Radio Golf

Harmond Wilks initially views the redevelopment of Pittsburgh’s Hill District as a way to modernize the area and boost its economy. The Hill District is in decline, and his vision includes upscale businesses like Starbucks and Whole Foods: “We’re going to redevelop this whole area. We’ll get the Hill District growing so fast, people from all over will start moving back” (21). It does not occur to him to ask who will benefit from this revitalized local economy, and he is initially naïve about the degree to which his plan prioritizes commercial interests over the needs of the community. When Sterling, who serves as the play’s conscience, asks Harmond whether he plans to be a mayor for Black people or for white people, Harmond replies, “both”: He believes that the redevelopment of the Hill District will benefit everyone equally, and he does not yet see that it represents a transfer of wealth from longtime Black residents to white-owned corporations and the wealthier, white newcomers who will displace Black residents as rents inevitably rise. When Joe asks about adding lights to the local football field, Harmond responds: “We’re going to put a golf driving range up there” (22). This highlights his detachment from the community’s needs: Harmond chooses to prioritize golf, a sport historically associated with privilege, over football, a game that children in the neighborhood actually play.

Joe Barlow embodies the human cost of urban redevelopment. As the rightful owner of the house at 1839 Wylie Avenue, he becomes a victim of Harmond and Roosevelt’s project. He is initially dismissed as a crazy old man, but he insists the house is his and paints it for his daughter to move in. Harmond and Roosevelt maintain that the house was abandoned and that Joe no longer owns it. However, Joe’s claims are eventually proven true: The required public notice was never published, making the sale of the house illegal. This discovery forces Harmond to confront the moral implications of his plan: “Bedford Hills acquired 1839 Wylie illegally. It bought it from me, but I didn’t own it […] That’s corruption” (70). Harmond then files an injunction to halt the house’s demolition, sacrificing his career and political aspirations to stand for justice. Over the course of the play, Harmond comes to understand the unequal impacts of urban redevelopment, and he becomes a defender of Joe’s rights and the history of the Hill District.

Sterling is the play’s moral compass. He challenges the ethical implications of redevelopment and defends Joe, stating, “You just can’t tear down the man’s house. That’s the kind of shit they did to the Indians” (51). He draws a parallel between the displacement of Indigenous people and the gentrification of Black communities, critiquing the injustices of urban development.

Through these characters, Radio Golf explores the moral implications of urban development. Wilson challenges the audience to reflect on who benefits from redevelopment and at what cost.