Steps of Pittsburgh

[1] The large number of steps are an engineering approach to the topography upon which the City of Pittsburgh is built.

According to author Martin Aurand, Pittsburgh "lies unevenly on unruly land".

The city is located at the confluence of two rivers which cut through elevated land of the Appalachian Plateau.

He located and documented 739 individual sets of steps, including 44,645 risers, accounting for 24,108 vertical feet.

The second edition, published by Globe Pequot, appeared in 2015 and contains updated content and photographs including a full Appendix that provides the location, steps count, and construction year for each flight.