ReTool explores tactics that people employ to make ends meet in economically depressed cities. We are currently interviewing individuals involved in cottage industries; jitney services; yard sales; DIY culture; urban gardening; and work exchanges. We seek out all types of informal exchange - from tradesmen who swap a plumbing repair for an oil change, to the hawker scalping baseball tickets outside the stadium and the grandmother selling homemade pies at the church bazaar.

Due to economic decline in cities such as Pittsburgh, residents formerly employed by industry have had to find new strategies to make ends meet. Many urban-dwellers settle on a combination of legitimate and under-the-table transactions out of simple necessity and as a matter of convenience. Others make a conscious effort to distance themselves from the mainstream, commercial economy. Post-industrial cities offer a wealth of under-utilized resources and abandoned infrastructure. This is particularly fertile ground for those interested in nurturing alternative social networks.

ReTool aims to reveal the ingenuity involved in ‘making do.’ By focusing on informal, localized economies, we bring attention to the transformative potential of individual and community action. This project is informed by the work of economist EF Schumacher, and theories of community-based and participatory economics.

ReTool points to the cracks and folds in the system where new social arrangements can take root and grow. We hope our research will inspire others; promote economies that prioritize people and the environment; and present alternatives to unsustainable consumer culture.