Supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority ,Upstream Pittsburgh contracted our Social Impact Design team to envision three community-inspired interventions in the Fern Hollow Valley of Nine Mile Run, downstream of the Fern Hollow Bridge, and north of the restored portion of the Nine Mile Run. These interventions are part of a larger multi-year restoration process of the Fern Hollow Valley following the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in 2022. 

Project goals included convening a collaborative team of community members, social impact designers, artists, engineers, and restoration professionals to reimagine the potential of the Fern Hollow Valley for placemaking, ecological services, art, stormwater management, enhancing the existing park conditions, and restoring damage caused by the collapsed bridge. Using feedback from trail walks, surveys, and steering committee meetings, five initial ideas were finalized into three conceptual interventions that will be further developed by a team of engineers. 

Visit Upstream Pittsburgh’s website to learn more about the full restoration plan for the Fern Hollow Valley.  

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Supporters

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Friends of the Riverfront, East Hills Consensus Group, The Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory, Operation Better Block, Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, Shiftworks Community + Public Art, Point Breeze Organization, City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. 

Check out a sneak peek of our final design!

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The Team: