Wilkinsburg Walking Tour- Intervention Guide

"Space is the Simultaneity of Stories So Far"- Doreen Massey

Sponsored by the Year of Diversity initiative at the University of Pittsburgh this audio project is a digital interaction with the lived reality of residents of Wilkinsburg. Project conceived in collaboration with Aaron Henderson, Prof. of Studio Arts at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently in development seeking community partners, look for the guide in late spring.

Project Description: Every day people from the suburbs pass through Wilkinsburg, PA to get to their jobs in the city. They pass through, but they don’t stop. Wilkinsburg’s reputation within the greater Pittsburgh area is an area of violence, blight, and crime. Yet, there are lives of positivity lived on the streets of this urban suburb. The crime statistics have fallen in Wilkinsburg since 2010, but the narrative in the news about Wilkinsburg is always peppered by crime, violence, poverty, and race relations. This project’s goal is to add to the narratives of the space through the people who live there, adding human encounters and stories of the space that change the way we understand what Wilkinsburg is.The project, conceived as a digital walking tour that can be experienced online or in person through gps location tagging.