The location which is now "Crawford Square" was an elevated slope about one mile (1.6 km) east of the original city of Pittsburgh.
In 1900, 321,616 residents were counted, including a group of Jews who had constructed the first synagogue (now demolished and replaced) near Elm Street.
By the early 20th century the Hill District's Jewish presence became less prominent as the neighborhood became a hub for African-American culture.
[3] Although the Hill District was known for its rich culture and diversity of residents (Jews and other ethnic groups remained a fixture of the neighborhood), Pittsburgh authorities began to see its density, proximity to downtown, and high proportion of African Americans as reason to target the district for "slum clearance.
The verbal and written condemnation of such African-American-dominated neighborhoods was a common occurrence as a post-industrial response to changing demographics and deteriorating urban environments in North American cities.
Community opposition, financial constraints, and local leaders’ decisions led to a halt in development of the cleared land.
[4] The cleared land languished for decades and became what could be described as an urban wasteland— the vacant lots became overgrown with only a few scattered structures remaining.
Although Crawford Square was explicitly planned as a New Urbanist community, several key aspects of its design seem to contradict the goals of New Urbanism.
The principles of New Urbanism call for higher densities, mixed uses, pedestrian accessibility, public transit, and the protection of natural environments—all in contrast to the sprawling suburbs of the American landscape.
Crawford Square achieves mixed-use of land by incorporating public parks and community spaces, but it contains no commercial activity at all.
It also was specifically design to exclude any semi-private or "no-man's-land" spaces that were characteristic of mid-century housing projects and criticized strongly by notable authors such as Jane Jacobs.
[9] Perhaps because of the inclusion of safety features crime statistics from 2003, three years after the project was completed, show an encouraging trend.
[11] Crawford Square replaced some noteworthy local establishments which had at one time fulfilled the needs or desires of people who lived in the city.