Nurturing Our Economic Engines

Nurturing Our Economic Engines: Health Care and Education

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl recognizes that Pittsburgh’s burgeoning educational and medical institutions are the stabilizing force of our City’s healthy economy. Our City is being spotlighted worldwide for its ability to reinvent itself during times of crises. Luke is leveraging Pittsburgh’s healthy economic position to foster more job growth and innovation. He is continuing the transformation of former steel sites into 21st-Century high-tech workspaces and cultivating the next generation of workers who will support Pittsburgh’s future growth.

High Tech Workspace. The Pittsburgh Technology Center, a former steel site which sits close to the City’s universities, has been developed into a premier high-tech workspace that is attracting young talent and innovation. The complex currently houses hundreds of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Biomedical Research Center, Sunoco Polypropylene Research Center, CMU and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The City’s economic development agency is building more high-tech office space that will encourage more innovation coming from our universities and has helped nearly 40 new high tech companies get off the ground in strategic geographic zones centered near university hubs. Luke is making sure that these innovative workspaces are vibrant with urban amenities that attract young, creative people. This 21st-Century workspace, next to a riverfront trail system, is now linked with retail and recreation with the completion of the Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge.

Our Children, Our Future. Luke believes that a highly-skilled, innovative pool of employees will grow our burgeoning institutions and attract new 21st-Century businesses. That’s why he joined forces with the Superintendent of the School District to launch the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program. The City’s largest employer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, soon signed on to jumpstart funding for the Promise. Now, the City’s schools are prepping students for higher education with the promise that it is attainable and more youths are realizing their creative potential. Luke has provided a future for our children with the belief that they will launch successful careers in Pittsburgh and support these burgeoning institutions.

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