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City Cast Pittsburgh

Megan Harris

The Steelers are already planning for their next arena, Allegheny County Executive 

Sara Innamorato confirmed to City Cast Pittsburgh

Public funding for sports arenas can be controversial. Supporters see it as an investment in civic pride and economic development; critics say it's an expensive subsidy for already wealthy people. And teams sometimes threaten to leave their host cities to add extra pressure to negotiations.

The Steelers are privately owned by the Rooney family, who founded the team in Pittsburgh in 1933. Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) cost 

 when it opened in 2001. Voters at the time rejected a plan to help pay for the arena via a sales tax, but around 

 — paid for through a mix of regional taxes and ticket sales — including seat replacements and eventually a new field. Some of this is related to the upcoming NFL Draft, but fully replacing Acrisure or nearby PNC Park could cost over $1 billion.

, host Megan Harris asked Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato what she's heard about whether the Steelers could ask for something bigger soon.

Here’s a snippet from their conversation:

 Have the Steelers talked to you about a public funding mechanism for a new stadium? Because the lease is up after the 2030 season, which means the time is probably nigh for them to start talking about this sort of thing.

Yeah. We remain in constant communication about that.

 It was very controversial last time. Are we gonna give public funding for that? What do you think?

 We remain in constant conversation and negotiation around that.

 OK. They're gonna want a roof, 'cause we really want a Super Bowl. They've been talking about that for like 50 years.

 Yeah. I mean, if someone from the private sector wants to pay for that, godspeed.

Innamorato on ICE, the NFL Draft & more

The Steelers are already planning for their next arena, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato confirmed to City Cast Pittsburgh.

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers Get a New Football Stadium?

Will Pittsburgh Build A New Football Stadium?

What Pittsburghers have been wondering. We break down why things in Pittsburgh are the way they are and how they work.

Pittsburgh, Explained

Francesca Dabecco

Looking out for your neighbors’ safety can be as simple as looking down.

 is building a network of volunteers to document risky sections of our city’s walkways. The collaborative project is led by BikePGH, Access Mob, and Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.

“It’s really about equity,” says Seth Bush, Advocacy Manager at BikePGH. “We’re looking at the distribution of the quality of our sidewalks and how we can connect neighborhoods to resources more effectively.”

The crew’s observations will be used to assess sidewalk conditions throughout our 90 neighborhoods and help the city create long-term plans for upgrades.

This planning, Bush says, is essential to 

. A 2024 report from the Governors Highway Safety Association shows that 

 in the U.S. happened in locations without a sidewalk.

“This program works best when volunteers report from their neighborhood. They know it best.” Bush says. “We have a lot of ground to cover, and we need a lot of people.”

Discover what makes sidewalks safe and accessible 

. Attendees will learn how to report sidewalk issues through a form where users can easily log a concern by noting the location and uploading a picture.

If you don’t see a training date that works for you, contact 

 and they’ll coordinate a session. Once trained, you can submit reports from anywhere in the city.

If you want to connect with more crew members, be sure to look out for neighborhood-wide “blitz” efforts on 

. Note: Training isn’t required before attending one of these events; you’ll get a crash course and a partner to walk with.

Pittsburgh Walks can also train volunteer groups, such as clubs and workplace teams. Reach out to 

Disability advocate and Access Mob Pittsburgh Director Alisa Grishman 

 — but especially wheelchair users like herself.

“In a world that has great sidewalks, sliding doors, and ramps, I wouldn’t be disabled; I’d be able to get everywhere just the same as someone who is currently able-bodied. It’s the world that creates the disability, not my chair.”

Stay engaged by following organizations like 

, and reporting all kinds of neighborhood 

Help make Pittsburgh more accessible by reporting sidewalk issues from anywhere in the city.

How You Can Help To Make Pittsburgh Safer for Pedestrians

How To Join Pittsburgh’s Safe Sidewalks Crew

Tips and tricks for living your best Pittsburgh life, by locals, for locals.

Pittsburgh Life Hacks

What has Corey O’Connor been up to during his first month in office? City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host 

 to hear about new initiatives, tight budgets, and some fresh ideas to revitalize Downtown.

We also asked O'Connor YOUR questions. Listen to the podcast for his takes on ICE, affordability, dark sky compliance, parks, snow plows, litter, and more.

Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

 We still have a lot of leftover Eat’n Park Smiley Cookies.

 It used to be good. I haven't posted scores in like two years, but I think two years ago was around like a 3.5.

Favorite part of the mayor's office so far? 

