Seeds of Change

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

It’s not easy being green in this black-and-gold steel town.

In 1996, a group of neighbors concerned about the deteriorating state of Pittsburgh’s parks formed a nonprofit organization and partnered with city officials to plant the seeds of change.

That grassroots effort continues to grow.

To date, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has raised more than $150 million from public and private funding sources, completed 25 major improvement projects and offers an array of programming.

Residents can participate in yoga sessions at Schenley Plaza, go forest bathing in Allegheny Commons and sit in on a summer drum circle at Frick Environmental Center, a LEED Platinum and Living Building Certified facility that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026.

Last year, the Trust for Public Land included Pittsburgh on its list of top 15 park systems in the country.

There’s still a lot of work to be done.

The City of Pittsburgh and its departments of Public Works and Parks & Recreation — collectively known as CitiParks — owns and maintains 160 sites spanning 3,800 acres. Visitation to local parks skyrocketed during the pandemic — and hasn’t come down.

Catherine Qureshi, president and CEO of the conservancy, has a soft spot for Ormsby Playground on the South Side. Located between 22nd Street and the Birmingham Bridge, it’s where she made many happy memories with her children.

She also loves the Art Deco beauty of Downtown’s Mellon Square and the history behind McKinley Park, one of the city’s oldest recreational areas.

Founded in 1898, the 79-acre Beltzhoover spot will get a modern upgrade this fall that includes a shade pavilion, trail connections, stairs and pathways to enhance accessibility and the preservation of historic baseball backstop posts as a tribute to the site’s past.

Community input is essential to the conservancy’s work.

“We want to do restoration not just for the community, but with the community,” Qureshi says. “We can’t parachute in and say, ‘Here’s a rain garden!’ We meet with community members and build along with them.”

The conservancy’s 40-member staff, along with a small army of volunteers, is committed to teaching the next generation of Pittsburghers how to be environmental stewards. After-school programs, summer camps and hands-on ecological restoration projects engage more than 7,500 kids annually.

The nonprofit’s strategic plan, which plots its course through the year 2030, aims to improve accessibility.

In May, a Trackchair Program was launched at Frick Park in Squirrel Hill South. Four electric-powered, all-terrain wheelchairs are available to borrow free of charge for people ages 5 and older, opening up a new world to folks with limited mobility.

“Parks are an important part of our life and our city’s identity,” Qureshi says. “Being in nature is a fundamental human experience. It’s for all of us.”