By Melissa Reynolds

A generation ago, Pittsburgh stood as an iconic American steel-making giant with a thriving economy. As that economy started to crumble, though, the city had to pick up the pieces and find a way to make itself even stronger.

In its prime during the turn of the century, Pittsburgh produced as much or even more steel than the rest of the world combined, its furnaces constantly roaring along the city's rivers. However, in the 1980s, the industry was hit hard by cheap imports, poor management and labour upheavals, and eventually the industry that had defined the city reached its end.

Upon realizing that their previous way of life was dead, the citizens of Pittsburgh refused to give up. Avoiding a bailout from the federal government or federal intervention in the form of a takeover, local citizens found a new path.

What the city needed was a new economy and it was through a focus on education that they rebuilt. This commitment to education helped the city rise again with the city schools avoiding the collapse that faced other areas of the country. Today, Pittsburgh is one of a handful of cities that can boast two universities - Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh - thanks to the money and help from local citizens, Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Mellon.

Their focus on education, and the money it put back in the economy, resulted in an economy that leads in medical research, manufacturing, computer science and sports entertainment, with the two main industries being education and health care, two of the most resistant to economic downturns. With its University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC), Pittsburgh has one of the leading non-profit health systems in the U.S., comprised of more than 400 clinical locations, 20 hospitals and 50,000 employees.

While manufacturing has rebounded too, it's on a smaller scale than the large steel giants that sat by the river. The land now houses computer systems companies and metal fabrication plants.

The unemployment rate of the city sits at only 5.5%; housing prices are up as are wages, and foreclosure rates are comparatively uncommon. Where the rubble of ash and debris once sat, new houses now take its place, along with shopping malls. Pittsburgh can also boast medical and hospital research centers as well as arts and culture, and two major sports teams with the Steelers and Penguins.

New businesses and shops have drawn people to live in the condos near the water and in the neighbourhoods, smaller scale efforts by residents and business owners have helped not only maintain, but revitalize, communities.

A city that was once home to countless belching smokestacks, leading to its description as "hell with the lid off" (James Parton, 1868), Pittsburg is now considered to be one of the greenest in the country. It is home to 39 LEED-certified buildings, making it the 8th greenest city with over 11 million square feet of space in these buildings.

Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center, built on an old industrial site, is the world's first Gold LEED-certified convention center. The PNC Firstside Center, built on a former rail yard, is the nation's largest Silver LEED-certified commercial building, using 30% less energy than a traditional design.

These developments will likely continue, considering the support they get from the city. In 2007, the city council announced that green buildings are allowed to be 20 feet taller than non-green buildings, and a Green Council oversees Pittsburgh's five year plan for green development.

As perhaps a final stamp of approval, Pittsburgh was the most recent city to host the G20 summit last September, showcasing how a city can really come back from collapse.

If this is what a city looks like after an economic collapse, then many other cities should only be so lucky.