The way John Fetterman sees it, there are two Braddocks.

Mr. Fetterman, the borough mayor, said those two Braddocks are illustrated by two different spellings.

There is B-R-A-D-D-O-C-K, which the mayor describes as formerly prosperous. That Braddock, which he calls the "O-C-K," is embodied by the older residents, those who remember Braddock's heyday, when the town's Braddock Avenue was loaded with shops and shoppers. They are the same residents he now describes as hiding behind locked doors, afraid of the younger people who have nothing to do but hang out on the street corners.

It's those younger people who belong to the other Braddock, the one Mr. Fetterman refers to as "B-R-A-D-D-O-C-C", or the "O-C-C." That is the underground spelling for the borough, which, he said, acknowledges an allegiance that many of the younger residents there have with the Crips gang.

Mr. Fetterman has spent the last few years working in social services with disaffected young men in Braddock.

Now, as mayor, he is putting effort into trying to rebuild the borough, and, while other, more senior elected officials have tried to bring businesses to the borough, Mr. Fetterman is turning to something new. It is an Internet campaign designed to attract artists and gallery owners.

With his own money, he has created a Web site about the borough. It is reachable at either http://www.braddocc.com or http://www.15104.cc, Each Web address acknowledges Mr. Fetterman's O-C-C in the address. The second address is Braddock's zip code, which is also tattooed on Mr. Fetterman's forearm.

When it comes to Braddock, Mr. Fetterman has the zealousness of a recent convert. Though he grew up in York, Pa., he bought a Braddock warehouse two years ago and has converted it to his home. He became mayor after he won a three-candidate Democratic primary by one vote and did not have to face a Republican in the fall.

Now he wants to bring back the town, not to its former glory, but to something new.

The home page for his Web site shows the two spellings for the borough and the phrase "Destruction breeds creation. Create amidst destruction."

There is a description of Braddock on the site: "A flourishing city of 20,000 residents. Home to Andrew Carnegie's first steel mill and free library. Wealth, amenities, expansive shopping district, dozens of churches, movie theaters, furniture stores, breweries, schools."

There is also a description of "Braddocc": "a malignantly beautiful town of 2,500 residents. Unofficially renamed by dropping the 'k' for a 'c' by young and disenfranchised for its Crip allegiance. Still home to Carnegie's first steel mill and free library. No movie theaters. No furniture stores. No breweries. No schools. ... No hope?"

Then there is the challenge he calls the "Battle of Braddocc": "Could Braddock's remaining assets be leveraged by new ideas, energy, individuals to spark a cultural and economic revolution?" He calls Braddock "an unparalleled opportunity for the urban pioneer, artist or misfit, to be a part of a new, experimental effort."

The mayor put up the Web site without talking to the members of borough council.

"It's not like it's a big secret that Braddock has plenty of problems," Mr. Fetterman said. "If you don't appreciate the site, it's not for you."

Council Vice President Matthew Thomas said he was unaware of the Web site. He said he was fine with the idea of the mayor bringing in people to bring back Braddock, but he doesn't like the implications of the notion that there are two Braddocks.

"It's not in ruins," Mr. Thomas said of his borough. He said what the borough needs is a more visible police presence to discourage loitering.

Cathy Hanza, a longtime resident, who would be described by Mr. Fetterman as part of the O-C-K, said she is glad to see the new mayor up at the corner of Camp and Second avenues, talking to the young people, and she welcomes a Web site that would bring people into the borough.

Former councilwoman Evelyn Benzo said she also appreciates Mr. Fetterman's dedication to the borough.

There are obvious inaccuracies in the site. Braddock still has Good Shepherd School and the 4 Kids Early Learning Center, which houses a kindergarten. The borough also has a few stores that sell furniture, just not new furniture.

Regardless, Mr. Fetterman believes artists will start the process of redevelopment. His Web site lists the old Oringer Furniture Building, which was recently vacated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, as a possible location for artists' studios.

He points to the resurgence that Lawrenceville experienced once it was discovered by artists and new galleries began to open. He said this is a new direction for the borough that hasn't been tried before.

"I'm open for alternative suggestions," he said. "What's been tried for the past decades hasn't been working."