Pittsburgh Campus Hillside Transformation

Already in process, the transformation of Pitt’s mid-campus will offer new pedestrian pathways, sustainably landscaped outdoor spaces, increased stormwater management, & more!

You might have been following the planning for the new mid-campus Recreation & Wellness Center, but did you know the adjacent mid-campus hillside area is undergoing a major transformation as well?  In the coming years, it will offer pedestrian pathways, outdoor spaces, a stormwater management system, and more!  Hillside projects include:

  • Pathway Enhancements – The existing University Drive is being reconfigured and a new central pedestrian walkway through mid-campus is being created to safe, pedestrian-friendly, and convenient access and connection through campus and the sustainable hillside.  The mid-campus hillside area is the steepest topographic area of campus, making traversed pathways in the area’s redesign a welcome aid to pedestrians and bicyclists.
  • Outdoor Spaces – New hillside areas will provide new and welcoming outdoor gathering spaces for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Sustainable Landscapes – Landscaping improvements will bring sustainable new landscapes featuring native species and reduce vehicular surfaces.  University Grounds crews are in the process of implementing landscape improvements in the hillside area and across campus through the use of increased native species, planting over 4,000 new perennials, shrubs, and trees annually.
  • Infrastructure Improvements – Updates to aging utility infrastructure include a new chilled water plant (December 2023) and updated electricity, chilled water, and sewer lines, in line with existing building needs, future Campus Master Plan projections, and preeminent research university utility resiliency and redundancy requirements.

Adjacent to the mid-campus hillside, the new Recreation & Wellness Center, (Fall 2024), Victory Heights, student housing, and an upgraded stormwater management system are expected to come into fruition as part of the Campus Master Plan developed in collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh, Oakland community members, students, faculty, and staff.

Pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers are reminded to travel safely through these areas during construction, following alternate marked routes and not entering construction site areas.  Learn more about interim walkway, road, and construction alternate routes.

To learn more about hillside development and benefits, read the behind-the-scenes profile with project manager Anastasia Dubnicay.

TAGS: Landscape & Ecology , Materials & Waste ,