Updating the Campus Master Plan is starting to take shape with a new website and steering committee.
The steering committee includes administrators from Facilities Management, Engagement and Community Affairs, Athletics, Student Affairs and more. There also is a faculty representative — David Salcido, assistant professor of emergency medicine and co-chair of the Senate’s Campus Utilization, Planning and Safety Committee — and staff member — Caitlyn McCullough, web content manager for the School of Public Health and parliamentarian of Staff Council.
The updated plan, which will be completed by the end of 2025, will reflect the University’s commitments to sustainability, accessibility, mobility, engagement and outdoor connectivity initiatives, and also align with the updated Plan for Pitt.
The 30-year campus master plan was launched in 2018. “But of course, it was inked before COVID,” David DeJong, senior vice chancellor for business and operations, said earlier this year. “So it didn’t envision the sort of flex work and the reduction of back office space that we need — just as one example of an opportunity to refresh.”
The Campus Master Plan is a living document that guides campus development in alignment with University priorities, community needs and evolutions in higher education. It was originally crafted over two years in 2017-18 with input from faculty, staff, students and residents.
Pitt’s Office of Planning, Design and Construction is leading the effort and has brought on the design consulting firm, Sasaki, to develop the plan based on Pitt’s internal needs and the impacts of societal changes, such as those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The updated plan will be developed over four phases:
Phase I (through June) — Launch the initiative website, which will be updated throughout the process, and focus on gathering insights and data to guide the plan’s direction.
Phase II (July-December) — Pitt will conduct targeted outreach and involve the steering committee to refine the plan’s conceptual framework. There will be multiple opportunities for community input and engagement beginning in fall 2024.
Phase III (January-April 2025) — Stakeholder input will drive the development of actionable recommendations to enhance the plan.
Phase IV (May-December 2025) — A comprehensive Campus Master Plan draft will be developed, then reviewed by and presented to the Board of Trustees
Pitt’s Institutional Master Plan (IMP), approved by the City of Pittsburgh in July 2021, will not change at this time. The IMP is a formal, legally binding document that outlines specific details related to city regulations, including building height and mass, parking, urban design and neighborhood compatibility. If the new Campus Master Plan changes a project outlined in the IMP, Pitt will work with the city and community on amending the document that must be approved by 2031.
— Susan Jones
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