Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

paulgraham.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

221–230 of 367 posts

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#221

Post by beatpanda »

imissmyjuno wrote: post #207
beatpanda wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PG was wrong to say that you cannot be too strict about historic preservation because it leads to the exact problem we have in SF right now -- there is no physical reason this city can't be more dense and remain beautiful (look at Paris for an example of how this might be possible), but there are many, many political reasons.

Can you elaborate on Paris? It was my impression it was full of historical buildings and is expanding outwards, which isn't an option for SF.

I'm mainly just talking about the density -- many more people fit into less space than in San Francisco. And its both an option for us to build up, and build in -- we could close down some of our wider car-oriented streets and build walking/biking oriented roads.

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#222

Post by brandonmenc »

pesenti wrote: post #197

I bootstrapped a company in Pittsburgh in 2000 (the founders all came from CMU - I am from France originally) with a good exit in 2012. When I moved there the food scene was nonexistent and people in the US still perceived Pittsburgh as a bad place to be (e.g., a lady I met in CA responded with "Oh I am so sorry" when I told her I was living in Pittsburgh). CMU also didn't really understand startups - we were the fir…

> people in the US still perceived Pittsburgh as a bad place

They still do.

I'm originally from the area and when I mention this everyone thinks I come from either a Deliverance-like backwoods or a bombed-out Detroit-style factory town.

No one takes me seriously when I call it The Paris of Appalachia.

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#223

Post by _delirium »

abalashov wrote: post #214
_delirium wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a "downtownish" area of Atlanta, Midtown is really the place to look, a little over a mile north of the official Downtown. It has a lot more residents and consistent pedestrian traffic. I lived there for a few years in the 2000s and it felt very bustling to me. I almost never drove anywhere either. Now, Downtown Atlanta is often crowded, but it's basically a giant convention center, so it depends on when…

You're not Delirium from K5, are you?

Hah, guilty as charged. I take it you're also an ex-kuron?

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#224

Post by imissmyjuno »

throwaway3724 wrote: post #130
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The horror is when such people use their biased views to impose un-American legislation to strip rights and freedoms from other people because it satisfies their fear of anyone who thinks differently than themselves. Texas has an established track record in this domain.

Remind me when the good people of Dallas stripped the rights and freedoms of any people, besides banning fracking in 2013? For god's sake, they passed a law prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity/sexual orientation in 2002. That's 10 years before Barack Obama realized that same-sex marriage was a fundamental American right.

I dunno man, I can't say any of this reads as encouraging: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Texas

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#225

Post by [deleted] »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #122
throwaway3724 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you sure sound open minded. If by open minded we mean writing off 26 million people because they live in a geographical area that's different than yours (and perhaps hold religious views, "quelle horreur!"). But what you really mean by "open minded" is "votes for Democratic politicians". And lucky for you, Dallas (just like all of those other bastions of conservativism, San Antonio and Houston) has a mayor who…

The horror is when such people use their biased views to impose un-American legislation to strip rights and freedoms from other people because it satisfies their fear of anyone who thinks differently than themselves. Texas has an established track record in this domain.

[deleted]

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#226

Post by reneherse »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #142
L_Rahman wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To everyone proposing places like Nashville and Dallas - do you have any idea what it's like being a not-white person outside of the major coastal cities? It's a miserable experience. You go from seeing a lot of people who look like you in the industry of your choice, to being one of a token few. Food and grocery options go from omnipresent to something you have to hunt down. The way you lead your life goes from some…

Nashville is less white than Seattle. And Seattle seems to be doing pretty well.

However, from the perspective of having lived here for two years, Nashville neighborhoods (and social activities/nightlife) are highly segregated. The normal everyday full-spectrum multicultural mix that you tend to find in other cities simply doesn't exist here, IME.

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#228

Post by lintroller »

brandonmenc wrote: post #222
pesenti wrote: post #197

I bootstrapped a company in Pittsburgh in 2000 (the founders all came from CMU - I am from France originally) with a good exit in 2012. When I moved there the food scene was nonexistent and people in the US still perceived Pittsburgh as a bad place to be (e.g., a lady I met in CA responded with "Oh I am so sorry" when I told her I was living in Pittsburgh). CMU also didn't really understand startups - we were the fir…

> people in the US still perceived Pittsburgh as a bad place They still do. I'm originally from the area and when I mention this everyone thinks I come from either a Deliverance-like backwoods or a bombed-out Detroit-style factory town. No one takes me seriously when I call it The Paris of Appalachia.

Because even if it is "the Paris of Appalachia", it's still Appalachia. I'm sure the city has made great strides but the outside perception is still negative.

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#229

Post by abalone »

wbl wrote: post #178
timr wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. San Francisco no longer has marginal spaces -- every conceivable inch of it has been claimed, developed, and/or bid into the stratosphere. And it has nothing to do with "NIMBYs" or lack of development. It's a tiny, tiny patch of land, all of the build-able portions of which have been speculated upon since the early 20th century. This is important, because while cafes and universities and whatnot are important, y…

Actually, much of the city isn't a city but a suburb. If you stand on Twin Peaks looking south, you will not see a single part denser than New Jersey. There is plenty of room above SF that is not used.

That is an excellent point, however, part of the reason those areas are not as densely developed is that the transportation infrastructure sucks.

And how to fix it? It takes a long time and a lot of investment to improve public transport, but it's challenging when the need for it is driven by short-term boom-bust tech "bubble" cycles. Makes it harder for the city to invest when demand might go poof in a year.

Re: How to Make Pittsburgh a Startup Hub

#230

Post by abalone »

beatpanda wrote: post #179
timr wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. San Francisco no longer has marginal spaces -- every conceivable inch of it has been claimed, developed, and/or bid into the stratosphere. And it has nothing to do with "NIMBYs" or lack of development. It's a tiny, tiny patch of land, all of the build-able portions of which have been speculated upon since the early 20th century. This is important, because while cafes and universities and whatnot are important, y…

PG was wrong to say that you cannot be too strict about historic preservation because it leads to the exact problem we have in SF right now -- there is no physical reason this city can't be more dense and remain beautiful (look at Paris for an example of how this might be possible), but there are many, many political reasons.

There are also economic reasons. Parisian density is only possible with a great underground transportation system. That's hugely expensive to build and takes decades. SF has traditionally been a boomtown economy with corresponding bust cycles, so it's harder to make those kinds of investments. They are happening (e.g. the Chinatown extension) but more conservatively.
Post reply on HN