Pittsburgh wants to create a wayfinding initiative to help pedestrians navigate city better

Pittsburgh was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to create The Pittsburgh Pedestrian Wayfinding, an initiative that seeks to make it easier for pedestrians to navigate Downtown, Oakland, and the North Side.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto introduced a measure to City Council on Dec. 13 that would allow the city to accept the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission grant, which will assist the new initiative to create more than 50 kiosks and 110 directional signs throughout the four neighborhoods.

In 2019, a City Lab study ranked Pittsburgh ranked 11th in the country out of areas with more than 1 million people for how manageable they are to live without owning a car. Out of the 382 metro areas studied, Pittsburgh ranked in the top 10%.

“I am proud to advance this community-driven project as a solution to help residents and visitors better navigate Pittsburgh’s unique topography, bridges, and rivers,” Peduto said in a press release. “This pedestrian wayfinding system will help connect the city and celebrate what each neighborhood has to offer, with a uniquely Pittsburgh design.”

According to Peduto’s office, local stakeholders include the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the Oakland Business Improvement District, the Oakland Transportation Management Association, Walk Ride Northside, Northside Cultural Collaborative, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. More than $700,000 in private funds paid for collaborative stakeholder workshops, presentations, and site visits.

Pittsburgh has high rates of people walking to work. Data shows nearly 11% of Pittsburghers walk to work, which is the fifth-best in the country. The highest concentrations of people who walk to work resident in Downtown, Oakland, and the North Side.

The Pittsburgh Pedestrian Wayfinding is scheduled to be put out to bid in the summer of 2022, with possible installation in the fall.