I did this as the [county] controller. Even today, before you guys got here, one of my meetings ended a little early, so we walked the halls. We went to the fourth floor, saw public safety and the parks departments. And I always think it's good of the mayor to just pop in. And the reaction you get is, you know, somebody's not looking. They're like, ‘Oh my goodness! What are you doing?!’ I’m just here to say thank you. I really enjoy doing those kinds of pop-ins. They're fun. 

This room is obviously beautiful, the actual mayor's office. 

 — we didn’t plan on this — but I tried to sit in the seat and I couldn't get the chair to go up or down. I'm not very tall. I’m 5’6, so I could barely see over the desk. So I ran and I got a cushion, threw it under, and you know, you gotta just deal with what you got in the office. But that room is really nice. It's historic, and a lot of people enjoy coming down to the mayor's office.

Your predecessor called our current budget situation “

.” You came in fresh on the heels of a 

. How are you feeling about Pittsburgh’s ability to pay its bills in 2026? 

We're still putting it together. I think what City Council did was brave, because we do have funding gaps. But now, uncovering various things as we go through this process, we're still seeing gaps in funding and trying to get our hands around what the [difference] might ultimately be. … I think it's more than what we anticipated.

Do you anticipate any new cuts for the city?

 Not that we're expecting. It could change. If [we have to], we'll reopen the budget and have that conversation. But I don't think we'll know the details for [another] couple weeks.

Several past mayors have tried to get the “big four” or “big five” nonprofits — including UPMC, Highmark, Pitt, CMU, and Duquesne — to pay toward city services in some way. What’s your approach? 

We've had some general conversations. For us, it's going in with specific asks to all of the nonprofits, within their mission, to get a community benefits agreement that's gonna benefit everybody. So does it go to rec centers? Does it go to buying us more equipment, to our fleet, 

? So focusing on ambulances, fire trucks, police — can we get an agreement that is very specific in where the money goes. And making sure that if something like that is finalized, that the money is audited annually so that more eyes are on it and the public knows the dollars are being spent properly.

We have, yeah. I mean, generally, not specific details. We'll see how it goes. Every day you're just inching the ball forward. It hasn't been done in decades, so it's not the easiest thing to do. But I think conversations have been going well, and we'll just keep pushing for a community benefits agreement.

, focused on revitalizing business districts. Give me an example of what you want to revitalize and what a mayor's office can do to get it done. 

Every neighborhood has that intersection that everybody goes to, and it's not always just a shop or a restaurant, but there's that connectivity. And I think those are the places we have to focus on. So whether it's cleaning up, putting in better lighting, providing facade grants to a new company or an existing business that already is in your main street now, those are the things that really get small business districts going again and [can create] anchors to larger developments.

How do you balance that with people who are worried about getting priced out of their neighborhood?

 For us, it's making sure that when there is a development — and the development we announced [

] was 44 units, 85% affordable — [that it] can anchor in a business district. It also goes back to planning and zoning. If we zone a little bit for density in those business districts, now you have a transit line. You have more people living above the new pizza shop that just opened and supporting that business. So it's not gonna happen overnight, but that's how you have to envision these districts.

You asked your department heads to bring you recommendations to improve the current permitting system. The deadline is 60 days. What do you want to change about it, and have you heard any good ideas yet?

 We did. We actually had two graduate students from Harvard who came here our first two weeks and analyzed our permitting system and gave us a 30 page report. … There are gonna be some minor changes we can make, hopefully leading up to that deadline and then seeing what the whole overhaul would look like once we get to that 60 days. And then whether it's legislation that needs done, whether it's internal changes — we've seen that some departments are just overloaded with permits. [The city] asking for like six permits for one little curb cut. There's gotta be a limit to what we're asking for.

 Not for big developers who can pay lawyers to do a lot of the background stuff. This is for small businesses and entrepreneurs so that they're not waiting months for a permit. Even community organizations that want to build housing in their neighborhood — the sooner we speed those permits up for them, the better they can use their money and get these projects up and running.

I heard you want to change the Boulevard of the Allies. What’s the vision? 

The Boulevard of the Allies shouldn't feel like a major highway cutting through our downtown, especially through a campus like Point Park. So working with PennDOT and state officials to look at narrowing, possibly getting rid of a couple parking spots on either side, better lighting, better art, and green infrastructure. Now all of a sudden it is your grand boulevard entrance from both sides of town into Downtown Pittsburgh. Makes it more vibrant, makes it more walkable, but also brings a sense of Downtown as a community. Having highways going through it doesn't feel that way.

