A Runner’s Guide to the City

I am writing this article a few hours after running the 2024 Edition of the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I know that the concept of a Marathon was invented in Ancient Greece, but I am not surprised at all that the first modern marathon race was run (probably even invented) in Boston, in 1897. This is such a perfect event for American cities!? The Downtowns, the bridges, the hills, the vastness of the streets, the variety of the neighborhoods… Compared to marathons organized in Italy, American marathons bring you across less dense urban areas and have less complicated routes (in comparison, the routes of Milan or Rome look like a spaghetti dish with the sauce of your choice) but I absolutely love exploring the City and seeing so many people gathering for the same cause.

I often think that an architect’s education cannot be complete without running, or jogging, or walking - whatever your fitness and abilities allow.?

Architects have to be out and about as much as possible to see first hand how people live and use the public space. Just when you think you know a city, a stroll in any neighborhood or a park can reveal so much more that you didn’t know. This thought was somewhat reinforced as I have been re-reading the curious book “A Burglar’s Guide to the City” by Geoff Manaugh, where he suggests the burglars have the oddest and most genuine way to approach architecture. He makes the point that burglars use the space differently than normal people do by entering through windows, or even roofs and floors. They explode, unhinge, demolish, and completely disregard the care that architects put in creating buildings.?

Similarly to burglars, runners have the opportunity to explore the city anew - as legal pedestrians. Moreover, during race day in particular, the act of closing off portions of the streets and activating areas that are usually empty allows one to see a new urban streetscape. It is like a temporary mock-up of how a city could be different. All the temporary structures and gazebos create a joyful and busy city front at the street level. In those few hours, we experience a temporary ‘city within the city’ - with new residents (people visiting town), new ‘food centers’ along the route (although I will never eat the candy worms kindly offered along East Carson Street in the South Side), and even a temporary sewage system of port-a-potties. There is live entertainment, music, and street art… For one day, an army of pedestrians fueled by energy drinks and sophisticated carbohydrates bombs completely transforms the landscape of a city.

Architects in particular should run because it is a great way to enjoy the architecture that the city offers, as well as its deficiencies.?

Compared to driving, we can slightly let go of focusing on the road ahead of us and look around, reading the fine prints of the urban environment around us. It is a great way to appreciate the City at a different pace and, because you have not much else to do apart from running, you can think about it as you run. While I am running, I also think of my own projects. I can find inspiration for what to do, or not to do, with a design I am working on.

On Sunday, I was appreciating a particular moment of the Marathon, right at the end of it. For an hour or so, when the organizers started removing the barricades to open the streets after the last runners went by, the city was suspended in a state of emptiness. There were no more people, and no cars to be seen yet. Around Noon, we were enjoying lunch and beers at our favorite Cafe on Walnut Street, Cappy’s. Sipping our liquid prizes, we were commenting on how much space there is on Walnut Street and how, if we were in Italy, the street would be closed to traffic all the time, allowing businesses to expand the indoor-outdoor areas. The sidewalks would be left open to pedestrian traffic, and the road would be populated by all sorts of activities. Eric and I love to walk in Milan -sometimes jetlagged- in the neighborhood of Brera. When the restaurants are open, the streets become one continuous dining room, filled with people from all over the world. Parklets, playgrounds, art installations, and dog parks are also popular. It is a great way to see and be seen.?

Walnut Street is just one fraction of the city of Pittsburgh, of course. However, these days a lot is being said about Downtown Pittsburgh and how hard it is to bring people back after the pandemic. I am not suggesting making all Downtown closed to car traffic, of course. We are in the USA, after all. Yet, I am thinking that it would be great to have selected portions closed off to traffic, just like in Market Square. As an Italian American architect, I love being in Market Square and watching people go by. It is a true ‘piazza’ and it enriches the life of Downtown tremendously.?

Today, when Downtown was closed off to cars and full of people, I was remembering the most successful events that happen there annually: festivals, gallery crawls, concerts… and Doors Open Pittsburgh! Those events are catalyzers for a large number of people for a specific amount of time, but you cannot prevent yourself from thinking: What if Downtown was more pedestrian, in general? What if there was a possibility to create more Market Square kinds of places?

Friday night, after picking up our bibs at the runners’ expo, we were eating tacos at Bakersfield on Penn Ave. We were sitting outside and admiring the details of the buildings around us. Yes, yes, we are architects after all - we always look at buildings. But we were not alone that night. That stretch of Penn Avenue is a food center full of options to spend a great night in Downtown Pittsburgh. What if we could make Downtown Pittsburgh a place to have a great time at any time of the day, every day?