Welcome!

This is the EngagePGH site for the Oakland Plan. The Oakland Plan, adopted on June 14, 2022 by the Planning Commission, is presented on this website in an interactive format, with goals, policies and strategies organized by both chapter and topics. The intent of this format is to convey that the plan strategies are interconnected and that many of them are tied to multiple chapters.

There are three ways to find what you're looking for in the plan:

1. Browse the plan by chapter;
2. Browse the plan by topic; or
3. Review a map of the proposals for your part of Oakland.

View full plan as PDF document

Major Themes

The Oakland Plan was developed over 2.5 years, with thousands of Oakland employees and residents involved, so there's a lot to read and understand. Here are a few common themes that you'll see throughout the plan's proposals:

• Grow housing and job opportunities in Oakland. New housing is needed to meet a variety of long-term and undergraduate student resident demands. The employment base needs to grow to provide jobs that are available to everyone and coupled with workforce development efforts to create a ladder of opportunity.
• Increase livability through public and private investments in Oakland such as new and improved open spaces, expanded tree canopy, stormwater management systems, and supportive services.
• Reimagine mobility systems in Oakland to prioritize the comfort and safety of pedestrians including those with accessibility needs, transit riders, and cyclists.
• Acknowledge and address inequities for Black residents, students of all backgrounds in Oakland, and create a welcoming environment for the neighborhood’s growing immigrant and newcomer community.

Oakland is a globally important center of innovation, research, healthcare, and education, and a great place to live, work, learn, and play. Generations of newcomers have found – and continue to find – economic opportunities and community here. Oakland invests in and supports inclusive housing choices, protects and enhances residential areas, and meets the needs of people at every stage of their lives. Oakland provides equitable employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, fosters technological innovation, promotes collaborative civic and community engagement, and offers world-renowned cultural institutions, all served by accessible mobility systems -- resulting in a healthy, livable, and resilient neighborhood. It is also a beautiful place where historic structures and zero carbon buildings exist together in harmony, and it has a network of inviting parks and open spaces where people of all ages are welcome. Oakland's surrounding hillsides are blanketed with healthy trees and crisscrossed by trails. This is a community that cherishes its distinctive history and character, while acknowledging systemic inequities that have disadvantaged the Black community, immigrants, and students. Oakland is learning from the past to build a more just and equitable future for all.

Existing Conditions Report

One of the first major steps in the planning process is gathering data and existing conditions with the goal of helping the community and City planning team understand the issues and opportunities facing the community. The Existing Conditions Report for the Oakland Plan provides a common set of tools, baselines, and data for discussion during the neighborhood plan process, based on a variety of sources including the Census, market transactions, City and County data sources, site surveys, and analysis. Community members and participants will bring their own experiences, needs, history, and deeper understanding of many topics that data cannot fully address.

There are four Chapters of the Report:

• Chapter 1: Oakland the Neighborhood (24.7 MB)
• Chapter 2: Oakland the Workplace (21.5 MB)
• Chapter 3: Oakland the Destination (48.2 MB)
• Chapter 4: Urban Design and Development (157.4 MB)

Additionally, separate consultants developed the Mobility Existing Conditions Report in support of the Mobility Action Team. They were responsible for the collection of more detailed transportation data and supporting the development of mobility proposals for the plan.

Both of these documents, along with the Historic Architectural Inventory and map, Engagement Summary, and Workshop Report can be accessed using the links above and in the Appendix.

Adoption

Adoption is important for a multitude of reasons, such as:

• Development activities are evaluated for conformance with the adopted plan
• Direction on investment activities, particularly by public agencies
• Increased ability to apply for and receive grants

Important Note: The vision statement, goals, and policies are adopted by Planning Commission as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The projects, programs, and actions will be reviewed, but will not be formally adopted to ensure that the plan is a flexible document that can respond to changes over time.