revised 1+3

The Hill’s elevation and centrality should be utilized to create a cultural focal point and a view point outward to stitch together the collage that is the city of Pittsburgh.

Historically as well as currently, the Hill has been a predominantly black neighborhood, and racial discrimination has contributed to its isolation and invisibility. A communal site on the Hill would encourage integration while maintaining African American dignity; not taking the Hill away but empowering the community by highlighting the treasure that is the Hill. Rather than creating a center only for black culture (which already exists as the August Wilson Center), it is necessary to incorporate the African American population as an integral component of the Pittsburgh cultural collage, and thus diffuse and connect that appreciation to the rest of Pittsburgh.