Like many cities across the United States, the City of Pittsburgh has suffered the consequences of nearly 75 years of car-centric planning, misguided urban policy, and segregated zoning practices both in terms of use as well as race and social class. This has led to a city and region where it is too challenging and dangerous to live without a car as daily needs and vital services are often times too far away, or roadway conditions too dangerous, to be accessed by bicycle or on foot. This car-centric design is a barrier to urban livability and negatively impacts residents through poorer air quality, increased noise, and increased costs.

Therefore, Bike Pittsburgh commissioned Resilient Future Consulting to develop a report to shed light on the need for reform, formalize the general conversation, and develop a set of high-level recommendations for a path forward. The purpose of this report was to analyze the City of Pittsburgh’s existing zoning code (not updated since 1998) and land use laws, understand gaps and areas to be updated, and lay out a set of innovative zoning code and land use law reforms to improve the City’s legal ability to improve. In addition to providing recommendations on zoning and land use reform, he report also focused on challenges surrounding parking reform and its relationships to zoning, as well as how Pittsburgh can take the necessary steps to becoming a true 15-minute city.

This report was the first of its kind for Bike Pittsburgh, and in the region, in order to make sense of and link zoning and land use reform with active mobility goals and strategies. It was designed to be used to improve the knowledge and understanding of these topics both for the general public as well as elected officials seeking to improve the quality of life of Pittsburgh residents.

In the Spring of 2024, the city launched its first-ever Comprehensive Planning Process. The hope is that the key takeaways and recommendations included in the report will help to support planning and policy efforts, such as those carried out as part of the Comprehensive Plan process, and lead to more tailored, innovative, and impactful zoning policies and land use strategies moving forward, all with an effort of making non-motorized transport in the City easier, safer, and more accessible for all. Since the release of this report, Bike Pittsburgh has continued its strong advocacy work, particularly with regards to zoning and land use reform.

UPDATE: On September 5th, 2024, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey announced a new package of zoning reforms, several of which are described in the report. They include: Allowing for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), Eliminating parking minimums, and permitting transit-oriented development (TOD) at particular junctions. Resilient Future Consulting is pleased to see the City of Pittsburgh taking these steps to improve urban life through zoning and land use reform. We look forward to seeing more of these changes in an effort to ensure a more affordable, accessible, and livable city now and in the future.

This report was developed by Resilient Future Consulting on behalf of Bike Pittsburgh on a pro-bono basis.

A link to the report can be found here.