Community
This chapter focuses on the existing residents, employees, students, and visitors of the planning area with proposals for how they can be better served by the neighborhood.
About the Plan
The Homewood Community Development Collaborative, the Department of City Planning, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority developed the Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan in order to:
- Develop goals, recommendations, and implementation strategies to steer planning and development in Homewood for years to come
- Tie together previous planning efforts and establish a common vision and direction for Homewood
- Create a plan that serves as the basis for planning, activities, neighborhood design, and future investment
- Engage residents and stakeholders to prioritize community’s needs and desires
New! Implementation Tracker
Implementation of the Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan is underway. Follow along with the Progress Tracker to see how we are bringing the Vision Plan's projects, programs, and policies to life.
About the Neighborhood
In the early 20th century, changing industry and increasing growth beyond downtown led to the development of the Homewood community. The increased population needed transportation and a system of streetcar lines was constructed to connect the neighborhood to downtown. During the 1950s, Homewood experienced residential growth with displaced residents from the Lower Hill and Homewood to become one of Pittsburgh's largest African-American neighborhoods.
Homewood has a valuable ecosystem of dedicated community organizations and leaders who have worked to develop plans for parts of the neighborhood. The residents, stakeholders, and institutions of Homewood have worked to rebuild and envision a Homewood of the future. This planning process built off that foundation and establishes a common vision and direction for the Homewood community. This plan will aim to provide strategies that will increase housing, development, mobility, and infrastructure in an equitable way.
Vision Statement
Homewood will be an African-American cultural destination where people choose to live work, worship, and visit. It will be safe, green, healthy, and innovative. It will have quality schools. It will be a place that protects long-term and low-income residents and equips them to be engaged and informed.
Mission
The Mission of the plan is to incorporate the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) to craft strategies to transform Homewood into a desirable place to live, work, worship, and visit.
The Seven Principles:
Umoja (Unity)
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
Nia (Purpose)
Kuumba (Creativity)
Imani (Faith)
Chapters
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Development
This chapter establishes the agenda for physical change to a community whether that be through new buildings, commercial corridors, residential areas, etc. Creating new affordable housing and commercial opportunities can be addressed in this chapter.
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Mobility
This chapter focuses on how people get around and will typically include strategies for improving safety, reducing the negative impacts associated with traffic, and shifting trips from the planning area to more efficient and healthful modes of travel.
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Infrastructure
This chapter includes all non-transportation systems that nourish and maintain a community including how stormwater is handled, needs for open space, the energy systems that serve all buildings, and how waste is reduced and reused. There are many opportunities for these projects to meet multiple objectives.
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Implementation
The Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan articulates a vision that is comprehensive and intended to guide improvements to the neighborhood. Given the complexity of many of the proposed improvements, implementation of the Community Plan relies on a phasing strategy that prioritizes strategies easier to implement.
