Current Efforts

Equitable and Just Greater Pittsburgh (EJGP)
The Equitable and Just Platform for Pittsburgh is a broad-based coalition of organizations and residents working together to create a platform of shared values centered on equity and justice. We root this work in the realities and threats that COVID-19, environmental degradation, and climate change present to the overburdened and under-resourced populations of Allegheny County and beyond: https://www.ejgp.org

EJGP evolved from the work of a broad based coalition that began in 2016, and evolved into a partnership with PolicyLink in 2017-2019 tha established policies to ensure that residents have access to safe, quality affordable housing, and are connected to economic opportunity.

Rising Tide Partners, Pittsburgh, PA
Our mission is to collaborate with neighborhood organizations and residents to implement their community vision by employing restorative real estate practices, laying the groundwork for the wealth building and stability of residents who have suffered from systemic injustices in land use decisions.

Ivette serves as the Director of Community Partnerships, working to establish collaborative governance in each neighborhood that we work on, so that decisions on land use are made by the residents that live there.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Mobility Plan,
As part of the team led by ARUP, Ivette supported the team locally in their public engagement efforts. This plan was an effort to understand how to make the Downtown area easier to navigate for all who work in, live in, and visit the Golden Triangle. The Plan included analyzing date, and collecting public input from a diverse group of stakeholders to identify issues and prioritize opportunities to improve the Downtown experience for everyone, especially during peak travel times.

Client: Department of Mobility & Infrastructure (DOMI), City Planning, Port Authority of Allegheny County, and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC)

Public Engagement Guide: The Pittsburgh Department of City Planning (DCP)
Ivette advised DCP on the creation of guidelines that establish expectations around public engagement for future long-term planing efforts in Pittsburgh. Ivette worked with DCP, and the Public Engagement Working Group, a group of local stakeholders committed to authentic public engagement, on developing the principles, guidelines, and a toolkit that will serve as resource guide for future engagement efforts throughout the City.

Emerald View Park Master Plan, Pittsburgh, PA
Emerald View Park is a 250-acre regional park located in the City of Pittsburgh's Mount Washington, Duquesne Heights, and Allentown neighborhoods. The master plan will guide the future of the park, and is being developed through a master plan process that includes community engagement, ecological review, and design of functional spaces. Ivette is supporting the team led by Merritt Chase, by leading public engagement efforts.

Forging PGH, Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Plan