Pittsburgh's Renewal: Myths and Realities

Because the popular media remain fascinated by stories of Pittsburgh's contemporary "reinvention," "renewal," and/or "renaissance," I'm returning to the blog just this once to post a link to my own published account of what happened in Pittsburgh over the last few decades.  If all goes modestly well, then anyone doing background research on what makes modern Pittsburgh tick will eventually land here.

"Contrasts in Innovation: Pittsburgh Then and Now" puts Pittsburgh's story in context, pointing out not only what about Pittsburgh has changed, mostly for the better, but also what has not changed.  Naturally, I have some detailed theories about why some things have changed and why some things have not, and my view of the whole tale differs in some key respects from the story that usually appears in the mainstream media.

This piece started as a series of long blog posts here at Pittsblog in 2010.  With some refinement and added material about economic history, it was published in 2011 as a chapter in a longer collection about regional economics, titled "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Evolving Economies: The Role of Law," from Edward Elgar Publishing.

Download it for free.at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1858741