levels of urban decay shown in this thread and others simply do not exist up here, *if that's what you're asking*.
> 
> Maybe you shouldn't assume that everyone on SSC is used to this sort of thing. Everyone knows or has heard how bad Detroit is; I had no idea that parts of Pittsburgh were like this. Now I'm hearing a few other city names being thrown around. If this is actually common in a decent number of American cities, it's news to me.


New York doesn't have this extreme level of urban decay either. Sure there are a handful of random abandoned houses in the least fortunate neighbs and then there are the random industrial areas where no one lives but dead neighborhoods there are not. I still can't figure out why in the world you are suddently quoting me if my first comment was not being referred to yours at all. *BTW, I didn't ask you anything... *


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## koolkid (Apr 17, 2006)

will.exe said:


> That is by no means typical Pittsburgh, I could show you equally decrepit parts of my city and give the same impression.


It's not typical of Pittsburgh. That's what I was trying to get at. Many cities have decrepit areas. Sure, maybe not as bad but it may exist. Some people refuse to understand this.


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## go_leafs_go02 (Jan 16, 2007)

will.exe said:


> That is by no means typical Pittsburgh, I could show you equally decrepit parts of my city and give the same impression.


I challenge you to find an abandoned and completely falling apart set of buildings in London. (meaning a neighbourhood without life) not a single residence or house... 

Sure EOA isn't that hot (in some regions), but nowhere will you find places like that in London, Ontario.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

koolkid said:


> New York doesn't have this extreme level of urban decay either. Sure there are a handful of random abandoned houses in the least fortunate neighbs and then there are the random industrial areas where no one lives but dead neighborhoods there are not. I still can't figure out why in the world you are suddently quoting me if my first comment was not being referred to yours at all. *BTW, I didn't ask you anything... *


NYC has done a great job during the last 20 years. Even into the mid 80's, parts of the South Bronx looked like Berlin after WW2. It's not that way anymore.


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## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

koolkid said:


> It's not typical of Pittsburgh. That's what I was trying to get at. Many cities have decrepit areas. Sure, maybe not as bad but it may exist. Some people refuse to understand this.


People understand that there are a number of cities that have similar areas, but that doesn't make it any less horrible. Having entirely abandonded streets/blocks/neighbourhoods in a city isn't the norm.

I'll try to clarify my point. Every city has a 'bad' area. But a 'bad' area in one city may only mean a ghetto, a high-crime area, or just an ugly nabe. But in all the cities I have experienced, I've never seen anything like these photos. These are essentially ruins. Not all cities have ruins.

As an example, Canada's worst neighbourhood is arguably East Hastings in Vancouver, where people shoot up on the streets, and businesses have fled entirely. Yet it is still populated, it still functions as an urban environment; it doesn't have entire blocks of buildings being reclaimed by nature.

There's a certain point where saying "sure, maybe not as bad but it may exist [elsewhere]" isn't useful because this is an entirely different level of 'bad'. A few people have mentioned Hamilton as being the closest thing to these photos, but there isn't one single part of Hamilton that has been actually abandoned. Abandoned buildings do exist, but they are isolated.

Don't take a mutual misunderstanding of perspective as a 'refusal' to understand or concede. 'Bad' is a relative term.


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## monkeyronin (May 18, 2006)

philadweller said:


> "Canada doesn't have the history of racial animosity that the US does."
> Hmmmm.....and why do you think that is?


Because there was never any slavery and no one was treated as poorly as pre-1960s US blacks? :dunno:


Anyway, I forget if I already commented on this on SSP, but I loved this. This area is easily my favourite abandoned/decayed area anywhere. 

(and lulz at the tools who think this is what the entire city looks like)


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## Rizzato (Dec 13, 2006)

You know what this reminds me of? Silent Hill. 

Im hoping some day people will populate these neighborhoods again and clean up these areas
It must be depressing seeing your neighbors all leaving and finally you leave and the entire street is abandoned.

still got a lot of love for Pittsburgh though.


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## Lusitania (Jul 14, 2007)

algonquin said:


> People understand that there are a number of cities that have similar areas, but that doesn't make it any less horrible. Having entirely abandonded streets/blocks/neighbourhoods in a city isn't the norm.
> 
> I'll try to clarify my point. Every city has a 'bad' area. But a 'bad' area in one city may only mean a ghetto, a high-crime area, or just an ugly nabe. But in all the cities I have experienced, I've never seen anything like these photos. These are essentially ruins. Not all cities have ruins.
> 
> ...


