On Tuesday, August 26th, residents and partners gathered for the eighth Neighborhood Power Building Project (NPP) workshop at Steel City Squash in Larimer. This month’s focus was on trees and their connection to public health – how canopy, shade, and green space affect daily life in the neighborhood.
The evening opened with an exciting update from Ashley Bryant, Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator with the City of Pittsburgh: in the first half of 2025 alone, the City has completed three traffic calming interventions in Larimer and Lincoln – something she described as “unheard of” in normal city planning timelines. The achievement was made possible by the persistence and determination of local residents, whose dedication has resulted in lasting improvements that will impact the neighborhood for years to come.
Trees and Public Health
Dr. Tiffany Gary-Webb, Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of Pittsburgh, then stepped in and centered the evening’s discussion through the lens of the Social Determinants of Health, with a focus on the neighborhood and built environment. She explained how trees and shade cover work in concert with other neighborhood features such as safe sidewalks, lighting, and street crossings to safeguard residents’ physical and mental health. A strong canopy improves air quality and encourages activity; by extension, this also ensures a daily quality-of-life benefit that touches almost every aspect of neighborhood experience.
Trees, Shade, and Equity
The conversation then turned to the concrete ways trees affect daily life in Larimer, and how the City is working to expand canopy coverage. Chris Belasco, Chief Data Officer for the City of Pittsburgh, showed just how dramatic the impact of shade can be. During the workshop, participants compared shaded and unshaded streets in Larimer, while Chris shared his own measurements from a warmer day the week before. The results were striking: shaded sidewalks were up to 25 degrees cooler than those in direct sun. This difference doesn’t just affect neighborhood comfort – it shapes where people can safely walk and how residents experience periods of extreme heat.
Michael Kelley, Utility Arborist with the City of Pittsburgh, then stepped in to share an overview of how the City plans its tree planting strategy. He explained that the City uses an equity-focused framework to decide where trees are needed most, giving priority to neighborhoods that have historically been overlooked. Research shows that when a community reaches at least 30% tree canopy coverage, it gains a strong measure of protection against rising temperatures and flooding. Areas below that threshold, by contrast, face far greater risks.
Michael made clear that resident input drives these decisions, emphasizing that “we put trees where the residents want them.” He also centered safety and maintenance as additional guiding priorities, sharing some information with participants on how to request new trees or support for existing ones.
Looking Ahead
As the evening closed, residents reflected on the ways trees already shape daily life, and considered how future improvements in tree coverage could strengthen Larimer’s resilience and livability. These conversations laid the groundwork for next month’s workshop, which will focus directly on strategies for improving tree placement, maintenance, and coverage in Larimer. Clara Kitongo of Tree Pittsburgh will join us in September to share insights from the TreeVitalize program, helping envision how Larimer can continue to grow into a cooler, greener, and healthier neighborhood.
Stay tuned for updates from the next workshop at: www.BlackEquityCoalition.org.
About the Neighborhood Power Building Initiative:
The Black Equity Coalition (BEC), in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh created the Neighborhood Power Building initiative as part of the broader Data Justice for Pittsburgh’s Black Neighborhoods project, designed to empower Black residents with decision-making authority over how data is used, governed, and shared in the city. Pittsburgh is one of four U.S. cities selected for the Modern Anti-Racist Data Ecosystems (MADE) for Health Justice initiative, supported by the de Beaumont Foundation.
As a recipient of the MADE for Health Justice Grant, the BEC decided on our health equity goal: to help residents in Black communities that have been most-impacted by residential segregation and disinvestment in the City of Pittsburgh claim power to improve the quality of housing and the built environment. After a competitive RFP process, we ultimately selected the Larimer Consensus Group (LCG) as a Neighborhood Power Building Partner.
