Trip #738 Coyne Terrace, Greenfield, Pittsburgh, took place on April 20, 2022, and was published on June 10, 2022.
In Pittsburgh, you can have a patch of land, do absolutely nothing to it, and things will grow: grasses, scrubby trees, and plants that some call flowers and others call weeds. Natives and invasives will do battle, and all kinds of wildlife will stop by to see if it’s worthy of a home. In time, you may develop an appreciation for the natural landscape because it’s familiar and requires minimal care. But when we want to add a feature that is not naturally growing, like a flight of city steps, sidewalks, or retaining walls, allocating ongoing time and care is necessary. While we would all agree that personal property is the property owner’s responsibility, we sometimes think differently about city property. My thoughts aren’t meant to stir up debate about taxes and municipal responsibility but rather an invitation to think about the city features you use regularly and how invested you are in their upkeep and usefulness.
Field Notes: Greenfield is a very hilly neighborhood, and this flight of city steps connects to Winterburn Ave., which is one of the main streets cutting across the neighborhood. Despite being a bit careworn, it’s very stately, and the railing down the center is different from most other flights where the railings are on the sides. There’s also a walkway/sidewalk that leads from the dead-end of Coyne to the stairs.
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs and railings, and trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
