COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP By maintaining and improving the quality of life in Oakland, Pitt raises both its own profile and that of the city neighborhood it calls home.
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OAKLAND BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT As a vital member of the Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID) since its inception in 1999, Pitt supports the organization’s goals of maintaining a clean and safe community that attracts quality business and retail segments and promoting the neighborhood as a desirable place to work, learn, and live. Since 1999, OBID’s Clean and Green Program has swept more than 90 tons of garbage from the streets of Oakland, 12 tons of which were removed in 2012 alone. OBID contracts with Service Group, Inc., to provide daily sidewalk cleaning services; sanitize publicly used amenities such as pay phones, news racks, trash cans, and bus stops; and remove flyers and handbills from public utility poles. To specifically reduce cigarette butt litter, OBID has installed receptacles and distributed 1,000 handheld pocket ashtrays. The progress made through these initiatives has inspired the city to install recycling receptacles at intersections within the business district. By positioning sidewalk planters and hanging flower baskets along the Forbes Avenue corridor, OBID has brought in natural elements to soften the edges of a bustling business streetscape. OBID also offers graffiti removal and prevention assistance to its members and promotes the City of Pittsburgh’s 311 Response Center, which addresses problems with vandalism.
OAKLAND TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION With a distinctly urban campus, the University of Pittsburgh is surrounded by some of the busiest traffic patterns in the city. Through its membership in the Oakland Transportation Management Association (OTMA), Pitt advocates for a reduction in traffic and the ensuing pollution and congestion by encouraging the use of alternate means of transportation. Pitt also was a partner in OTMA’s Hometown Streets Safe Routes to School project, which secured more than $1.3 million to rebuild intersections; provide new crosswalks, sidewalks, handicap ramps, cross signals, and light poles; and expand sidewalk bumpouts in Oakland along the busy Fifth and Forbes corridor.
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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
TONS OF . GARBAGE
Since 1999, OBID’s Clean and Green . Program has swept more than 90 tons . of garbage from the streets of Oakland, . 12 tons of which were removed in 2012 alone. OTMA serves as a connecting point for businesses, institutions, and residents of Oakland to create a dialogue focused on transportation issues. For example, students who want new bike racks can access resources through OTMA to find out how they can move their idea forward into a project. The association also keeps the public informed of public policy affecting transportation through its Web site and social media. Pitt worked with OTMA for its annual Bike to Campus Day, treating bicycle commuters to breakfast, giveaways, discount coupons, and prize drawings. Riders who registered their bikes received inspections and reflective backpacks filled with maps and safety gear, including a first aid kit, reflectors, and a clipon LED headlight. The University has strongly supported the installation of bike racks throughout the business district and at campus buildings and is working collaboratively with the city and other stakeholders to strategically locate BikeShare stations at multimodal points on campus. Other OTMA services include parking reservations, transportation fairs, and community planning.
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HIGH-TRAFFIC . INTERSECTIONS UPDATED The efforts of OTMA partners, including the University of Pittsburgh, led to the successful updating of 11 high-traffic pedestrian intersections along Fifth and Forbes avenues.
