How to stay involved
How you can stay involved as a Pittsburgh resident
- When it comes to housing issues, public comment can sometimes skew negative. The people most likely to comment on new housing developments are usually unrepresentative of the neighborhoods’ racial and economic diversity, and are more likely to bring up issues unrelated to housing - like “neighborhood character” and property values. This is why we encourage you to stay involved in supporting new housing in your community.
- No. All of the agencies we’ll review have a virtual option, plus emailing is always a great choice. Emails are typically considered public record, and counted in affirmative/negative opinion tallies.
- Tell your personal story and explain why the issue matters to you. If you plan to speak online or in person, we recommend drafting your statement ahead of time. Practice it so you know you have enough time to make your point, since you will probably have a time limit. Remember to be polite, and address people with their titles (For example, Councilmember Last Name).
- If you live in Allegheny County, reach out to your local municipality and ask how they make housing decisions in your area. We often include county, state, and federal information in our emails so stay subscribed to our mailing list!
- Zoning changes can be introduced by the Mayor or any Councilmember - either at a council meeting, or first through the City’s Planning Commission (PC) for review. If originating in council, they must vote to send it to the PC for review. Once the PC reviews any proposal, they will give an affirmative or negative recommendation. If affirmatively recommended, a proposal requires a simple majority at City Council. If not recommended, the proposal will require a 7 out of 9 majority to pass City Council. Once passed through City Council, it is up to the Mayor to sign it into effect.
- Pittsburgh’s first zoning code was adopted in the 1920’s and like many cities has a racially segregationist history, which we discuss in our book review of The Color of Law. The zoning code has been in constant change since then, and has become a very dense and complicated set of rules and maps. We’ve hosted a talk by local researcherCarolyn Ristau on the intersection of Race and Zoning in Pittsburgh, and written about the perils of parcel or ‘block-by-block’ rezoning. As of 2025, the city is beginning the process of creating its first comprehensive plan, which will undoubtedly make recommendations on our zoning code and maps. We encourage you to stay informed of the city’s work here:
