PublicSource

10/16/2025

Public Source believes that a neighborhood's greatest resource is the people who call it home. That's why we created zines — miniature paper magazines — highlighting the people, places and stories of Oakland and south Pittsburgh. Get your free copy today. https://buff.ly/4UUxVDQ

10/16/2025

Burnout, low salaries, student loan debt and lack of training have created a shortage of behavioral health professionals working with vulnerable patients. A new county-wide fellowship program seeks to bridge the workforce gap, but structural issues remain.

As a behavioral health workforce shortage leaves many without care, Pitt and Allegheny County-backed fellowships offer training and debt relief — but experts warn they won’t address the root causes of the crisis.

10/16/2025

Carnegie Mellon University researchers who built Plume Pittsburgh — a website that visualizes daily emissions from Clairton Coke Works, Irvin Works and Edgar Thomson Works — also helped develop Climate TRACE, the global pollution tracker unveiled by environmental advocate and former Vice President Al Gore at New York Climate Week in late September.

Climate TRACE partnered with CMU’s CREATE Lab to visualize the spread of pollution from 9,560 industrial facilities around the world — including several “super-emitters” that expose 900 million people to pollution worldwide.

“The biggest aspiration … is to really put an environmental justice focus on conversations around climate change, and show how the same facilities that are causing these global problems of our shifting environment are also having a real impact on the communities that are in their backyard,” said Amy Gottsegen, a CREATE Lab research developer.

Read more at publicsource.org

10/15/2025

A proposal to use zoning laws to spur more affordable housing creation is in question again with Pittsburgh City Council voting by a slim majority on an altered inclusionary zoning bill that removes mandatory low-income requirements.

Wednesday’s council meeting, accompanied by obscenity-filled asides, was the latest phase of more than a year of efforts and counterefforts to alter Pittsburgh’s housing zoning policies in an increasingly dizzying merry-go-round.

At the center of the merry-go-round are the office of outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey, pushing for low-income housing mandates across the city, a divided City Council and the City Planning Commission.

Council voted 5-4 to amend Gainey’s inclusionary zoning legislation, removing a requirement that any development with more than 20 housing units must include at least two affordable units. Councilor Erika Strassburger proposed the amendment removing that requirement, instead providing developers with a choice to include affordable housing in new developments, using subsidies as an incentive.

“We’ve been speaking about this for a long time, discussing major housing reforms practically nonstop for over a year,” Strassburger said. “My stance hasn’t changed, I’m willing to work with anyone to craft a comprehensive housing policy that will increase affordability and housing access.”

Many members of the public who showed up voiced opposition to Strassburger’s amendment.

“Inclusionary zoning cannot be optional, it must be mandatory,” Teaira Collins of Greenfield told council. “The city is prejudiced. You don’t want me living next door to you but you’re fine with pushing me out of the city. Stop saying you’re doing something for us and start doing it.”

Read more at publicsource.org.

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10/15/2025

Bob Charland makes makes 120% of his area’s median income — and sits on Pittsburgh City Council. He's still struggling to buy a home that makes sense for him.

Despite a city salary of nearly $90,000, Councilor Bob Charland says aging housing stock, high costs and student debt keep him from buying.

10/15/2025

Plume Pittsburgh is an app that depicts how air pollution from the region’s three largest polluters spreads across the region, allowing Pittsburghers to see the causes and patterns of pollution. The app has spawned a global tool called Climate TRACE.

Al Gore’s new global tracker, introduced at NYC Climate Week, was built upon a CMU tool called Plume Pittsburgh.

10/15/2025

Pittsburgh’s Public Source produced a neighborhood zine — a limited-run, miniature magazine — about Brookline, Carrick and Overbrook! Find it today at:

-Carnegie Library – Brookline ()
-802 Bean Company – Brookline ( )
Geekadrome – Brookline ()
-Carnegie Library – Carrick
-Donut Connection – Carrick ()
-Phillips Recreation Center – Carrick
-Frank & Shirley’s Restaurant – Overbrook

10/15/2025

Pittsburgh’s Public Source produced a neighborhood zine — a limited-run, miniature magazine — about Oakland! Find it today at:

Groceria Merante
La Prima
Sidecar Cafe
Carnegie Library – Main

10/15/2025

Kickflips and clubbing in Oakland; snakes and sparring in southern Pittsburgh. Our photographers visited Oakland and Brookline, Carrick and Overbrook and printed what they saw in zines. Find them around the neighborhoods! https://buff.ly/4UUxVDQ

10/14/2025

Pittsburgh and Cleveland both lost population since the mid-1900s, leaving many vacant homes. As Pittsburghers struggle to afford homes, Cleveland's housing market is bolstered by a land bank with healthy state funding.

Thanks to healthy state funding, the Cuyahoga Land Bank models how Pittsburgh could get more people into homeownership.

10/14/2025

Are you ready to vote in local elections on Nov. 4? Pittsburgh's Public Source and Pittsburgh City Paper collaborated on an easy-to-use guide that outlines every race and candidate. https://buff.ly/s0nHfp6

10/14/2025

Bob Charland is a 36-year-old Pittsburgh City Council member — and a renter. He's in the rare position of trying to legislate fixes to the city’s homeownership issues while also struggling as a resident to navigate them. "For me it’s not an academic exercise."

Despite a city salary of nearly $90,000, Councilor Bob Charland says aging housing stock, high costs and student debt keep him from buying.