We all understand these neighborhoods to be unsatisfactory in every degree, but it doesn't hurt to understand much of where this stems from. The United States in the past had huge racial tensions, you combine that with poor immigration and the Middle Class moving to the suburbs you have urban decay. Essentially, the mid-20th century saw the abandonment of neighborhoods to the poor minorities and the rich left the cities to reinforce "the cult of domesticity," only now are we seeing a turnaround from the major decay that was allowed to occur mid century.

Another thing that you must consider is that most of these decaying cities are cities that only grew because of the Industrial Revolution. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Niagara and Buffalo were small trading posts before the US industrial revolution; with the industrial revolution the cities flourished, but because of the free market economies they always had their slums. What you are seeing here is simply the movement of slums to the once Middle class homes (that have since moved to the suburbs). With the combination of slum-life and the disappearance of a lot of industry (which were the lifeline of the cities), parts of the cities disappeared as people could no longer support themselves there. I can see a positive within all this however, at least the majority of these buildings are abandoned and people are not living in such squalor. Horrible, most definitely; excusable, most definitely not; understandable, possibly.


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

go_leafs_go02 said:


> I challenge you to find an abandoned and completely falling apart set of buildings in London. (meaning a neighbourhood without life) not a single residence or house...
> 
> Sure EOA isn't that hot (in some regions), but nowhere will you find places like that in London, Ontario.


A little creative photography and I could. You're right, though, it would be a challenge to find such a large area in London. Toronto, maybe. Still I think its disturbing how many people see those photos as a typical neighborhood in Pittsburgh, which is isn't. Pittsburgh is generally a nice city, at least thats the impression ive had the few times I've been there.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that to declare Pittsburgh "Hell on Earth" is a gross misnomer and it sickens me to think that people around the world are getting that impression from this thread.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

will.exe said:


> A little creative photography and I could. You're right, though, it would be a challenge to find such a large area in London. Toronto, maybe. Still I think its disturbing how many people see those photos as a typical neighborhood in Pittsburgh, which is isn't. Pittsburgh is generally a nice city, at least thats the impression ive had the few times I've been there.
> 
> I suppose what I'm trying to say is that to declare Pittsburgh "Hell on Earth" is a gross misnomer and it sickens me to think that people around the world are getting that impression from this thread.


The "Hell on Earth" title was very much made tongue in cheek.


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## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

will.exe said:


> A little creative photography and I could. You're right, though, it would be a challenge to find such a large area in London. Toronto, maybe.


You won't find this in Toronto or London, trust me.




will.exe said:


> Still I think its disturbing how many people see those photos as a typical neighborhood in Pittsburgh, which is isn't. Pittsburgh is generally a nice city, at least thats the impression ive had the few times I've been there.
> 
> I suppose what I'm trying to say is that to declare Pittsburgh "Hell on Earth" is a gross misnomer and it sickens me to think that people around the world are getting that impression from this thread.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone here has stated or implied that these photos represent the majority of Pittsburgh.


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## herodotus (Sep 11, 2002)

algonquin said:


> You won't find this in Toronto or London, trust me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sure they did.



bizi said:


> wow... why the city looks like that? like a huge slum...


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## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

herodotus said:


> Sure they did.


It seems to me that English likely isn't that persons first language. At least I hope so for their sake.


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## ale26 (Sep 9, 2005)

wow it's disgusting how "the best country in the world" has these area's in almost all its major cities.


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## koolkid (Apr 17, 2006)

^^WTF!? The best country in the world? Really? Thanks! I'm flattered...


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## Bond James Bond (Aug 23, 2002)

ale26 said:


> wow it's disgusting how "the best country in the world" has these area's in almost all its major cities.


Actually, I'd say a minority of American cities have areas like this. It's mostly some of the older cities in the Northeast and Midwest which have areas like this.


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## Lawcheehung (Jun 19, 2007)

Very eerie photos Herodotus...could anyone direct me to the Detroit thread? I've searched it up, but I can't find it.


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## aliendroid (Jul 8, 2007)

I blame this on our car society. You can throw away buildings and just build in new areas. If we didn't have so many cars these would have been rebuilt long before this.


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## indosky (Feb 11, 2005)

Based on figures derived from studies by the Mercer Human Resources Consulting that cull from 300 cities, Forbes.com describes the top 25 cleanest cities in the world. Of the 13 countries listed, European and U.S. cities top the charts, followed by Japan, the only Asian country in the list. Singapore is not in the list. We try so hard to be clean but still we aren’t the cleanest, considering the size of our tiny island, we have such a small room to maintain compared to the larger cities. I guess the studies don’t just look at clean air and environments. Singapore probably lost marks due to our lack of clean people.



> The List
> 
> #1 Calgary
> #2 Honolulu
> ...


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