You’ve proposed a special tax diversion for Downtown where property tax revenue from neighborhoods along the transit line — the Strip District, Downtown, and parts of the North Shore — could help fund specific, small projects in Downtown. Why there and why now, especially on top of the $600 million already earmarked for Arts Landing, Market Square, and more? 

The $600 million doesn't fill all the gaps in smaller projects. This would be for projects that are sort of ready to go, shovel ready, or just need that additional kick start … that have sat and still need $2-3 million. We have to get up and running, because then we generate the tax revenue back and it enables us to create more housing faster, create more office space, and create more storefronts. Little things go a very long way in making Downtown more vibrant for everybody. Tomorrow, Point Park is announcing a very big artist moving to Pittsburgh, which I think is very unique. The Weeknd is going to be working in Pittsburgh now… with his company HXOUSE — a studio in connection with Point Park, which now puts us on the world stage when you're talking about artists coming to Pittsburgh, especially to help revitalize Downtown and partner with young students who want to get into the music field. It just gives us another leg up.

 for Downtown right now, all in advance of the NFL Draft. Who is that for?

 For an entrepreneur that never thought they could be open in Downtown. How do we get you Downtown? And I also think the Draft is a great way to do this, because there's about 50 plus storefronts that we want to have filled. … The more we can amplify the stuff that we have here, the better off we all are.

There was a line in your inauguration speech: “Public safety isn't a statistic. It's a feeling you have when you walk down the street.” Have you heard the criticisms of that, and what do you say to people who worry about whose feelings you’re catering to?

 I don't follow social media, but we can't rely only on statistics. When somebody's living next to a dilapidated house that the city owns — that's gonna fall on their house. … Crosswalks that aren't being taken care of. Sidewalks that are cracked. People with disabilities who need wheelchair access, and we don't have curbs that accommodate them so now they're in the streets. Those are not statistics that will ever pop up. That's what we're talking about.

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris sits down with Mayor Corey O’Connor at the City-County Building.

We Interview Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor During His First Month in Office

Mayor Corey O’Connor Talks Budget Gaps, Filling Storefronts & Fresh Ideas for Downtown

Pittsburgh is in its glow up era. The city is getting 

 in public and private investment ahead of the 

 for areas like Market Square, Point State Park, and the Cultural District. But a bunch of other museums and attractions are seeing (seemingly unrelated) boosts, too. Here’s a rundown of projects in progress.

A four-acre plot along 8th Street is being transformed into 

, a space for playing and relaxing with stunning views of the Allegheny River. The $31 million project will include pickleball courts, a bandshell, a garden walk, and an area for pop-up events. Arts Landing will be the permanent home for the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival.

The historic shopping, dining, and event hub Downtown is being modernized with a 

. Look forward to upgraded pedestrian paths, better lighting, more public seating, and a new central pavilion. 

The 36-acre park and National Historic Landmark are undergoing a 

. Upgrades include walkways repairs, better fountain lighting, fresh landscaping, and more.

 More Glow Ups at Museums and Attractions

After receiving a $65 million gift from Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin, the Carnegie Science Center is rebranding and 

 with a special day of free events. Look for giveaways, educational movies, Buhl Planetarium shows, a special Miniature Railroad & Village scavenger hunt, a sneak peek at future exhibits, and more.

Four buildings along Penn Avenue are coming down to 

 to the Heinz History Center by January 2028. Improvements include a new theater, more room for exhibits, a much larger entry space and outdoor plaza, and additional classrooms and offices.

The Heinz History Center also got an $11.5 million gift from the Kamin family, which will allow the museum to offer 

The Frick team has been working on a multi-phase, 

 of Clayton, the historic home of local industrialist Henry Clay Frick, which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. If you visit for a tour, you’ll notice scaffolding around the grand home as crews remove old paint and restore the exterior, including adding a 

. Updates have also been made to improve accessibility and safety across the grounds.

Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is working on its 20-year masterplan and recently got a $10 million

 that’ll go toward new zoo facilities and programs. An expanded giraffe barn will allow for winter viewing, plus VIP experiences such as “walking along an elevated catwalk and feeding the giraffes eye-to-eye.” The new Exhibition Indonesia exhibit — a multilevel habitat with waterfalls, pools, and off-season viewing area — will feature orangutans, siamangs, and Malaysian tapirs. Construction begins in late 2025.

The Warhol has plans for a three-story concert venue and event space on East General Robinson Street called the 

. The building design, with big glass windows and metal cladding, is inspired by Warhol’s famous Factory studios in Manhattan. The estimated cost hasn’t been released yet.

The 5,000-seat venue along the Monongahela River will increase its capacity to 15,000 by 2028 — giving our men's soccer team, the Riverhounds, a chance to join the upcoming Division One United Soccer League. The 

 will also include a club with a banquet space, suites, and more capacity to host concerts and other events.

Downtown’s getting an Arts Landing; Heinz History Center and Highmark Stadium are expanding; the Pittsburgh Zoo is renovating; The Warhol is building a concert venue; and more.

Upgrades Coming to Pittsburgh Museums and Attractions

Major Glow Ups Coming to Pittsburgh Museums and Attractions

Know someone who needs a summer gig? CitiParks is looking to recruit, certify, and train lifeguards for the upcoming pool season. The number of city pools that will open depends on how many lifeguards come on board. Last year, Pittsburgh opened 15 pools, but in 2022, it only opened eight.

 Lifeguards must be City of Pittsburgh residents, at least 16 years old by Sept. 3, be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and be willing to work at any CitiParks Outdoor Pool.

 $16.97 to $19.57 per hour, based on experience

 The job may lead to future city employment; many public safety professionals get their start as lifeguards.

Fill out the 2024 Lifeguard Interest Form

 and CitiParks Aquatics will contact you.

Know someone who needs a summer gig? Help Pittsburgh open more pools by becoming a lifeguard.

Apply To Be a Lifeguard at Pittsburgh’s CitiParks Pools

Make Pittsburgh better, one neighbor at a time. Find volunteering opportunities, ways to get involved and give back, and more.

Help Your Pittsburgh Neighbors

Help Your Neighbors

, is a national day advocating for residents to report road safety issues to the non-emergency 311 line — and we have a Pittsburgher to thank for its creation! 

 founder Armin Samii is bringing awareness to obstacles for pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, and stroller pushers.

🚲 At 5 p.m. today, Samii is inviting locals to join him to report hazards along a 2-mile bike loop, starting at St. Stanislaus’ Church in the Strip District. 

Sometimes the biggest improvements can come from small requests, and we have the power to make our city more safe and accessible for all. Never reported before? Here’s the 411 on 311.

, but not an emergency, can be reported to the city’s 311 line: traffic issues, potholes, dangerous sidewalks, overgrown trees, abandoned properties, damaged electrical wires, illegal parking, dead animals, etc.

Dial “311” to talk to a live operator from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you’re outside of Pittsburgh, call 412-255-2621. You can also text!

 24/7 by selecting “service request,” adding your location, and uploading a picture. The app is available for IOS and Android devices.

Pittsburgh got over 103,000 requests in 2023! This data helps the city determine unsafe areas, especially as Pittsburgh 

: no traffic-related deaths or serious injuries. Samii’s best tips for getting the city to respond to your request are to be patient, be nice, and be specific. The more details you include — like photo or video evidence — the better!

And good news: The city says it’s working on software improvements and even a new app. So stay tuned!

Listen & Learn!

March 11, or 311 Day, is a national day advocating for residents to report road safety issues to the non-emergency 311 line.

How To Report Safety Issues To 311 in Pittsburgh

In Mayor Ed Gainey’s State of the City address, he said that he wanted Pittsburgh to be the safest, most welcoming city in America with opportunity for all.

City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris sat down with him at the City-County Building to talk about what the administration is doing to accomplish that, plus 

his wish list for the second half of his term

Nearly 40 city-owned bridges have been rated as poor, and the city is repairing at least a dozen through the new Bridge Asset Management Program.

The bridges are so expensive, and you got $86 million plus some federal money? Is that enough?

Well, it's never enough, but it's the beginning, right? We went decades without a bridge management program. I mean, think about that. We're the city of bridges, and we don't have a bridge asset management program. So, I can't be upset about what we didn't have because we were not here yet. What I can do is begin to plan, talk about how we look at this crisis, and turn it into an opportunity so we have a promise of a better tomorrow.

Boosting Traffic Calming & Sidewalk Repairs

Vision Zero is a plan that “starts with the premise that all traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable” and works with multiple city departments to develop holistic solutions, 

Last year, the city launched a pilot to help homeowners repair critical sidewalks identified through the 

 The sidewalks are really complicated too just because in Pittsburgh it's unique that a lot of homeowners are in charge of sidewalks.

Sure, but we’ve also reached out to them and said ‘listen, it’s better to do business with us. We can offset the costs’ … So if it benefits people, it benefits the city. And those are the things that we're doing right now that don't get a lot of attention because they're not sexy, right?

