Pittsburgh's Department of City Planning has invested considerable resources into developing and implementing the first city-wide Comprehensive Plan for land use to address the need for growth in all 90 of the city's neighborhoods. Residents are not in agreement as to the plan's efficacy, and adjustments are still being made, such as an ongoing debate regarding Oakland's future after "The Oakland Plan" was adopted in June of 2022.

The department sought to involve community members in the planning process by asking for their input and recommendations in a survey of housing conditions and web-based conferences, part of an initiative known as #ForgingPGH that was announced in September 2020 by then-mayor Bill Peduto, who stated that he intended to "put into our urban plans a model that breaks away from generations of disinvestment in our Black communities." 

City Planning Director Andrew Dash said that the Comprehensive Plan, which is intended to guide Pittsburgh's #LandPlanning efforts over the next 20 years, "will provide an equitable framework for housing, development, mobility, sustainability and land use." However, public sentiment is strongly divided regarding the issue.

Critics contend that the Department of City Planning has succeeded in little more than creating a document that can be consulted for guidance. They believe that the department's actions thus far have yet to be decisive enough to improve the city's future in any significant way. People with this viewpoint say that although the Planning Commission continues to meet to discuss issues, simply talking about problems is different from finding solutions.

Conversely, supporters believe that the Comprehensive Planning Guide is a crucial step toward implementing widespread changes that will profoundly affect Pittsburgh's economic trajectory for many years. One example they give is the ongoing increase in Inclusionary Zoning, which requires developers to provide more affordable housing. 

This leads to the question: Is Pittsburgh's long-term comprehensive #LandPlanning effort the best solution for improving the city?