In 1975 the air in Pittsburgh could ruin a white shirt by lunchtime. Today the same blocks house robotics labs and AI startups.
The transformation didn't happen by accident, and it didn't happen quickly. It took fifty years, two generations, and a willingness to bet on brains when the brawn ran out.
The university effect
Carnegie Mellon and Pitt became the engines of the new economy, spinning off companies and keeping young talent in town. Where the mills once anchored neighborhoods, campuses and hospitals now do.
It is not a finished story. But it is, undeniably, a comeback.