Securing urban community garden spaces in the Steel City

In Pittsburgh’s Central Northside, the future of the Olde Allegheny Community Garden is now secured. On July 9, the Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative — a joint venture between the accredited Allegheny Land Trust and Grow Pittsburgh — permanently conserved several parcels within the site, ensuring the land remains urban agricultural space for generations.

What began as an abandoned lot in the early 1980s has grown into a vibrant community resource. Today, Olde Allegheny provides food security, pollinator habitat and stormwater benefits while offering neighbors a place to gather, connect and recharge.

The garden now supports 18 core gardeners and another 25 who cultivate adjoining space.

“This is more than just a garden; it’s a vital community hub,” said community gardener Pritish Iyer.

The Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative was designed to remove the threat of development from urban growing spaces and to provide long-term stability for growers. There are more than 120 community gardens and urban farms in Allegheny County, including many that depend on land without a formal land use agreement or have only temporary permission. 

“Part of our vision is to make green space easily accessible and available to everyone, and we believe the TRALI initiative, and this garden, is helping to fulfill that vision,” said Allegheny Land Trust’s president and CEO, Carrie Gilbert.

This article originally appeared in Saving Land, Fall 2025 (Vol. 44 No. 4).