Vacant Land Stewardship

In its broadest sense, stewardship is the recognition of our collective responsibility to maintain the quality and abundance of our land, air, water and biodiversity, and to manage this natural capital in a way that conserves all of its values, be they environmental, economic, social or cultural. As it relates to vacant land in the Pittsburgh region, strong stewardship is needed to sustain investments long-term to prevent the cycle of disinvestment from returning to a community.

Grounded is committed to supporting systemic change to vacant land maintenance in Pittsburgh and the region. We understand true change must reflect the will and values of everyday residents.

Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the environmental and racial injustices currently entrenched in our property maintenance system. The lack of a comprehensive and unified strategy to care for vacant lots disproportionately affects low-income communities of color.