The mayor of Pittsburgh has dropped a controversial

The mayor of Pittsburgh has dropped a controversial $480 million downtown redevelopment project called Market Place that would have gutted or razed 61 buildings and displaced up to 125 existing businesses. Mayor Tom Murphy has appointed a task force to look at an alternative development plan. Market Place was strongly opposed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The project would have created a large retail development that respected the city block and street network (see article on page 3 of the July/August 2000 issue).