In Pittsburgh’s rapidly changing East Liberty neighborhood, our team worked with Trek Development to craft a strategic proposal to address a shortage of affordable housing while prioritizing community engagement. Trek initiated the project with a number of possible concepts and a range of requirements; after conducting intensive feasibility studies for each, our team arrived at a design scheme that would meet the needs of the developer as well as the residents. The result is a pedestrian-focused neighborhood, criss-crossed by public transit options and anchored by ground-floor retail tailored to serve residents. A thoughtfully designed parking garage deploys a screened façade to return a beloved mural to the community, and pedestrian throughways make the site spaciously livable.

The project’s top priority was to help redress historical inequities by collaborating with disenfranchised long-term residents and community groups in the neighborhood’s development. The design is a well-tested, collaborative scheme that goes above and beyond in pedestrian connectivity and community engagement.