2030 District: An opportunity to advance Philadelphia’s built environment

What is a 2030 District?

DVGBC is leading the formation of a 2030 District in Philadelphia, a private-sector led initiative to address climate change by reducing energy and water use and transportation emissions from an established baseline by the year 2030. Architecture 2030, a non-profit research organization, oversees the network of cities pursuing 2030 districts, and has granted its support to DVGBC to lead the formation of a 2030 District in Philadelphia.

2030 Districts bring together property owners and managers with professional and community stakeholders and local governments to work collaboratively to leverage financing and shared resources with the intent of voluntarily reaching aggregate reduction goals. Through the 2030 District structure, these stakeholders measure progress toward reaching the 2030 Challenge for Planning goals as prescribed by Architecture 2030.

By participating in a 2030 District, property owners and managers gain access to a network of peers to share strategies and best practices, gain access to tools and resources to improve upon the performance of and add value to their assets. By assessing, tracking, and improving upon energy efficiency, water use, and transportation emissions, property owners and managers can realize cost savings while also lessening their environmental impact.

Why visit Pittsburgh?

DVGBC traveled across the commonwealth to learn more about the first 2030 District in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh 2030 District, a strategic initiative of GBA. The Pittsburgh 2030 District currently boasts the highest committed square footage of all 2030 Districts nationwide at over 68 million square feet. In addition, nearly 70 percent of the square footage within the Pittsburgh 2030 District’s boundary is committed to the initiative’s reduction goals in energy, water, and transportation. The Pittsburgh 2030 is on track to reach its reduction goals, surpassing its five-year interim goal in just three years, reducing energy by 12.5 percent, water by 10.3 percent, and transportation emissions by 24.2 percent.

The Pittsburgh 2030 District includes Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland and includes prominent property owners and managers including various hospitals, universities, developers, and all three of its professional sports teams!

While in town, DVGBC attended meetings with staff, community stakeholders, and 2030 District partners to share best practices and collaborate on statewide issues of importance with respect to the built environment.       

We’re grateful to our partners at GBA in Pittsburgh for the warm welcome!