Most Pittsburgh-area communities are losing residents – here’s why that might be OK

New census data shows population decline is spreading across America. Planning for growth may be actively making things worse.

By: Christopher Briem, University of Pittsburgh, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 12, 2026

Words: 1,144

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

Body Text Preview

By Christopher Briem, University of Pittsburgh

Few city planning concepts are as sacrosanct as the idea that growth is good and decline is bad.

For cities and counties, population growth is universally seen as a metric that defines success. Even stable population trends can be cast as stagnation to be avoided at all costs.

The Pittsburgh region illustrates the problem with that thinking. Between 2020 and 2025 the city of Pittsburgh added …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

About

FAQ

Email Us