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Investigating a Site

This page provides guidance in investigating a building site or a neighborhood for an architectural or urban design project. It focuses on Pittsburgh sites and resources, but similar resources may exist for sites in other municipalities.

• Climate Data
• Demographic Data
• History
• Maps
• Zoning
• Community Planning and Development

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Climate Data

• BestPlaces.net: Climate Profiles
  A user-friendly source for weather data, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, for U.S. and worldwide locations.

• Comparative Climatic Data for the United States (Northeast Regional Climate Center)

• Pennsylvania State Climatologist
  Climate data for Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania locations. See "City" section.

• Sun Chart Program (University of Oregon)
  Produce sun angle charts for any U.S. location. Read the About Sun Charts link for background information.
  For a Pittsburgh, enter zip code, or latitude (40 degrees) and longitude (-80 degrees), and solar time zone (-5h).

• U.S. Naval Observatory Data Services
  A wide variety of sun and moon data.
  

• Weather America: A Thirty-Year Summary of Statistical Weather Data and Rankings: The Latest Detailed Climatological Data for Over 4,000 Places--With Rankings. Lakeville, Conn.: Grey House Publishing, 2000.
  HUNT REF-1 QC083 .W385 2000

• Wind Rose Data (Natural Resources Conservation Center)
  Month-by-month wind data for numerous U.S. locations including Pittsburgh.

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Demographic Data

• Pennsylvania State Data Center
  The Commonwealth's official source of demographic and economic data. Select "Data and Information." Includes municipal and county profiles.

• Population, Social, Economic & Housing Data By Neighborhood, 1940 to 1990. 3 vols. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Dept. of City Planning, 1994.
  HUNT REF-1 304.6097488 P6923
  Most recent available data for the City of Pittburgh and its neighborhoods, based on the 1990 census.

• U.S. Census Bureau Data Access Tools
  Includes various tools to extract data from the 1990 census and other more recent data sources by zip code, municipality, and county. See especially "Censtats," "Map Stats," and "1990 Decennial Census Lookup," which you can use to produce customized reports.

• Woodwell, James R. The Social Geography of Allegheny County: Social, Economic, and Demographic Indicators for Allegheny County Municipalities and Pittsburgh City Neighborhoods. 4 vols. Pittsburgh: University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 304.6097488 W91S
  Most recent available data for the Allegheny County and its municipalities, based on the 1990 census.

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History

• Carnegie Mellon University Architecture Archives

• Historic Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh and Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania)
  Digital collection of books, maps, photographs, etc.
  

• Pennsylvania Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

• Library and Archives, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

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Maps

• City of Pittsburgh Maps
  Online access to a variety of City of Pittsburgh maps including neighborhoods, parks, and most importantly, the "Pittsburgh Grid Maps" (Lot-Block, Topographic, and Zoning). The topographic maps include building footprints.

• Google Earth

• Hillman Library Map Collection (University of Pittsburgh)
  The best collection in town including a complete set of United State Geological Survey (USGS) maps and GIS resources.

• Hunt Library Map Collections (Carnegie Mellon)
  
  • Arts and Special Collections
    HUNT DESK-ARC-4
    A small collection of Pittsburgh-area maps, especially for the campus and the surrounding areas. Ask at the Arts Reference desk on the fourth floor.
  • Hunt Reference
    HUNT REF-1
    A small collection of United State Geological Survey (USGS) maps and census tract maps. Ask at the Hunt Reference desk on the first floor.

• Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access
  Includes free source of USGS 1:24K topographical maps (DRGs) for all areas of Pennsylvania among other resources.

• Plat maps / Fire insurance maps
  These maps were published in book format since the 1870's, most by G. M. Hopkins and the Sanborn Map Company. They usually show the names of property owners, street addresses, and dimensions for individual properties; and show footprints, building materials, and number of stories for buildings. They were republished periodically; thus a comparison of volumes for the same area shows development over time.
  • Historic Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh and Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania)
    Site includes online access to many G. M. Hopkins maps for Pittsburgh.
  • Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Hunt Library)
    Sanborn maps on microfilm.

• USGS Maps and Aerial Photo Images Online
  Online sources for United State Geological Survey (USGS) maps, aerial photographs (satellite images), etc.

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Zoning

Zoning laws specify how the property within municipalities may be utilized. Zoning resources for the City of Pittsburgh:

• City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code
  

• City of Pittsburgh Maps
  See the "Pittsburgh Grid Maps" to find zoning maps for a particular area.

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Community Planning and Development

• Community Development Corporations (Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development)
  Contact the Community Development Corporation for the neighborhood that you are researching to find out about planning and development initiatives.

• Comprehensive Planning Reports (City of Pittsburgh)
  Recent important City of Pittsburgh planning reports online. Older planning reports for the City of Pittsburgh and various Allegheny County municipalities may be found in Hunt Library via Cameo.

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Proquest Direct
  Search for recent articles about the neighborhood you are researching in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper.