Voice from Downtown: Riverlife’s Matt Galluzzo on Pittsburgh’s Downtown Riverfront Development

August 22, 2024

As the Downtown Revitalization Vision explores the future of downtown Pittsburgh’s buildings, parks and streetscapes, the three bodies of water that bound the Golden Triangle hold the key to the city’s future success: connectivity. And one entity that is making connections across the city is Riverlife, the nonprofit organization formed in 1999 to work with property owners, public officials and community groups to create and activate Pittsburgh’s riverfronts.

Five years ago, Riverlife reviewed the inventory of its entire service area, which encompasses 15 miles and more than 1,000 acres of open spaces, parks and trails, to better understand where historic disconnections remain and how the organization can help close the loop to improve riverfront access downtown and beyond. With the mission that riverfronts are for everyone, Riverlife aims to close the physical and experiential gaps in Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. From there, the connections are boundless.

Currently, Riverlife is working closely with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its partners to elevate the importance of open riverfront spaces that will help create a vibrant downtown. As a result, ideas for future revitalization like the Allegheny Descent are putting Pittsburgh’s riverfronts in the spotlight.

“There’s a lot of work that will go into repositioning Pittsburgh’s downtown geography in years to come,” said Riverlife’s President and CEO, Matt Galluzzo. “But these improvements are a necessary part of making downtown Pittsburgh a place we can all enjoy and be proud of.”

He added, “In Pittsburgh, we’re surrounded by water, especially downtown, and this is an asset. People are drawn to water for several reasons, including entertainment, recreation and respite.”

As such, Riverlife places riverfronts at the intersection of sustainability, economic development and arts and culture in the greater Pittsburgh region. Some of the upcoming connections drawing people to downtown’s shores include creating spaces for recreational activities like kayaking and boating, public art exhibitions, pop-up food and beverage vendors and entertainers performing on the water like the Flotsam River Circus troupe. Another celebration is Riverlife’s upcoming 15th Party at the Pier fundraiser at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on August 23, which features a galactic theme for 2024.

According to Riverlife’s “Completing the Loop” report, $132 million in riverfront park improvements had catalyzed $2.6 billion in riverfront development and nearly $4.1 billion in total riverfront and adjacent development over 15 years. That translates to a direct $20 impact in adjacent development for every dollar spent on riverfront improvements.

“We know that the fortunes of this region are tied to the reclamation of our riverfronts,” Galluzzo said. “We have a unique asset for this region that we are working to continue to better understand.”

Riverlife collaborated with the Allegheny Conference to restore Point State Park and its flagship fountain in 2013. On the Allegheny River side of the park, existing stonework at the majestic riverfront promenades was replaced, polished or reused during renovations, making them ideal staging areas for river-based events. On the Monongahela River side of The Point, the project enhanced access to the Great Allegheny Passage by improving multi-modal connections between the park and the Mon Wharf.

“Urban areas, specifically downtown, should have a myriad of mobility options and they should be both ubiquitous and intuitive,” Galluzzo said. “If you go to a city like Pittsburgh, you can get around. Pittsburgh benefits from the fact that our downtown is very dense and walkable.” Pittsburgh’s Riverlife trail system connects downtown to sister cities like Washington, D.C., and many small towns throughout the Mon Valley and across the state.