Oakland is in the middle of a sweeping transformation, with a new hospital tower and research space reshaping the neighborhood that has been Pitt\u2019s home for more than a century. That growth took center stage June 2, when regional business and civic leaders gathered at the University of Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Business Times\u2019 latest Corridors of Opportunity forum.<\/p>\n
The event \u00ad\u00adbrought nearly 300 community members and leaders, including Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor, to Alumni Hall. Attendees heard firsthand about Pitt\u2019s past, present and, most importantly, its future as an anchor institution in Oakland, including aspirational plans for the neighborhood\u2019s next big opportunity for development: the Craig Street corridor.<\/p>\n
Senior Vice Chancellor for External Relations Kevin Washo<\/a> opened the program, noting in his remarks that the futures of Oakland and of the University are inseparable.<\/p>\n \u201cOakland isn\u2019t just a campus,\u201d Washo said. \u201cIt\u2019s a corridor of research, medicine, education and community.\u201d<\/p>\n One corridor ripe with potential is Craig Street, where Washo said the University already owns assets and is reimagining \u201cwhat local can look like\u201d within Pitt\u2019s footprint. He pointed to Fifth Avenue and Craig Street \u2014 together, a walkable gateway connecting key campus spaces like the Cathedral Lawn and Heinz Memorial Chapel to Carnegie Mellon and the Carnegie Museums \u2014 as Oakland\u2019s next major area of growth.<\/p>\n To that end, Washo said Pitt recently completed an extensive Campus Master Plan<\/a> under Chancellor Joan Gabel and has now engaged the international design firm Sasaki<\/a> to study Craig Street and the University\u2019s parcels there. He described Sasaki as a world-class partner for the kind of work the corridor demands.<\/p>\n \u201cOakland and Craig Street deserve world-class vision, strategy, design,\u201d Washo said. \u201cWe see Craig Street as the next big opportunity in Oakland. We aim to make the most of the opportunity in a way that works for the good of residents, entrepreneurs, anchor institutions and the region at large.\u201d<\/p>\n Washo added that Pitt and Oakland have been intertwined since the University made the neighborhood its home in 1908. Today, Washo said, the neighborhood is the third-largest economic center in Pennsylvania, blending technology, life sciences, health care and higher education with cultural anchors like the St. Paul Cathedral and a thriving mix of small businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can feel the heartbeat of the region\u2019s innovation here,\u201d Washo said.<\/p>\n