Allegheny Together

Allegheny Together is a program that provides strategic planning and technical support for traditional business districts throughout Allegheny County. We helped reestablish the  program with an updated model and provide on-going planning services to strengthen communities across the county.

evolveEA and Fourth Economy Consulting lead participating communities through a year of facilitated strategic planning, utilizing data analysis, community engagement, and an urban design review. New communities apply to join each annual cohort and participate in an annual Allegheny Together Summit.

In the initial phase of engagement, the team creates a strategic Action Plan for each community organized around the core tenets of the Main Street America approach to strengthening business districts. The team have established a set of baseline workforce and economic metrics to assess each participating community. evolveEA’s process includes the preparation of a comprehensive Main Street physical analysis that identifies planning issues, building design, historic preservation, and placemaking strategies, and is tailored for each community in the cohort.

With Action Plans established during phase one, a Technical Assistance phase guides cohort communities in identifying and prioritizing a slate of projects based on funding sources, timing, return on investment, and other metrics. Technical assistance projects can incorporate a mix of urban design and economic consulting components, which are typically performed by evolveEA and Fourth Economy Consulting. In some cases, the team assists the community in drafting a Request for Proposals based on a recommended scope of work.

The program was targeted for lower and middle income communities, and during the pandemic the team developed an Open for Business Map. This effort highlighted businesses that were remaining active including their hours and services so that the public could support their neighborhood businesses. Local news featured the project, which provided a crucial boost to business districts. Based on the program’s success, Allegheny County Economic Development now plans to extend eligibility to all of the county’s main street districts.

The Allegheny Together Program was recognized with a Planning Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association, affirming its value and effectiveness in strengthening Main Street districts and relevance for regions beyond Allegheny County.