The G-20 economic summit held last week in Pittsburgh was a mixed bag, with positive publicity on the one hand and tens of millions of dollars in security expenses and inconvenience for hundreds of thousands of people on the other. But, even considering the moderate damage caused by protesters, the net result of holding the global summit in Pittsburgh should be positive.

The G-20 was preceeded by weeks of debate about whether hosting the economic summit would be worth all the trouble and expense. And there were reports that one or more cities in the U.S. turned down the opportunity to host the G-20 before Pittsburgh was offered the assignment by the Obama administration.

Still, the international coverage of Pittsburgh will help dispel the old image of the city as a smoke-filled factory town. The national TV coverage that accompanies Monday Night Football is nice, but a few seconds of video footage of the city's skyline cannot compete with the hundreds of stories done by journalists from around the world who were in Pittsburgh for G-20 coverage.

Prior to the start of the actual summit discussions, journalists were filing stories about the setting and answering the near-universal question, "Why Pittsburgh?"

Pittsburgh rightly is proud of its ability to survive the collapse of the domestic steel industry 30 years ago. And the transformation of the city's economy to one rooted in education, health care, financial services, life sciences and robotics makes for good press coverage.

Still, even Pittsburgh's boosters admit that that is not the whole story. The city still has serious problems.

Even if the population drain of the past 25 years has slowed, or even stopped, as some reports indicated, the city has not found a way to fuel real dynamic growth. The "brain drain" that sees the vast majority of college and graduate school students in the area leave for job opportunities elsewhere still vexes local development officials.

The city and region are largely white and older, but a healthy future requires more young people and a more vibrant immigrant community.

And, anyone looking beyond the postcard images of the city will know that crime remains a problem and the city's financial situation, while somewhat improved in recent years, still is not good — particularly considering the burden of unfunded pension liabilities for government workers.

Still, accepting all the not-so-wonderful realities, Pittsburgh still has plenty to boast about. It's transformation is something that other Rust Belt cities envy.

Countless visitors to the city, coming here for business, for a sports event or to visit relatives, proclaim "I had no idea" when they catch their first glimpses of the city. And, that's the hope behind supporters of the G-20 hoopla.

Once people discard the "smoky city image" and actually experience the city, they find things they like — such as the dramatic views featuring steep hillsides, rivers and bridges. They also notice the spectacular architecture (both old and new) and the distinctive characteristics of the city's many neighborhoods.

Another plus that quickly becomes evident is that the city's smaller size offers many of the cultural advantages of larger cities, but with far fewer traffic hassles. The friendly people of Pittsburgh, much like those throughout Western Pennsylvania, are considered another of the city's assets.

It's worth noting that the city's image problem is not something that is only an issue for people from Europe or Asia. There are people living in New York, Dallas, Miami and Seattle who still think of Pittsburgh as sooty, or dominated by rusting old steel mills and with no cultural or natural charms.

So, when the banner greeting G-20 attendees and journalists says "Pittsburgh Welcomes the World," the message is not only to visitors from London, Berlin and Tokyo, but also to those from Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York.

Because the G-20 is a big deal and is followed in many parts of the world, the stories and images sent back home by the 2,000 members of the foreign media should help change the image people have when they hear the name Pittsburgh.

Most of the press last week was positive, but there still were those who remained unimpressed. For instance, the Los Angeles Times featured the derisive headline, "With G-20, Pittsburgh gets its 15 minutes," referring to native son, pop artist Andy Warhol's famous quote.

Still, all things considered, Pittsburgh made the right decision in agreeing to accept the financial burdens and security hassles of hosting the G-20 in exchange for a chance to show the world its remarkable, if incomplete, story of transformation.