On the outskirts of Pittsburgh, a few remnants of the Pennsylvania city's bygone rust-belt era are still visible. When reporters pointed out the aging buildings from Pittsburgh's heavy industrial past to a cabbie shuttling them to the G20 summit taking place downtown, the driver replied: "That's what's left of it."
Pittsburgh, with a population of 315,000 that swells to more than 2 million with surrounding areas, was once the centerpiece of the US steel industry. The sports-crazed city's famous National Football League team calls itself the Steelers, who made their first run for glory by winning four championships in the 1970s, just as the steel industry was hit badly by hard times.
Although its reputation as "steel city" persists, Pittsburgh long ago shifted focus from metals to the burgeoning technology, finance and health-care sectors, a move that has helped it weather the recession that has devastated other urban areas that failed to catch on to the trend.
That's why President Barack Obama chose Pittsburgh to host the two-day summit of the world's 20 leading economies that began Thursday. He wanted to highlight the economically progressive thinking of the city's leadership, instead of cities like Detroit, which has been ravaged by the devastation of the US automotive industry.
"Those who subscribe to outdated views of your wonderful city may have been surprised by this decision," Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU Commission, told an audience Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh. "But I knew that Pittsburgh is an economic and civic success story that President Obama would wish to showcase for an international audience."
While most of the United States is suffering from the collapse of the housing market, which keyed the global recession through faulty loan practices that dried up credit, Pittsburgh's housing economy has been strong. "There are certainly people who have lost their jobs and fallen on hard times," said Jill Ciciarelli, a teacher who lives in the downtown area. "But we have not been as hard hit as other cities."
Signs of Pittsburgh's change over the last 30 years are everywhere. A main street that was once a porn district now houses a museum and art galleries. New restaurants and bars have popped up, as jobs have attracted younger people to a city that was long known as a place for the elderly generation.
Pittsburgh will also be getting a nice boost from Obama's decision to hold the summit here. Thousands of visitors have descended on the city for the event: leaders, cabinet members and armies of journalists and security personnel. At the same time, residents have to put up with roads jammed with traffic. A mere 2-kilometre trip on buses from the media pickup to the David L Lawrence Convention Centre took nearly an hour.
Downtown is littered with massive steel and cement barricades. Protesters marched downtown to send their message to the world's leaders. The largest one attracted about 2,000 people who attempted to march into the heart of the city. They were blocked by riot police who responded forcefully with tear gas and rubber bullets. There was scattered violence and broken shop windows in many parts of the city, and more than a dozen people were arrested.
The widespread street closures forced nearby businesses to keep their employees home Thursday and Friday. Bars and restaurants, usually teeming with people, closed early for lack of customers. Police outnumbered residents throughout much of the heart of the city, while the protests made many leery of what kind of attention the summit was bringing. "It's kind of scary, just seeing all the military, all the cops," said Jennifer Lory, a Pittsburgh native who works at a cafe.
"I don't understand why people are breaking stuff." One resident feared that, despite all the attention, the protests and the deserted feel in the cordoned off blocks downtown would give visitors the wrong impression. "It's a shame to see everything boarded up like this," Roger Lloyd, a tattoo artist and long-time resident, said. "Pittsburgh's really a beautiful city."
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