What are goals?

Goals are long-term outcomes that organizations and the City of Pittsburgh will work towards by taking action on policies, projects, and programs. Goals are aspirational in nature and express the neighborhood's collective desires and values for various topics in the plan. Compared to the policies in the section below, goals can encompass many different ideas and desires whereas policies focus on one specific topic. The goals below are organized as specified in the City's Neighborhood Plan Guide.

C1. Community programs and livability

• C1.C Neighborhood of choice. Excellent access to healthcare, educational opportunities, entertainment, and cultural resources make Oakland uniquely desirable for people at all stages of life.

C3. Public art

• C3.A Public art around every corner. Public art of all forms is found throughout Oakland to enhance the experience of living in, working in, and visiting Oakland. Art and design should be integrated into all private and public investments.

C5. Public facilities and services

• C5.A Design places for children. All spaces should take into consideration the needs of Oakland’s children and their caretakers.
• C5.B Recreation and community facilities. Facilities that support community gatherings and recreation are present throughout Oakland.

C6. Public health

• C6.B Healthy spaces. Private and public investments in commercial and residential areas are leveraged to make the neighborhood more healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable. Open spaces and pedestrian connections should be designed to host exercise activities, sanitary facilities, and community programming.

D1. Land use policy and regulations

• D1.B Land use addresses community needs. The use of private and public land, including the rights-of-way, consider the needs of current and future Oaklanders.
• D1.C Framework to provide community amenities. Incentives, requirements, and policies work together to target amenities to specific parts of the neighborhood where they are needed most.

D2. Urban sustainable design

• D2.B Prioritizing green. Buildings in all areas of Oakland incorporate green features to improve the comfort and livability of Oakland for people and other animals.

D5. Transit oriented development and commercial corridors and nodes

• D5.A Vibrant commercial corridors. Development on commercial corridors provides healthy and safe pedestrian experiences with inviting public realm improvements, open spaces, and complementary ground floor uses that serve the broader community and integrate with transit services.

I1. Stormwater management

• I1.A Manage stormwater effectively to mitigate downstream impacts. Encourage innovative and site-specific stormwater management techniques to mitigate flooding, ease the burden on sewer systems, reduce landslide and erosion risk, restore habitat, and improve the urban landscape.

I2. Open space

• I2.A View hillsides as open space. Make use of hillsides as open space amenities that also manage invasive species and reduce landslide risk.
• I2.B Open space network. Parks and other open spaces are located throughout Oakland and provide enriching experiences. Together open spaces form a network that create connections between parts of the neighborhood and to surrounding areas.

I5. Tree canopy

• I5.A Community building through neighborhood greening. Oakland's institutions, non-profit organizations, businesses, students and residents work together to build up community initiatives that connect people while making the neighborhood more sustainable, healthy, and equitable.
• I5.C Value trees as infrastructure. Preserve existing trees and plant new trees to bring their benefits to all parts of Oakland. Collaborate on tree maintenance to support their continued health and function.
• I5.D Access to trees. Expand access to urban trees and their benefits for all Oakland residents.

I6. Habitat restoration

• I6.A Biophilic design. Nature and natural spaces are integrated throughout Oakland to improve people’s physical and mental health, fitness, and wellbeing.
• I6.B Diversify landscapes. The public sector, institutions, developers, and property owners collaborate to improve the permeability of landscapes and increase biodiversity.

I8. Urban agriculture

• I8.A Grow food in the neighborhood. Consistent with Oakland’s immigrant history, food gardens are integrated into residential areas to improve access to healthy food options as well as the fitness benefits of gardening.
• I8.B Local food networks. Regionally grown food is served in Oakland’s restaurants and used to make food-based products through innovative collaborations and partnerships.

I9. Air

• I9.A Air policy advocacy. Institutions, non-profits, and residents, including students, work together to advocate for better air quality both as a quality of life issue and as one that impacts the economic development of Oakland and Pittsburgh.
• I9.B Improve air quality. Trees, open spaces, and other greening efforts measurably improve neighborhood air quality, with species chosen in part based on their ability to remove pollutants from the air.

