In 2007, Mayor Ravenstahl introduced the Green Up Pittsburgh Program to combat the increasing problem of overgrown vacant and abandoned lots in our City neighborhoods. The program aims to stabilize City-owned vacant lots with goals of reducing blight and public safety hazards, inspiring community pride, and promoting environmental values.

There are three aspects to the Green Up Program:

Support for individual greening projects: The City provides the resources for the lot (soil, plants, water, etc.), and liability for the lot. Residents agree to become community stewards and are responsible for the maintenance of the lot.

Post-demolition greening: As buildings are torn down, the City is able to invest Green Up resources into specific parcels. The City will then work with the contractor and to provide clean fill and low maintenance grass post-demolition.

Community-wide strategic greening: The City is able to work with community leaders and groups to prioritize demolitions, identify potential gardens and green space and create community-wide greening plans and projects.