Along Penn Avenue, Liberty Avenue and the residential streets around them, Bloomfield, Garfield and Friendship reveal neighborhoods shaped by main streets, row houses, creative spaces and the people who keep remaking them.
This special edition zine gathers stories, photos and reflections from across the area, offering a closer look at the people and places that give these neighborhoods life.
Originally distributed in print throughout Bloomfield, Garfield and Friendship, we’re sharing it here so more neighbors and curious readers can explore what’s inside.
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Bloomfield, Friendship & Garfield stories
My mother grieved my transition. What if she’d had a chatbot?
I’m glad my mom didn’t have a chatbot in 2020. But I wrote the play “AURA” to explore how AI will change the way parents process queerness.
Bill to limit new short-term rentals in Pittsburgh stalls as planning commission awaits legal review
More than 30 people spoke before the City Planning Commission, largely favoring regulation of Airbnbs and their like, but a vote on new rules will have to wait.
On Penn Avenue, First Friday’s Unblurred vision peers into the future
Garfield’s arts crawl has grown from gallery walls into a network of bars, studios and street-level encounters. Nearby development hasn’t dulled the artists’ determination to enliven the neighborhood.
‘It’s not going to be the same.’ Back-to-school in Pittsburgh bittersweet ahead of closures.
With 12 schools set to shutter next year or beyond, PPS parents brace for different teachers, class-sizes and cultures from those they and their children have known.
Showdown over short-term rental rules in Pittsburgh looms
Both Pittsburgh City Council and the Planning Commission are expected to vote on proposed new rules for Airbnbs and the like after Labor Day. Operators worry that too much regulation could hurt tourism and livelihoods.
Landlord NRM faces health code violations, judgments and now a rent strike
The owner of scores of properties with hundreds of units has lost court cases involving failed heat, air conditioning and leaks. Now its tenants are getting organized.
Liberty Avenue shows how Bloomfield changed — and where it could go next
How shifting demographics, stalled development and new businesses are reshaping Bloomfield’s main corridor.
Recipe for a perfect farmers market a work in progress
It’s not just about the produce. Some farmers markets are increasingly selling community. For farmers, participation is not always an easy sell, and issues of standardization and resale are part of the landscape.
Update: PPS board rejects school closure, reconfiguration plan after 2 years of work
Just three PPS board members voted for the comprehensive proposal to address some of the district’s overcapacity and inequity issues by closing 12 schools across nine buildings.
O’Connor taps former commander as Pittsburgh police chief
Jason Lando was Zone 5 commander and led the response to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting during two decades as a Pittsburgh cop.
Cuts in funds for HIV services threaten medication access, outreach
Pittsburgh agencies are reducing staff and programming, as Pennsylvania officials say cuts and changes in eligibility for pharmaceutical benefits are driven by stagnant federal funding and rising need.
A writers club for older adults soothed my grief as we’ve ‘ranted, raved and wrangled’ with aging
A haiku sparked the formation of the Now or Never Writers Group, and now we challenge ourselves with pantoums, villanelles limericks, free verse — and the occasional Irish whiskey cocktail.
Three maps that explain Pittsburgh’s homeownership geography
While homeownership remains the norm around Pittsburgh’s edges, renting is increasingly prevalent in most neighborhoods. In pockets including Homewood and Uptown, vacancy is stubbornly high.
‘A really steep lift’: Pittsburghers in their 20s and 30s find homeownership less and less attainable
Student debt, rising costs, aging homes and corporate buyers are colliding and making it harder for younger Pittsburghers to buy their first homes.
Gainey inclusionary zoning plan gets hearing, with vote possible this month
Nearly 100 people signed up to praise or pan “IZ,” which would require some affordable housing in new residential developments of 20 units or more citywide.
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