Debates rage and funds flow over the development of Pittsburgh's highly demanded properties along the shorelines of the city's three rivers and their conversion into public spaces as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's preliminary plans. Other plans include the development of a $900 million office building and several other renovations.

Pittsburgh exists for three reasons: the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio.

In the 20th century, the banks of those rivers were controlled by industrial behemoths. They largely lost that identity after the waning of the steel industry in the 1980s. Over the last two decades, however, the city’s progress in clearing and cleaning its waterfront has created 12 miles of recreational trails, three professional sports stadiums, several boat landings and an influx of nearly 2,000 new downtown residents.

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