Pittsburgh leaders on Wednesday proposed transformations to Point State Park and Market Square as part of a revitalization plan ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The plan, which also includes improvements to a block of Eighth Street in the Cultural District, was released by the Allegheny Community Development Conference, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.
New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm Field Operations is working on the projects. Field Operations is responsible for projects such as Manhattan’s High Line and Chicago’s Navy Pier.
The eastern part of Point State Park, the Gateway Center side, could see improvements and more amenities along its perimeter to attract more residential growth, as well as sports fields or dog parks in the Liberty Avenue medians, according to the plan .
Liberty Avenue could also be adapted and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure could be improved. Jogging tracks, children’s play areas, an outdoor cafe and dog areas are being considered.
At Market Square, there could be new paving, furniture and other features, as well as a possible restriction on vehicle entry and exit points, according to the plan.
A proposed civic space on Eighth Street in the Cultural District would transform acres of surface parking adjacent to Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Allegheny River, and could include a garden, cafe, outdoor amphitheater, water features, courtyard area rear with outdoor games, food trucks and furniture, according to the plan.
Additionally, Fort Duquesne Boulevard could be used to create a balcony over the river and the “Allegheny Descent,” which would be a “lush walkway to the water” for pedestrians, according to the plan.
This plan has an expected completion time of two years, according to Stefani Pashman, executive director of the Allegheny Community Development Conference.
The proposed projects are aspirational, meaning they are not yet set in stone, according to Pashman.
“They will go through a public process in a highly engaged effort to confirm that the community’s needs are being met in each case and ensure that our vision matches their reality before executing,” he said.
Riverlife President and CEO Matthew Galluzzo said he has been actively designing riverfront improvements for the past two years, and the announcement of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh is cause to accelerate these projects.
A key component of the plan, Pashman said, is improving office conversions into residential spaces. To attract more of those spaces, he said the city’s amenities must support the effort.
“We know there is a demand for downtown housing – young professionals who want to live downtown,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. “Right now we already know that the demand is there. The reality is creating the right formula to ensure we can make the conversion necessary to make Downtown a neighborhood.”
Lisa Switkin, a partner at Field Operations, said the proposed plans are not “huge” and, in the context of other large renovation projects, will not cost billions of dollars. Other cities are looking to pursue similar projects, she said.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said human services and economic development dollars will help fund the projects. The exact details and costs are currently unknown.
A “true blueprint” will be created over the next six to 10 months for this first phase of the revitalization vision plan, according to Pittsburgh Cultural Trust CEO and President Kendra Whitlock Ingram.
“With the North Star of the draft… we have to make this happen,” Galluzzo said. “It’s easy when you have a moment like we’re going to have in two years to put things on steroids.”
Gainey said the revitalization project was already in the works before the draft was announced.
However, leaders agreed that the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh in 2026 is “excellent timing” with the announcement of the center’s vision plan.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news in Western Pennsylvania. Originally from Murrysville, she joined the Trib full-time in 2023 after working as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship Intern at Trib for three summers. From her You can contact her at mswift@triblive.com.
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