| Duquesne University is using its Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) New Directions grant to continue its past partnerships in the Hill District and develop newer partnerships in the Uptown area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Duquesne will assist the neighborhoods of the Hill District and Uptown, which are immediately adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh, PA, and Duquesne University. These neighborhoods are part of the Pittsburgh/Allegheny Enterprise Community.
Duquesne University is planning a wide variety of activities to help improve the surrounding neighborhoods. The COPC will address neighborhood issues such as housing, economic development, revitalization, and crime prevention. An honors seminar will introduce students to the realities of the two target neighborhoods and develop recommendations for future community involvement at Duquesne. Activities to provide community budget analysts to assist residents in forming recommendations for their community's budget, add more green spaces in the area, and help prevent crime are covered in Duquesne's efforts. This comprehensive project will reinforce other community-led revitalization efforts in the neighborhoods of Hill District and Uptown.
The areas of Hill District and Uptown are experiencing decline in many areas. The population in the Hill District is down 67 percent from its high in 1940, and the neighborhood lost 20 percent of its housing units over the same period. Educational attainment is also low--as of 1990, only 58 percent of the Hill District's residents had four years of high school, compared to the citywide average of 72 percent. Even more than the Hill District, Uptown has suffered a drastic loss of population (66 percent since 1940) and housing (61 percent since 1940), leaving many vacant building and lots. Both areas have a high percentage of children and elderly.
Despite the problems these two neighborhoods face, silver linings do exist. The Hill District has considerable assets such as an old, stable, and influential community service center, the Hill House Association, with its roots in a 19th century settlement house. The community service center remains active in community advocacy and residential organizations and partners with a well-staffed local development company. Many development projects have begun in the area such as residential restoration, privatizing of public housing, and commercial revitalization. Uptown, too, has its strengths. It is home to Duquesne University, Mercy Hospital, and numerous non-profit social agencies. Through the efforts of the Uptown Community Action Group, resources for a notable neighborhood revitalization effort including housing, public safety, commercial development, and beautification were initiated.
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