At ELDI, we talk often about the vision for East Liberty. More than fluffy rhetoric, this vision has served as the foundation for much of the transformation we’ve helped bring about in the neighborhood over the years.
The first version of this vision came together in the late 1990s, after urban renewal-era changes left East Liberty with high vacancy, crime, and limited growth opportunities. Neighbors were eager for change, and through hundreds of community meetings, long-time residents helped shape a new direction for the neighborhood.
These ideas were crystallized in the neighborhood’s first community plan, A Vision for East Liberty, where residents described their hopes for a “Town in a City”—a small-scale, full-service community set within the larger city of Pittsburgh. Drawing on East Liberty’s heritage as a vibrant cultural and commercial hub, the plan outlined a community that brings together commerce, employment, recreation services, good schools, and diverse housing choices.
In 2010, we revisited the vision again, in East Liberty’s 2010 Community Plan, asking residents to share their dreams for what the neighborhood might look like in 2020. We heard reflections like:
“In the 1990s, our neighborhood was synonymous with blight and vacancy. Today, as a major destination for Pittsburghers and tourists alike, East Liberty is enjoying a neighborhood vibrancy that has been dormant for over two generations.”
“Twenty years ago, the housing stock in a largely vacant East Liberty was crumbling, and residents had very few housing options. When ELDI began assembling blighted properties and working with partners to create housing of choice, the residential core experienced a true revitalization. The trend that began with innovative and higher density development resulted in a boost to pedestrian street life, more eyes on the street, and a sense of ownership, not only for private property but for common and publicly owned spaces as well.”
Today, many of East Liberty’s original community visions have come to life—but the work isn’t done. As hopes for the neighborhood evolve, so too does the effort to ensure its future remains vibrant and inclusive.
Partnering with CMU to look ahead
As part of our ongoing work to continually reimagine what’s next for East Liberty, ELDI recently partnered with urban design students from Carnegie Mellon University to take a fresh look at the neighborhood’s future.
The students were enrolled in Urban Systems Studio—a course led by longtime ELDI collaborator Stefani Danes, who has also been leading ELDI’s ongoing downtown planning process. Over the past year, as part of this broader effort, Stefani has helped lead dozens of interviews with stakeholders, residents, and businesses to gather input on East Liberty’s future—input that helped shape the students’ research and provided a foundation for many of the ideas they explored. (We shared more about this ongoing work in this earlier blog post.)
Urban Systems Studio challenges students to engage with real-world neighborhoods and examine the complex systems that shape urban environments—from infrastructure and ecology to governance, economics, and social dynamics. As part of their assignment, students were asked to create a 20-year vision for East Liberty’s business district, taking into account how much cities—and downtowns in particular—have evolved in recent decades.
“Students were asked to take a 20-year view of what the nature of East Liberty’s downtown might evolve into, because the ideas for the business district came out of a time when cities were very different. Transportation technology, patterns of shopping and working, and much more have changed so much in this century,” shared Danes.
The students divided into three teams, using field trips, walking tours, interviews with ELDI staff, local businesses, and residents, along with independent research, to inform their proposals. At the end of the semester, they presented their combined findings, offering thoughtful and creative ideas for how East Liberty might continue to evolve as a thriving, mixed-use neighborhood.
Key recommendations
While each team approached the assignment from a slightly different angle, several shared priorities emerged:
- Expand residential development in East Liberty’s core
“The idea of introducing more residential development in the center district was something that came out of the interviews,” shared Danes.
Student Caroline Prather added:
“We believe that East Liberty could be the answer to the housing shortage that Pittsburgh is facing. This, in addition to the success of more recent housing developments in and around the neighborhood, show that people want to live here. East Liberty has no shortage of activities or transportation opportunities. It just needs people.”
The students proposed adding vertical residential square footage near transit stations and commercial corridors, building on the success of recent transit-oriented developments like Eastside Bond. They also emphasized the need for infill housing and high-quality residential options for people who prefer a quieter pace.
