City of Pittsburgh, Department of City Planning

The Vacant Lot Toolkit addresses the complex issue of the reuse of over 28,000 vacant lots in the City of Pittsburgh. The vacant lots compromise the city’s quality of life, property values, and the tax base. The toolkit puts particular focus on reuse for edible, flower, and rain gardens, as well as community art spaces and long term commercial reuse. The toolkit includes two parts: 1) a Policy Guide that promotes coordination among city departments and a more streamlined process for activating lots, and which resulted in a new adopt-a-lot program; and 2) a Vacant Lot Resource Guide that provides information for individuals and organizations including an easy-to-follow, step-by-step flow chart. (More information in resource library)