Your Input Requested for the Oakland Plan

What should the Oakland neighborhood look like in 2030? Members of the University community are encouraged to use the engagement website for the City of Pittsburgh’s Oakland Plan to submit their ideas.

The plan will become policy after adoption by the City Planning Commission, and will guide public and private investments in the area. Additionally, the plan may also recommend land use regulations, transportation and infrastructure improvements, and public programs.

David Salcido, research assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, serves as Pitt’s faculty representative on the plan’s steering committee. A resident of South Oakland, Salcido said it’s important for everyone at Pitt to provide their input so that the plan accounts for them.

“The topics covered by the Oakland Plan really run the gamut, from transportation infrastructure (e.g., parking, bike lanes, crosswalks) to physical spaces (e.g., laboratory space, offices, parks) to amenities (e.g., restaurants, grocery stores) and accessibility,” he said, noting that the plan has four official categories: community, development, mobility and infrastructure.

The plan area includes the neighborhoods of North Oakland, Central Oakland, South Oakland and West Oakland, with each process tailored to the needs of the community and involves a wide variety of stakeholders, public agencies and nonprofit partners. Input will be collected through Oct. 4, 2020.

Kate Honan, a junior studying environmental engineering with a political science minor, learned about the Oakland Plan while working as a community assistant in the Office of Community and Governmental Relations. Her priority as a steering committee member is to ensure that students needs and voices are heard.

“I really have learned how important it is for people in the community to just talk and learn from each other,” she said.

This planning process will incorporate input and ideas from prior plans including Oakland 2025 (2012), the Innovation Oakland Master Plan (2010), Institutional Master Plans and other plans. Learn more about past plans for Oakland's future.

The Oakland Plan follows the process established in the Neighborhood Plan Guide. Completed plans from the neighborhood planning program include the EcoInnovation District Plan, Manchester-Chateau Neighborhood Plan, Greater Hazelwood Neighborhood Plan and Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan.