Writer: Joey Garrand
2 min read January 2022 — Ed Gainey, Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, said he is determined to “create a city for all.” Within that mission, making Pittsburgh attractive from a business perspective is a key priority.
“One, we are focusing on safety. Beautifying and revitalizing Downtown is a major priority for us, making sure that people feel safe and comfortable,” Gainey said in an interview with Invest:. “Businesses go where they feel safe.” Cleaning up the streets, manicuring vacant lots and tearing down abandoned buildings will be priorities, as well as bolstering the city’s long-needed Downtown residential population.
Pittsburgh ranks fifth in the nation with regard to commercial real estate vacancies. “Converting some of those commercial spaces into affordable housing is an opportunity for us to grow Downtown,” said Gainey. In bolstering the residential base in Downtown, not just with market-rate housing but with affordable housing for working families, the idea is that local businesses within Downtown will also receive a boost due to a broader, more accessible consumer base.
Gainey also emphasized the importance of fostering diversity not only among the city’s population but within its business community as well. “If your executive management team is not diverse, that will be problematic in the years to come.” Gainey argues that just as diversity is desired in any business or investment portfolio, diversity among the population and local leaders will be critical to Pittsburgh’s future economic success and attractiveness to industry.
With this emphasis on fostering diversity comes the need to reverse the outmigration of African Americans, with approximately 7,000 African Americans leaving in recent years due to gentrification. Converting surplus commercial real estate into affordable housing units for working families and implementing inclusionary zones will be a primary focus for Gainey and his administration in tackling this issue.
Gainey understands that his vision for Pittsburgh won’t be fully realized during his time in office. “Development takes 20 years to happen, and what we want to do is plant a seed of change for the direction in which we’re heading,” Gainey said. “If we’re going to have a new economy, everybody should have an opportunity to play in that economy.”
Pittsburgh’s innovative industries will also play a leading role in shaping a new economy, Gainey said, pointing to sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous vehicles as being key to the region’s economic future. Of course, workforce development is top of mind in ensuring the success of these local industries.
In addition to fostering a more diverse population base and therefore talent pool to pull from, Gainey would like to promote more collaboration between industries, trades, universities and public schools. Gainey hopes to convene a table with the city’s top business and community leaders that will “create opportunities for higher learning and connect our growth sector industries to PPS, universities and trades in ways that don’t yet exist.” Not only will this help in generating the talent desired by growing companies, but Gainey hopes it will also create greater equity among job opportunities for underserved populations.