What are policies?

Policies set a preferred direction and describe what must be done to achieve the goals in the section above. Where goals can have many elements that relate to a central theme, policies should have one clear focus. They are specific enough that future projects can be assessed to determine if they would advance the values in the plan or run counter to them. Along with the vision statement, and goals, policies are formally adopted by the City's Planning Commission. The policies below are organized as specified in the City's Neighborhood Plan Guide.

C3. Public art

• Increase art installations throughout Oakland. Public and private investments incorporate art into public spaces, buildings, and infrastructure.

C5. Public facilities and services

• Invest in community and recreational facilities. Increase the number of public facilities, including open spaces, recreation centers, and other facilities to ensure adequate services are provided to the neighborhood.
• Design public facilities for diverse ages and abilities. Ensure open spaces, and sport and recreational facilities are nearby and accessible for all residents of Oakland, particularly seniors, children and their caretakers, and the disability community.

C6. Public health

• Center universal design. Ensure design is friendly to all ages and supports a universally designed, age-in-place neighborhood. Reinforce this built experience with health and supportive services such as case management support, mental health resources, health programming and education.

D1. Land use policy and regulations

• Limit development on hillsides. Avoid new development activities in environmentally sensitive areas such as landslide prone and steeply sloped areas and seek to move people out of potentially hazardous locations.

D2. Urban sustainable design

• Excellence in sustainability. Incorporate sustainability principles and best practices into public spaces, buildings, and infrastructure.
• Design for topography. Design infrastructure and buildings to help residents overcome topography challenges and enjoy unique publicly accessible views.

I1. Stormwater management

• Depave Oakland. Eliminate paved surfaces throughout Oakland to support stormwater management goals, reduce heat island, and create more green space.
• Rainwater education. Educate developers and residents about stormwater management goals, best practices, and regulations.

I2. Open space

• Functional open spaces. Assess open space needs of nearby residents, employees, and visitors, and make investments to parks and other open spaces to meet these needs.
• Integrate green. Integrate plantings into all investments to improve access and experiences with nature and serve important environmental functions.

I5. Tree canopy

• All hands on deck to grow the tree canopy. Go beyond regulatory requirements through programs and advocacy around planting new trees and retaining existing mature trees on private and public property.
• Measure canopy. Ensure inventories, tree plantings, and retention efforts consider the value of tree canopy.
• Diverse native tree populations. Plant trees to increase the number and variety of trees to improve habitat function and increase survivability.
• Engagement around trees. Improve civic engagement around tree canopy and development by leveraging partnerships with local organizations and providing volunteer opportunities.
• Shade parks. Respond to climate change by moving from a model of sunny, grassy parklands to open spaces that are shaded by trees to provide functional spaces enjoyable during longer summers and to provide more habitat function.

I6. Habitat restoration

• Hillside management. Remove existing buildings and proactively replant steeply sloped hillsides with natives as a way to avoid high cost landslide remediation and restore significant tracts of habitat.
• Understory plantings. Augment tree plantings with the planting of native understory plants to improve habitat function and beautify areas.
• Value and enjoy habitat. Encourage educational programming and community development activities that expand who cares for and supports habitat restoration efforts.
• Bird friendly design. Design all buildings and infrastructure projects to reduce impacts to birds and other non-human species through best practices such as bird safe glazing and Dark Skies compliant lighting.

I8. Urban agriculture

• Growing food. Provide opportunities for residents and employees to spend time growing food as a means of increasing mental and public health while building community.

I9. Air

• Integrate air quality in decisions. Ensure that impacts to air quality are part of decisions made about transportation investments, development activities, and plantings.
• Innovative technology. Test innovative new technologies in Oakland that can improve air quality and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases.

M2. Pedestrian access, safety, circulation

• Open space uses in the rights-of-way. Repurpose portions of streets to create places for community activities, leisure, and commerce. Successful pilot projects should be translated into permanent open spaces with thoughtful designs that incorporate stormwater management and other functions. Access to adjacent parking should be limited with new development and existing access points slowly migrated to other streets or alleys.

