Allegheny Conference
Encyclopedia
The Allegheny Conference on Community Development is an nonprofit, private sector leadership organization dedicated to economic development and quality of life issues for the greater Pittsburgh region, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
It grew from efforts in the 1940s to coordinate improvements to regional transportation and the local environment. During World War II
, the Pittsburgh Regional Planning Association President Richard King Mellon
, Carnegie Institute of Technology
President Robert Doherty
, and others organized local leaders to create a postwar planning committee. Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence
and Allegheny County Commissioner John Kane were early recruits. The Allegheny Conference was officially established in 1944.
The city's most visible problem in the first half of the 20th century was air pollution. The Conference brokered an agreement for phased-in implementation of smoke control that became city policy. After the Conference voiced its concern for legal loopholes to the state legislature in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, a comprehensive anti-pollution law was passed in 1949 for Allegheny County.
The clearer skies over the city both attracted new business and encouraged local corporations to retain and expand their Pittsburgh headquarters. The pollution-control program explicitly influenced the decision of the Equitable Life Assurance Society to invest in planning the Gateway Center
project, a keystone of economic revitalization in Downtown Pittsburgh during Renaissance I. This also led to the development of Point State Park
. The Conference also played a role in the appropriation of funds for the construction of flood control dams on the Allegheny
and Monongahela
rivers.
In the 1940s and 1950s, mass transit in Allegheny County was in jeopardy because of 40 private transit companies and increased competition from cars. The Conference released a report in 1951 calling for all local transit lines to be under one authority. Public suspicions and private interests delayed the measure until service cutbacks and strikes rekindled the idea in 1957. The Conference was instrumental in building public and private support. In 1959, legislation was passed to create the Port Authority of Allegheny County
, and the first buses were rolling in 1964.
The Conference also led the transformation of the 14-block Penn-Liberty Corridor into the Pittsburgh Cultural District
. A related effort was Strategy 21 that enabled public and private agencies in Allegheny County to speak with one voice when requesting state funds. Strategy 21 not only resulted in projects that ranged from the new Pittsburgh International Airport
to The Andy Warhol Museum.
In 2001, the Conference entered into a strategic affiliation with the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA).
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It grew from efforts in the 1940s to coordinate improvements to regional transportation and the local environment. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Pittsburgh Regional Planning Association President Richard King Mellon
Richard King Mellon
Richard King Mellon , commonly known as R.K., was an American financier from Ligonier, Pennsylvania.-Biography:The son of Richard B. Mellon, nephew of Andrew W...
, Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
President Robert Doherty
Robert Doherty (college president)
Robert E. Doherty was an American electrical engineer who served as the third President of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.-Early life:...
, and others organized local leaders to create a postwar planning committee. Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence
David L. Lawrence
David Leo Lawrence was an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. He is to date the only mayor of Pittsburgh to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Previously, he had been the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1946 through 1959...
and Allegheny County Commissioner John Kane were early recruits. The Allegheny Conference was officially established in 1944.
The city's most visible problem in the first half of the 20th century was air pollution. The Conference brokered an agreement for phased-in implementation of smoke control that became city policy. After the Conference voiced its concern for legal loopholes to the state legislature in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, a comprehensive anti-pollution law was passed in 1949 for Allegheny County.
The clearer skies over the city both attracted new business and encouraged local corporations to retain and expand their Pittsburgh headquarters. The pollution-control program explicitly influenced the decision of the Equitable Life Assurance Society to invest in planning the Gateway Center
Gateway Center
Gateway Center may refer to the following places in the United States:*Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania*Gateway Center building complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
project, a keystone of economic revitalization in Downtown Pittsburgh during Renaissance I. This also led to the development of Point State Park
Point State Park
Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
. The Conference also played a role in the appropriation of funds for the construction of flood control dams on the Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
rivers.
In the 1940s and 1950s, mass transit in Allegheny County was in jeopardy because of 40 private transit companies and increased competition from cars. The Conference released a report in 1951 calling for all local transit lines to be under one authority. Public suspicions and private interests delayed the measure until service cutbacks and strikes rekindled the idea in 1957. The Conference was instrumental in building public and private support. In 1959, legislation was passed to create the Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...
, and the first buses were rolling in 1964.
The Conference also led the transformation of the 14-block Penn-Liberty Corridor into the Pittsburgh Cultural District
Cultural District, Pittsburgh
The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....
. A related effort was Strategy 21 that enabled public and private agencies in Allegheny County to speak with one voice when requesting state funds. Strategy 21 not only resulted in projects that ranged from the new Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
to The Andy Warhol Museum.
In 2001, the Conference entered into a strategic affiliation with the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA).