PITTSBURGH, PA (August 16, 2021) Today, the City of Pittsburgh Office of Mayor William Peduto, Departments of Innovation & Performance (I&P), Parks and Recreation, and Public Works (DPW) have launched CitiParks, the city’s first official comprehensive and interactive public parks, recreation and trails website.
The CitiParks website provides detailed information about attractions, event shelters, public art, and amenities as well as interactive maps and more for the city's five Allegheny Regional Asset District parks (Schenley, Frick, Riverview, Emerald View, and Highland Parks). The site also features information and resources on the city’s 10 Community Parks, riverfronts, and 150 Neighborhood Parks.
I&P has mapped over 160 miles of trails using a high accuracy GPS unit to compile the first-ever comprehensive trail map of Pittsburgh that includes trails through parks, greenways, and riverfronts. The trails are categorized by difficulty and display elevation information to give the public a resource to plan their trips. This data will also be used internally for planning, maintenance, and public safety purposes.
“This critical information had been missing for far too long,” said Mayor Peduto. “We have always known the social, health and economic impacts of having access to park and recreation space, but during the pandemic we all saw firsthand how much we relied on our parks. Now, we’re able to provide the people of Pittsburgh with a place to learn about their parks like never before.”
The website combines the new features and tools with all existing relevant park information in one convenient landing page, which features the public’s most sought after park resources in one place including:
- Parks & Trails
- Swimming Pools
- Spray Parks
- Sports Fields
- Park Rangers
- Shelters
- Recreation Centers
- Special Events
- Parks Maintenance
“So many City Departments work collaboratively for the good of our parks,” said Ross Chapman, Director of the Department of Parks & Recreation. “Providing quality parks and critical programming is a team effort. For the public however, it was becoming confusing to find information. Housing it all under the CitiParks banner makes the most sense.”
The City of Pittsburgh’s official website for its park system is available for the public, community groups, and partner organizations at citiparks.net or pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks.
This project was made possible through the collaboration of several departments and staff. The project was managed by James Hill of the Office of the Mayor. Park and amenity information was provided by Tom Paulin, DPW Superintendent of Parks, and numerous helpful staff from DPW and Parks and Recreation, including Allison Botti and Sue Lucas. The trails were mapped using GPS by Matt Jacob of I&P’s Applications team. The website was created by I&P’s GIS and Communications Services teams, including Smyth Welton, Thomas Allison and Giovanni Svevo. Park historical information was provided by Nick Hartley and Charles Succop of the City Archives.
