The Welcoming Pittsburgh Plan: A Roadmap for Change

Shortly after taking office as Mayor of Pittsburgh in 2014, William Peduto launched the Welcoming Pittsburgh initiative, an effort "to improve quality of life and economic prosperity for immigrants and native born residents alike" and to grow the city's population by 20,000 in ten years' time.

Through a competitive process, Peduto convened an advisory body of 40 leaders from diverse communities and sectors to drive the community consultation process and to develop a plan of action.  After holding a series of five public meetings, gathering survey responses from almost 2000 immigrants and native-born residents alike, and convening two "immigrant listening sessions," the committee released its Welcoming Pittsburgh Plan in June of 2015. The plan contains a set of 37 "actionable" recommendations categorized as short-term (6 months to a year), mid-term (1 to 2 years), long-term (3 to 5 years), or ongoing. The Committee grouped its recommendations into three broad focus areas: Welcome, Neighbor! Bridge to the City, and Prospering Together -- each of which will be spearheaded by an "action team" appointed by the mayor. One of the short-term recommendations in the "Welcome, Neighbor!" category will be the establishment of "Welcoming Hubs" at select community or recreation centers in the city. A mid-term recommendation in the "Bridge to the City" focus area will be the creation of a city office to coordinate immigrant integration activities. A long-term recommendation in the "Prospering Together" area will be to improve the recertification process for immigrant professionals. (Abstract courtesy Nicholas Montalto, PhD.)

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