Pittsburgh looks for neighborhood-focused sustainability and solutions at EcoDistricts Summit

Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday laid out Pittsburgh’s aspirations to be a leader in embracing ideas of equity, resilience and climate protection. 

“For decades, we wanted to be the example of a post-industrial city,” Peduto said at the 10th annual EcoDistricts Summit. “We’ve broken from that. Today, we want to be the model of a 21st century city. We want to be able to recognize that we did get past those challenges of generations ago, but we have a whole series of challenges we face today.” 

EcoDistricts, a Portland-based nonprofit focused on building sustainable cities, awarded Pittsburgh with a CityMakers Award for its dedication to incorporating the EcoDistricts Protocol into city planning. Pittsburgh’s first project to adopt that protocol was the creation of the EcoInnovation District in the Uptown neighborhood. The district focuses on community revitalization while improving the environment, job growth and support for residents.

This week the city released the Neighborhood Plan Guide, which outlines how the EcoDistricts framework will merge with the city’s goals. The public can review and comment on the draft of the guide through December 12.

At the summit, Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald explained how far the Pittsburgh-area has come since dramatic population loss and high unemployment following the collapse of the steel industry. 

When asked how the city is dealing with gentrification, Peduto referenced the creation of the $10 million yearly Housing Opportunity Fund, made possible with an increase to the real estate transfer tax. He also highlighted a goal to keep the vacancy rate of new development from 10% to 15%, in order to ensure there’s room for lower-cost housing.

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