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October 2, 2007 Chatham Village Named One of 10 Great Neighborhoods in America Where Nature and Recreation Meet the Neighborhood PITTSBURGH, PA — The American Planning Association (APA) announced today that the Chatham Village Neighborhood, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been designated as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007 through APA's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.
"Being chosen as one of APA's first Great Places in America is an honor for Chatham Village, and for Pittsburgh as a whole," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "The principles upon which Chatham Village was built 75 years ago — sustainability, accessibility, community, proximity to Downtown — are the foundation for our work in Pittsburgh's neighborhoods today. Chatham Village is one of the jewels of our city. We're proud that APA is recognizing it as well." APA selected Chatham Village as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods in America for its outstanding and long-lasting architecture and design; sustainability and care for the environment; and its livability and desirability as a place to live. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but live and work everyday. America's truly great neighborhoods are defined by many criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement. Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes the unique and authentic attributes of essential building blocks of great communities — streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces. "Chatham Village is one of the best examples of how excellent planning and design has created a community that is as livable and desirable today as it was when built 75 years ago," said APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, FAICP. "We need more of the neighborhoods being built or rebuilt to take into account what Chatham Village so aptly demonstrates — walkability, sustainability, a wonderful sense of place and lasting value." A green-belted oasis marked by 200-year-old trees, Chatham Village was completed in 1935 by the Buhl Foundation of Pittsburgh and renowned planners Clarence Stein and Henry Wright. Chatham Village's atmosphere is no mistake: Stein and Wright were pioneering American exponents of the Garden City planning approach, an English export that sought to improve city residents' quality of life through a reasoned and environmentally conscious approach to land use and transportation planning, landscape design, and architecture. Using hillside land that Pittsburgh considered not buildable, the innovative row house blocks provide dense residential capacity while leaving much of the remaining property open land for gardens, grounds, recreational facilities, and a park. A virtual nature preserve, the 25 acres of "Chatham Wood" include old-growth oak trees as well as nature trails, a picnic area, streams, and footbridges. Chatham Village demonstrates the how good planning builds places of lasting value. As one of the purest examples of an American movement to ameliorate the deleterious effects of sprawl, at 75 years of age it continues to function better than newer incarnations of the same ideals — making it as relevant today as it was when built. The nine other APA Great Neighborhoods for 2007 are the Eastern Market Neighborhood, Washington, D.C.; Elmwood Village Buffalo, New York; First Addition Neighborhood, Lake Oswego, Oregon; Hillcrest, San Diego, California; North Beach, San Francisco, California; Old West Austin, Austin, Texas; Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York; Pike Place Market Neighborhood, Seattle, Washington; and West Urbana, Urbana, Illinois. For more information about these neighborhoods, and the list of APA's 10 Great Streets for 2007, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year's 10 Great Streets and 10 Great Neighborhoods will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2007, designed to recognize and celebrate the many residents, leaders, officials, and professionals who contribute to making great communities. For more about National Community Planning Month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm. Contacts |
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