Episode Details

oneBURGH speaks with Pittsburgh author Laura Zurowski, co-author of City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide, about the historic stairways woven into the city’s neighborhoods.

Zurowski explains how the steps once connected working families to jobs, schools and neighborhood shops. She shares the story of Rising Main in Fineview—more than 330 steps above the vanished East Street Valley, now beneath I-279—and points listeners to the City Archives and local libraries for exploring Pittsburgh’s past.

The conversation also covers Pittsburgh’s industrial history, population loss and Zurowski’s next book, Outdoor Pittsburgh, about the city’s parks, playgrounds and trails. Plus: the old-school workout and why city steps remain one of Pittsburgh’s best ways to explore the city.