Case Study
Pittsburgh Lower Hill District Redevelopment
The Lower Hill District in Pittsburgh was a predominately African American neighborhood that was demolished in the 1950s as the City pursued an aggressive urban renewal plan, which included construction of a new civic arena that would eventually house the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. As a result, thousands of Hill District residents and businesses were displaced. This destruction has long been a point of contention among residents, so when plans surfaced in the past decade to redevelop the neighborhood it was met with skepticism.
Marx Layne represented an architectural, planning and engineering firm involved in the project. Their role was to create a dynamic, new mixed-use and sustainable neighborhood billed as the “center of energy” for Pittsburgh. Our goal was to communicate the redevelopment of the 28–acre former Pittsburgh Civic Center site and its role in reconnecting downtown to the Hill District community. This project was so important that the redevelopment of this area was described as a defining moment in the future of Pittsburgh.
The new Lower Hill would include mixed-use business, residential including affordable housing, green space and incorporate comprehensive sustainability measures (materials, water, energy and transportation).
The challenge was to engage a skeptical community regarding the merits of this plan, informing them on how the Lower Hill District planning would be guided by community input to financially, emotionally and physically reconnect the community with the rest of the city.
Working with city officials and representatives from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the landowner, our team researched local organizations for involvement and support, including, but not limited to, AIA Pittsburgh, Green Building Alliance, ASCE Pittsburgh, Engineers Society of Western PA, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, American Planning Association PA Chapter, and the Urban Land Institute Pittsburgh Chapter. We reached out for potential speaking opportunities and submission of bylined articles.
We also researched and conducted targeted outreach to media, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Magazine, local TV and radio stations including NPR and Sunday morning public affairs programs such as “Sunday Edition,” “Pittsburgh Talks,” and the “Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show.” Blogger outreach included New Geography blog, Next City blog and Planetizen.
We wrote and placed an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the prominent daily newspaper, on behalf of our client, detailing the benefits of the project and its potential positive impact on the Lower Hill District and the city as a whole.
This ongoing project has been described as a microcosm of how other urban centers can be redeveloped through strategic public-private partnerships.