As one of Pittsburgh’s earliest and largest neighborhoods, the Hill District continues to play an important role in the story of African-Americans in the United States. During the first half of the 20th century, the Hill District was the “crossroads of the world,” contributing music, literature, and arts that shaped American culture. During the latter half of the 20th century through today, the neighborhood and its leaders played important roles in the Civil Rights movement, as well as a nationwide push for community-led development. The Greater Hill District Master Plan articulates the importance of continuing to “Build Upon the African American Cultural Legacy”.
The Hill District Greenprint (2009) created a bold vision for a natural and healthy community, the Greater Hill District Master Plan (2011) established fundamental values and development principles that have been central to development activities and the neighborhood ecosystem. The Centre Avenue Redevelopment and Design Plan (2015)using a market study as its basis, created a detailed vision for how new development and amenities on Centre Avenue could serve a variety of community needs.
Multiple waves of development have built new office, commercial and community spaces along Centre Avenue, along with new housing throughout the neighborhood. Development activities in Downtown and Oakland have the potential to bring new opportunities and challenges to the Hill District the plan will seek to address.