M6. Parking

• Surface parking. Prohibit all new surface parking lots and paving of yards and other landscaped areas to serve as parking. Systematically eliminate illegal paved surface parking in residential areas.

What are the projects and programs?

The projects and programs are a shared "To Do" list where the community and government identify the projects they want to undertake over the next 10 years to make the vision a reality. Many of the ideas you see below are the result of ideas from people in Oakland, supported by research and case studies, and now ready for your review and inclusion in the final plan.

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Dig into the details

In the lists below, you'll get a title, brief description, and information about how the project or program could be realized including when it should start, by whom, and potential funding sources. For many of the ideas below there is "Learn More" button that takes you to a page full of details, drawings, illustrations, and specific ways to provide comments on that strategy. We highly recommend you dig into the details to see what your fellow Oaklanders came up with.

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D-1. Community reinvestment fund -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish a City Trust Fund that can receive payments from the Equitable Development Performance Point in the Zoning Code. This fund should be managed by the Department of City Planning in partnership with a community board that makes recommendations on investments that benefit all of Oakland.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): City Council
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

D-2. Design guidelines -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Create design guidelines that establish shared expectations for both developers and the community about how to integrate community input into project design. These guidelines should create a design process that allows residents and other community members to feel that development and other types of projects contribute to their neighborhood instead of serve only to displace.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, Arts and design committee
• Project partner(s): OBID, OPDC, PID, CMOA, OPA, art and design faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and CMU, local artists and designers
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, grants

D-3. Green buffer requirement

Create requirement in the Zoning Code for green buffer areas to be part of development projects that are substantially taller than adjacent buildings. Green buffers will be expected to serve a clear function such as providing a public pedestrian connection through a long block, providing a park-like space, or environmental function. For very tall structures, these buffers may need to be augmented by upper floor stepbacks.

• When to start: 0-2 years -- Part of the Oakland Plan Zoning Proposals
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): None specified
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

D-6. Oakland town center -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Redevelop University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, and City land in the Zulema Park area to create a dense node of activity where affordable housing, sustainable buildings, community service hubs, groceries, transit, and an enhanced Zulema Park serves the needs of residents. Isaly’s Building is retained and reactivated as a centerpiece of this area. Transform the Boulevard of the Allies from a barrier into a neighborhood connector.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC
• Project partner(s): URA, HACP, PennDOT
• Potential funding source(s): Developers, bonds, grants, City Capital Budget, foundations

I-2. Comprehensive sustainable policy table

Create a table that establishes a policy basis for expectations for sustainability goals for development at different scales. Needs to align with Zoning and Building Code categories.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, GBA, AIA
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): GBA, grants

I-4. Develop strict hillside development code

Consider amending Zoning Code limits on redevelopment on areas that are steeply sloped and landslide prone to add restoration requirements for hillside disturbances and landscaping requirements that ensure habitat restoration occurs.

• When to start: 5-10 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

I-7. Green alleys

Establish green alleys program to manage stormwater and work better for pedestrians. Consider improvements that can improve Euler and Iroquois Ways.

• When to start: 5-10 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): OBID, PWSA
• Potential funding source(s): Grants

I-8. Green street network -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Identify and make improvements on high-capture streets and alleys that can safely convey stormwater, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, and add tree canopy through coordinated and intentional infrastructure. Projects should be in alignment with current stormwater code updates and include above ground green infrastructure where technically feasible.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DOMI, PWSA, DPW, DCP
• Project partner(s): TreePGH, PAAC, OPDC, OBID, institutions, neighborhood organizations, property owners and developers
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, grants, Shade Tree Commission, PWSA, Parking Enhancement District

I-9. Greening underutilized areas

Identify and improve underutilized and vacant land such as parking lots and areas in the right of way that can provide environmental benefit such as native plant gardens (e.g., Craft Avenue and Boulevard of the Allies). This strategy should precede the Community Gardens to have a comprehensive greening strategy.

