Pittsburgh's Green Neighborhoods

If you are looking for a green neighborhood in Pittsburgh consider some of the following factors...

Walk-ability
How easy it is for residents to get basic services without the use of a car. Neighborhoods that allow residents to reach more important needs, such as grocery stores, post offices, dining, cleaners and entertainment, within walking distance should be ranked higher. Also consider bike-ability for communities that make riding easy.

Commute
Commuting to work is a major contributor of pollution. Neighborhoods that are centrally located, allow for easy public transportation or alternative commuting (like walking and biking) rank high. Those with long, gridlocked commutes ranked lower.

Outdoor Spaces
Parks, Trails and Nature Reserves are all factors when considering how much of a community is devoted to trees and open spaces. It is also important to see how the community uses, or doesn’t use, the space.

Environmental Activism
This includes everything from recycling programs to eco-conscious businesses setting up in the area. It’s a broad category that looks at the desire of the community and its members to live and work in harmony with the environment.

Green Housing
A green community should include housing that is either green or energy efficient. The most obvious way is through new housing that is being built to a higher standard. Harder to rate, but equally worthy, are existing homes that owners are making an effort to upgrade. Look at housing sizes and density. Like it or not, big houses and big yards contribute big waste and emissions. Smaller homes and smaller yards are more environmentally friendly and a neighborhood that is denser contributes less waste.

Several neighborhoods that rank high in the above categories include Regent Square, Squirrel Hill, East Liberty, Shadyside and Oakmont.