A comprehensive plan is the expression of a holistic, community-wide vision of the city's future. This includes the creation of strategic goals, programs, policies, and actions to reach that vision.

Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Plan will advance the City’s vision to build a Pittsburgh that is safe, welcoming, and thriving for all our residents by following the principles of a Just Transition and climate justice frameworks. Read on for more information about these principles.

The city’s Comprehensive Plan will:

• Guide future development for all parts of the city.
• Provide the overall foundation for all land use regulation in the city by developing a map of future land uses.
• Consider the impact of physical and environmental conditions throughout the city (for example, topography, rivers, soil and air quality, etc.).
• Set a planning horizon of about 20 years, a duration in which we can reasonably anticipate economic and population growth while also avoiding the pitfalls of short-term thinking.
• Inform and substantiates the development decisions of City Council and other municipal leaders.

Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Plan, and subsequent policy recommendations, should be rooted in racial and social equity, climate justice, and the pillars of regenerative economies.

To achieve this, the City anticipates deep engagement through a community-led process, which will be coordinated by an engagement consultant team.

The City anticipates the planning process to be a two-year effort.

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It's home to roughly 300,000 people living in 90 neighborhoods within 58 square miles.

Pittsburgh has a storied and well-documented history of growth and prosperity, decline and collapse, and eventual rebound.

As the domestic steel industry collapsed, Pittsburgh faced widespread decline and population loss. However, over the past 30 years, Pittsburgh has diversified its economy, focusing on higher education, medical and life science industries, tourism, and technology sectors.

Before we look to the future, we need to acknowledge our past: from the legacy of heavy industry to the heavy-handed government policies that disrupted neighborhoods, displaced residents and contributed to the degradation of the region’s air, soil and water.

Today, Pittsburgh is a city that is both prosperous and unequal. The city faces an increase in its unhoused population, rents and house prices are increasing at a pace that threatens our status as an “affordable city,” and historically marginalized communities continue to experience high rates of poverty, environmental injustices, poor health outcomes, and unequal access to opportunity.

The foundational approach to Pittsburgh’s citywide comprehensive plan must adhere to climate justice and Just Transition principles.

“Just Transition” is a term that means a healthy economy and a clean environment can and should co-exist. The process for achieving this vision should be a fair one that should not cost workers or community residents their health, environment, jobs, or economic assets.

The City seeks to address the root causes and adapt to the effects of climate change, while simultaneously addressing a range of racial, social, and environmental injustices that continue to exist for many residents and communities throughout the city.

Racist land use policies and practices at the federal, state and municipal levels of government that targeted Black residents in many U.S. cities, including Pittsburgh, have left a legacy of spatial and economic segregation that has persisted through generations. Therefore, the foundational approach to Pittsburgh’s citywide Comprehensive Plan must adhere to climate justice and Just Transition principles.

This comprehensive planning process should not only strive to address past land-use failures but ensure every resident in every neighborhood sees themselves as part of the future prosperity of the city. For this reason, the city and its consultants working to develop this Plan will consider the interrelated impacts of cultural, social, environmental and economic factors on land use, zoning, and related policies proposed in the Plan.

The Pittsburgh Transition Report (2022) provides significant insight to the challenges facing the city.

Eight themes emerged from the transition report that add context to what the Comprehensive Plan will cover:

1. A Welcoming Community
2. A Safe City
3. Young People’s Plan
4. Economic Opportunity
5. A Connected City
6. Healthy Residents;
7. Aging in Place
8. Thriving Neighborhoods.

The following are examples of needs that incorporate future land use, climate action, scenario planning, and just and equitable future outcomes that will be considered for the Comprehensive Plan:

• Environmental Justice
• Climate Action
• Vacant Land
• Housing
• Technology & Digital Equity
• Historic Preservation
• Waste
• Stormwater Management
• Food
• Economic Opportunity
• Mobility & Transportation
• Neighborhood Planning
• Energy
• Parks & Open Space
• Youth
• Public Health
• Arts & Culture
• Urban Design
• Civic Engagement, Democracy & Participation