• When to start: 5-10 years
• Project lead(s): OPDC, DCP
• Project partner(s): OBID, DOMI, DPW, Phipps
• Potential funding source(s): Open Space Trust Fund, Stormwater Trust Fund, grants

I-10. Greenway expansion

Prioritize projects such as the Lawn Street Greenway that incorporate tree retention, hillside stabilization, habitat, but allows for some view points, and programming opportunities.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): City Council
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget

I-11. Oakland green space inventory and optimization

Starting with the open space inventory in the Existing Conditions Report, start to maintain an inventory of open spaces, their functions, and identified resident needs. This can be used to advocate for specific functions and design features with pubilc and private investments in open space.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): OPDC, OBID
• Project partner(s): PPC
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

I-12. Open space expansion

Establish open space requirement in the Zoning Code that increases access to functional park-like spaces throughout Central Oakland.

• When to start: 0-2 years -- Part of the Oakland Plan Zoning Proposals
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

I-14. Reimagine Robinson Street (Stormwater) -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Incorporate green infrastructure into projects that rebuild Robinson Street as well as new structures along Robinson Street to capture and slow the conveyance of rainwater.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DOMI, DCP, PWSA
• Project partner(s): Institutions, West Oakland Neighborhood Council, property owners and developers
• Potential funding source(s): City, PWSA, grants

What are the projects and programs?

The projects and programs are a shared "To Do" list where the community and government identify the projects they want to undertake over the next 10 years to make the vision a reality. Many of the ideas you see below are the result of ideas from people in Oakland, supported by research and case studies, and now ready for your review and inclusion in the final plan.

---

Dig into the details

In the lists below, you'll get a title, brief description, and information about how the project or program could be realized including when it should start, by whom, and potential funding sources. For many of the ideas below there is "Learn More" button that takes you to a page full of details, drawings, illustrations, and specific ways to provide comments on that strategy. We highly recommend you dig into the details to see what your fellow Oaklanders came up with.

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C-5. Arts and design committee -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish a committee that regularly brings together Oakland's cultural institutions, non-profit organizations, resident leaders, and institutions to collaborate on arts and cultural initiatives as well as the review of various types of projects including development and public art.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): CMP, OBID, OPDC, neighborhood leaders, DCP, Carnegie Library, OPA, Pitt Art Committee representation, art and design faculty at CMU, CMU Masters of Arts Management program faculty/students, local artists and designers
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

C-17. Public art walks

Create a regular public art walk in Oakland that helps visitors and residents explore their neighborhood, with temporary and provocative artwork by young, diverse artists added as community programming.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): OBID, CMP, OPA, Art and Design Committee
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): CMP, Allegheny Regional Asset District, OPA

D-13. Community reinvestment board -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish a board to work with the Department of City Planning to spend money from the new City Trust Fund proposed to receive funds from the Equitable Development Performance Point and potentially other sources.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): Oakland organizations, Partners4Work, Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation, Vibrant Pittsburgh, URA
• Potential funding source(s): Developers, bonds, grants, City Capital Budget, foundations

D-19. Neighborhood sustainability identity

Establish a neighborhood identity linked to sustainability, equity, and resilience such as an ecodistrict. This work should build on and support the efforts in this plan.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): OPDC, OBID, OTMA, institutions, neighborhood associations
• Project partner(s): None identified
• Potential funding source(s): Grants

I-15. Air quality coalition -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish targeted and collaborative effort between Oakland institutions and government partners to advocate for and prioritize air quality improvements.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): City of Pittsburgh, institutions, Breathe Collaborative
• Project partner(s): OPDC, OBID, Student Governments, GASP, neighborhood associations
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

I-16. Bates basin sustainable revitalization -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Augment transportation efforts on the street with large-scale hillside stabilization, stormwater management, habitat restoration, and new trails in the surrounding basin to create a green gateway into Oakland.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, City Council
• Project partner(s): DOMI, PennDOT, URA, PWSA, UPMC, DLC, Friends of the Riverfront, Landforce
• Potential funding source(s): Grants, PWSA, PennDOT