“We want to make sure that potential residents have options, because people have different needs and housing is not one-size-fits-all. This is why we are also advocating for ‘missing middle housing’ opportunities like quadplexes and smaller apartment buildings in addition to the denser housing options,” Prather said.
By increasing housing density, students saw an opportunity to address the regional housing shortage, expand the customer base for local businesses, and attract families who can become long-term neighborhood residents.
- Support local entrepreneurship
In addition to housing, the students emphasized that a thriving downtown depends on a strong, locally rooted economy.
“We recognized that strengthening the local economy and supporting community-oriented retail is essential for creating a sustainable economy for East Liberty,” noted student Tamuna Cherkezishvili. “Our team explored several strategies to attract and sustain small, local businesses.”
“One of our key approaches was to ensure a mix of retail spaces that vary in size, location, and affordability, making room for businesses of different scales and types. While we welcome the introduction of new, well-established businesses to bring energy and investment into the neighborhood, we believe it’s equally important—especially in the early stages of redevelopment—to create accessible opportunities for small businesses to start, grow, and thrive.”
- Reuse vacant buildings
Vacant properties in the neighborhood present both a challenge and an opportunity.
“A major part of our strategy was to leverage one of East Liberty’s current assets: its high number of vacant buildings. Many of these structures are still in good condition and don’t need to be demolished. Instead, we proposed adaptive reuse of these buildings as affordable commercial spaces for emerging local businesses. This not only helps lower the entry barrier for small entrepreneurs who cannot afford to rent space in new developments but also preserves architectural character and accelerates economic activity without significant upfront construction,” said Cherkezishvili.
- Create a district management organization
In addition to adding new housing and businesses, students stressed the importance of maintaining what already exists through coordinated management.
“District management is an essential element to ensure East Liberty’s long-term stability and success. That means having an organized structure—whether it’s a nonprofit, business improvement district, or a coalition of stakeholders—that actively coordinates maintenance, programming, safety, business support, and communication within the area. It’s about ensuring that public spaces are clean and inviting, that small businesses get the support they need, and that there’s a consistent vision and accountability in how the neighborhood evolves.”
This recommendation closely echoes ongoing conversations ELDI has been having with Stefani Danes and community stakeholders about the need for a dedicated group to steward East Liberty’s downtown as the neighborhood continues to evolve.
Turning vision into action
Beyond developing solutions, the students also wrestled with the complexities of change itself. Each of the teams developed a broad, five-phase plan looking at how these ideas could be realized over 20 years. They recognized that investment would need to be very strategic early on, starting with small, visible interventions to build momentum and establish confidence in the neighborhood’s continued growth.
“This was these students’ first real experience thinking through not just what should happen, but how to make it happen—whether that involved revitalizing East Liberty’s entertainment district or introducing new food systems,” said Danes. “Of course, ELDI plays a key role in convening the right people to move these kinds of visions forward, which has long been its strength. So this course was really about asking: if you have this kind of tool to create change, what vision are you working toward?”
For ELDI’s Director of Operations, Ted Melnyk, the student presentations offered much food for thought:
“While I may feel young at heart, having grad students dream and scheme about the future of the neighborhood was refreshing and energizing. A post-COVID, AI-driven world will continue to require new and cutting-edge ideas for East Liberty to remain growing and dynamic, which is why collaborations like these are so valuable.”
Informing East Liberty’s next chapter
This project ultimately offered students a chance to engage with all the complexities of urban planning, especially in a neighborhood with a history as rich and layered as East Liberty’s. While not intended for immediate implementation, their proposals offer valuable insights that will contribute to our ongoing planning work and help inform the neighborhood’s future direction.
For us at ELDI, this collaboration reflects exactly how we approach community planning: with long-term vision, openness to new ideas, and deep respect for the neighborhood’s complexity. These student perspectives are now part of the foundation we’re building on—grounded in the same goal that has guided us from the start: creating a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood for generations to come.