Community-Driven Development at Pittsburgh Yards® | By the Annie E. Casey Foundation
For nearly two decades, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has been a key partner in the redevelopment of a 31-acre former industrial site in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood.
The project — now known as Pittsburgh Yards® — has evolved since UPS first sold the land to AECF Atlanta Realty, which is a subsidiary of the Casey Foundation, in 2006. The project’s mission, however, has remained the same: grow equitable career, entrepreneurship and wealth-building opportunities for the neighborhood’s Black residents.
Casey’s Atlanta Civic Site serves as primary investor and advisor on the project, and its staff members leaned on the Foundation’s Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide to help orient their work.
From the very start, Casey and the Pittsburgh Yards development team engaged local residents and businesses to help maximize community-based strengths and assets while also creating pathways for residents to participate in key decision-making processes.
This report explores the community engagement efforts that Casey undertook throughout the evolution of Pittsburgh Yards. It also shares lessons and recommendations that may be useful to organizations interested in undertaking similar redevelopment efforts.
Courtesy of Annie E. Casey Foundation