I-19. Comprehensive tree strategy -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Build on work of citywide and Oakland non-profits as well as institutions to create a cohesive neighborhood-wide tree canopy strategy that recognizes trees as vital and cost-effective infrastructure. Includes preservation of existing trees, funding and planting of new trees, and maintenance of trees along streets, on private property, and in open spaces.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): TreePGH, DCP
• Project partner(s): WPC, DPW, OPDC, OBID, institutions, DLC
• Potential funding source(s): TreePGH, WPC, City of Pittsburgh

I-20. Encourage more community gardens -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish a system of community gardens throughout the neighborhood that provide social benefits and increase food access. These could be established on public or institutional land or in open spaces created by new development. Partner with community groups and non-profit to startup new community gardens.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): OPDC, Phipps, institutions
• Project partner(s): Student governments, neighborhood associations, DPW
• Potential funding source(s): Grow Pittsburgh, Allegheny Land Trust, grants

I-21. Establish pollinator conversion programs -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Work with Oakland institutions and student organizations to establish and implement a de-lawning campaign that converts campus and public lands into more habitat welcoming spaces.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, DPW, Phipps, CMP
• Project partner(s): OPDC, OBID, institutions, neighborhood associations
• Potential funding source(s): Grants

I-22. Hillside stabilization and protection -- CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Establish a comprehensive land use and environmental management approach to hillsides, especially in landslide prone areas, that focuses on invasive species management, stabilization, restoration, and long-term maintenance.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): DCP, DPW, City Council
• Project partner(s): Technical experts including ecologists, arborists, and horticultural specialists, implementing nonprofits, and hillside maintenance providers
• Potential funding source(s): Grants

I-23. Incentives for green stormwater infrastructure

Amend Oakland's zoning districts to include existing incentives for storwmater management through green infrastructure. Support excellence in projects with additional resources and grants.

• When to start: 0-2 years -- Part of the Oakland Plan Zoning Proposals
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): GBA, PWSA
• Potential funding source(s): None needed

I-24. Reduce impervious areas

Use the plan's inventory of all impervious areas as the basis for a program that proactively eliminates paved areas on private property and maintains landscaped areas required by code (e.g., parking lots). This could be a combination of enforcement of illegal parking, grants to concrete removal and native plantings, among other options.

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): DCP
• Project partner(s): PWSA, PLI, City Law
• Potential funding source(s): Capital budget, WPC, DCNR

M-31. Improve city steps -- CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Continue to implement City Steps Plan, but add additional features such as wayfinding, runnels, maintenance, emergency call boxes for all projects.

• When to start: Ongoing
• Project lead(s): DOMI
• Project partner(s): Not specified
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, grants

M-34. Pedestrian safety improvements -- CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Install pedestrian safety improvements throughout Oakland at intersections and corridors that were identified during the planning process as posing safety risks.

• When to start: Ongoing
• Project lead(s): DOMI
• Project partner(s): Institutions, OTMA, OBID, OPDC, PennDOT, SPC, DCP, Oakland for All, neighborhood associations
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, County and State mobility grants, partnerships with institutions and developers

M-37. Sidewalk connections and accessibility improvements -- CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Create a program to inventory, prioritize, and install sidewalk and accessibility improvements that address obstructions to pedestrian travel throughout Oakland.

• When to start: Ongoing
• Project lead(s): DOMI, DPW
• Project partner(s): DCP, PennDOT, utilities, PAAC, OPDC, OBID, neighborhood associations
• Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, grants

M-38. Sidewalk improvement program for homeowners -- CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Create a program that efficiently addresses urgent sidewalk repairs, with a minimum cost burden to homeowners.

• When to start: 0-2 years
• Project lead(s): Mayor’s Office, City Council, DOMI, DPW
• Project partner(s): OPDC, OBID, neighborhood organizations, commercial property owners
• Potential funding source(s): See summary

M-42. Walking is healthy informational campaign

Develop campaign with UPMC that highlights walking as part of an active, healthy lifestyle (e.g. Healthy Oakland branding, sitting is the new smoking). Could involve larger group of stakeholders and include walking incentives (e.g., CityFit program and other insurance benefits provided through employers).

• When to start: 3-5 years
• Project lead(s): DOMI, UPMC
• Project partner(s): OTMA
• Potential funding source(s): UPMC