After a week where climate change was discussed in Pittsburgh City Council chambers and by Gov. Tom Wolf, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced the Steel City would become the second city in the U.S. to adopt the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its policymaking and planning for the future. 

This means committing to 17 goals including eliminating poverty, clean water, affordable and clean energy, and gender equality. 

To the glee of affordable housing advocates and chagrin of some real estate developers, Pittsburgh City Council passed an ordinance requiring developers to allocate ten percent of any Lawrenceville project featuring 20 units or more for affordable housing by an 8-0 vote on Wednesday. 

“This is really a historic moment, this is one of the major items that was suggested by our affordable housing task force and I think that we were able to apply the right tool to the right neighborhood needs,” Gross said. 

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority announced it will enter into a new cooperation agreement with the City of Pittsburgh when its current one expires in July. That is, if Pittsburgh City Council signs off. 

Much to the relief of many concerned Pittsburgh residents who expressed their distaste for the possibility of privatization at protests and public hearings, the new agreement holds language mandating that the water authority remains public-owned. According to the announcement’s press release many aspects of the agreement reflect recommendations from the mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel and requirements handed down from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. 

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto Friday signed an executive order creating the city’s first ever Office of Equity. According to Peduto the office, which will replace the Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment, will focus on addressing inequality throughout the city.

“Based upon the research from the Equity Indicators Report, OnePGH, and the concerns I hear from constituents daily, we know we have more work to do on equity but I am proud of what this administration has been able to do thus far,” Peduto said in a press conference Friday.

The city of Pittsburgh released its second annual report on the Pittsburgh Equity Indicators, a set of 80 measures that examine disparities based on race, gender, and/or income in multiple areas to better understand opportunities available to Pittsburgh residents.

“This analysis is a start towards untangling the deep roots of inequality that exist in this city,” Mayor Bill Peduto said.