Yeah, I think they are! Because here’s the reality: We're talking about mobility on so many different issues. That's why a part of it was moving [The City-County Task Force on Disabilities] out of City Planning and into the mayor's office so that we could have more of an understanding of exactly what's needed and get them involved at an earlier stage in development… We don’t want a city that grows old, we want a city that grows up.

 I saw you also threw in your support recently, 

, about the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh. Why make that a big priority?

 I think it's exciting to me because a lot of people's left this city. And wherever I go, you have what I call “Stiller bars.” We're all over. And a lot of them still love this city… We want people to come back to see the new city, the new Pittsburgh. We want them to come back and experience that we're not the smoky town we used to be. We're tech. We're meds. We're eds. We're inclusive. We're diverse. We're culture. We're sports. We're everything. Come on home and see why you miss home so much.

more than 170 children died from gun violence

 in Pittsburgh in the last five years; 30 of them were in 2023.

Mayor Gainey’s first concern is with legislation: 

We got more guns on the streets than we got children, and legislatively, we have to change that, because at the end of the day it's not how we protect guns, it's how we protect our children.

And that's why you hear us reach out to these parents and everybody else in the community. If you see something, say something. And we've seen a return on that. We've probably got more information and evidence from neighbors, from the communities, from people in the city than ever before.

Mayor Ed Gainey on budgets, bridges, and why he thinks sidewalks are sexy.

Mayor Ed Gainey’s Hopes and Concerns for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is facing some big issues and great possibilities in 2024. City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris sat down with Managing Editor at 

 Monica Ruiz to talk about what Pittsburgh needs to take a hard look at this year.

The country is always watching the swing state of Pennsylvania during national elections – like this year’s on November 5.

“This [election year] seems to be tinted by the lack of confidence in democracy that unfortunately exists in so many corners. And I think it's going to be as much about whether democracy functions and how it functions and whether we can trust in the result. There will be a lot of people saying we can't trust the result, potentially including one of the presidential candidates, and that'll be as much of an issue as the policy differences.”

Voting officials are worried Pa. isn’t prepared for misinformation

“We have to stop thinking about voting every four years and just remind people that elections happen every single year … And we cannot forget to target our youth. We shouldn't start targeting 18-year-olds about voting when they're 18. Right? We should have these conversations and do a little bit of movement with them prior to so that they're excited and educated once they start voting.”

The city’s school district has a lot of bright spots, but it has a lot of problems too: funding is 

, and there are racial disparities creating 

“[These issues] have existed for quite a long time, but they've existed in an atmosphere that has not been considered a crisis because it's kind of been papered over with federal funds for the last three years since the pandemic. Now the federal funds are running out and all of a sudden you get a crisis that could be crippling, but it could also be an opportunity to address issues if there's leadership and public input and potentially, hopefully, consensus at some point.”

Lawmakers want to invest $5.4 billion to 

Pittsburgh is working to scale up its affordable units, but the immediate issues prevail: homeless shelters often 

 “Everybody wants to live in a nice neighborhood, right? But there's a big difference between revitalization and gentrification. If we're going to revitalize these communities, we have to do it in a way where we're including the people that are there and keeping them there… But more and more, we're seeing people moving outside of the city because they no longer can afford to live here. And they're living in areas where there are food deserts, no pharmacies, nowhere for them to get preventative health care.”

 “We're really struggling with the right balance of building new stuff, rehabilitating and preserving existing units, coming up with new models and new transitional housing options. It’s really kind of THE struggle, I think, for 2024 for this region.”

. Shuman, Pittsburgh’s juvenile detention facility, has been closed since 2021, but it is 

 “I think that we have to start thinking about the root causes of how people end up in jail. Right? So if we start funding better mental health services, better housing, which are many of the reasons why people end up in these places, we can avoid people going into [incarceration]. It's just such a complex situation, where it's not just one thing. People need to stop dying in the Allegheny County Jail. There's so many things that need to change… And the fact that we have juveniles in the Allegheny County Jail is so unfathomable.”

“Our country, including our region, incarcerates at a rate that just doesn't have other precedent in the developed world. Locally, we've had problems with healthcare and mental healthcare at the county jail. We've really struggled to figure out how to best deal with youth who are charged with offenses. And the impending reopening of Schuman is going to bring all that to a head where we have a contractor, Adelphoi, that has faced problems and accusations in some markets.”

Pittsburgh elections, public school problems, affordable housing, and challenges for incarceration facilities.

city planning

Will Pittsburgh Build A New Football Stadium?

How To Join Pittsburgh’s Safe Sidewalks Crew

Mayor Corey O’Connor Talks Budget Gaps, Filling Storefronts & Fresh Ideas for Downtown

Latest articles

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