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Get the most interesting and important stories from the University of Pittsburgh.Oakland is in the middle of a sweeping transformation, with a new hospital tower and research space reshaping the neighborhood that has been Pitt’s home for more than a century. That growth took center stage June 2, when regional business and civic leaders gathered at the University of Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Business Times’ latest Corridors of Opportunity forum.
The event brought nearly 300 community members and leaders, including Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, to Alumni Hall. Attendees heard firsthand about Pitt’s past, present and, most importantly, its future as an anchor institution in Oakland, including aspirational plans for the neighborhood’s next big opportunity for development: the Craig Street corridor.
Senior Vice Chancellor for External Relations Kevin Washo opened the program, noting in his remarks that the futures of Oakland and of the University are inseparable.
“Oakland isn’t just a campus,” Washo said. “It’s a corridor of research, medicine, education and community.”
One corridor ripe with potential is Craig Street, where Washo said the University already owns assets and is reimagining “what local can look like” within Pitt’s footprint. He pointed to Fifth Avenue and Craig Street — together, a walkable gateway connecting key campus spaces like the Cathedral Lawn and Heinz Memorial Chapel to Carnegie Mellon and the Carnegie Museums — as Oakland’s next major area of growth.
To that end, Washo said Pitt recently completed an extensive Campus Master Plan under Chancellor Joan Gabel and has now engaged the international design firm Sasaki to study Craig Street and the University’s parcels there. He described Sasaki as a world-class partner for the kind of work the corridor demands.
“Oakland and Craig Street deserve world-class vision, strategy, design,” Washo said. “We see Craig Street as the next big opportunity in Oakland. We aim to make the most of the opportunity in a way that works for the good of residents, entrepreneurs, anchor institutions and the region at large.”
Washo added that Pitt and Oakland have been intertwined since the University made the neighborhood its home in 1908. Today, Washo said, the neighborhood is the third-largest economic center in Pennsylvania, blending technology, life sciences, health care and higher education with cultural anchors like the St. Paul Cathedral and a thriving mix of small businesses.
“You can feel the heartbeat of the region’s innovation here,” Washo said.
He also noted the University’s five-year, $5 million investment in the city’s neighborhood business corridors, public safety and parks, a commitment Forbes recently described as “a model for partnership and collaboration between governments and institutions.”
Washo credited partners including UPMC, Carnegie Mellon University, Innovate Pittsburgh and Wexford Science + Technology for the Oakland neighborhood’s growth and momentum. He singled out the University’s partnership with UPMC, which draws patients, scientists and entrepreneurs from around the world. Washo also praised the Oakland Alliance, a coalition of institutions and community partners — including Pitt — working to attract businesses and accelerating its economic development. Several small businesses received a shoutout, including the Irish Design Center on Craig Street and Merante Italian Grocery on Bates Street.
“These are small businesses that are trying to thrive, but more are coming in, and we need to cultivate that and curate that,” Washo said. “We need small businesses to bring that life out 24/7/365. It's a neighborhood where people want to live, and they want to work, and we should all be proud of that.”
Following Washo’s remarks, a panel of regional partners took the stage to discuss Oakland’s growth, moderated by Pittsburgh Business Times publisher Evan Rosenberg. The panel featured John Grady, chief investment officer at Wexford Science + Technology; Ralph Horgan, associate vice president for campus design and facility development at Carnegie Mellon University; and Sandy Rader, president of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.
What sets Oakland apart
According to Grady, Oakland’s global leadership in artificial intelligence, robotics and life sciences research creates an opportunity to attract talent and build a front door so industries can easily tap into the region’s research and clinical strengths.
“Economic development over the last decade or so has really become about talent,” Grady said, emphasizing the need to recruit and retain young professionals once they arrive in Pittsburgh.
For Horgan, the key to that growth is density. He said it formed the basis of Carnegie Mellon's most recent master plan, which prioritizes walkability, and pointed to a growing roster of corporate tenants near campus, including Fujitsu and the robotics company Field AI.
He also argued the region should be more ambitious about how much it builds, recalling a developer who is often asked in Pittsburgh, “why can’t you make it smaller?” while in major cities like Chicago the question is, “why can’t you make it bigger?”
Meanwhile, UPMC is expanding its clinical footprint in the corridor. Rader described the new patient tower at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside as built with the surrounding community in mind, with lower floors set aside for meeting space, local retail and dining.
The expansion also deepens the Pitt-UPMC partnership Washo highlighted, pairing the health system's care with the University's health sciences research. Patients will move into the tower over a single day in January 2027, Rader said.
“We’re certainly excited about serving this community and serving this region,” Rader said.
Across his remarks, Washo tied the neighborhood’s future to a vision from more than a century ago, urging the region to make the next 100 years count.
"We believe this will be the next big economic generator for the region,” Washo said. “I’m excited to see the ripple effects across our city and the region and the state.”
Photography by Aimee Obidzinski; Senior Vice Chancellor for External Relations Kevin Washo discusses the Oakland neighborhood’s strengths and recent transformation at Tuesday’s Corridors of Opportunity forum.