Pittsburgh leaders on Wednesday proposed transformations at Point State Park and Market Square as part of a revitalization plan ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The plan, which also includes upgrades of a block of Eighth Street in the Cultural District, was released by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.

New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm Field Operations is working on the projects. Field Operations is responsible for projects like Manhattan’s High Line and Chicago’s Navy Pier.

Point State Park’s eastern portion — the Gateway Center side — could see upgrades and more amenities along its perimeter to attract more residential growth, as well as sports courts or dog parks in the medians on Liberty Avenue, the plan said.

Liberty Avenue could be adjusted as well, and there could be improved infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Running tracks, children’s play areas, an outdoor cafe and dog run areas are being considered.

In Market Square, there could be new paving, furnishings and other features, as well as a possible restriction in vehicular entry and exit points, the plan said.

A proposed civic space at Eighth Street in the Cultural District would transform acres of surface parking adjacent to Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Allegheny River, and it could include a lawn, cafe, outdoor amphitheater, water play, a backyard area with outdoor games, food trucks and furnishings, according to the plan.

Also, Fort Duquesne Boulevard could be used to create a balcony over the river and the “Allegheny Descent,” which would be a “lush walkway to the water” for pedestrians, the plan said.

This plan has an intended completion time frame of two years, according to Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Stefani Pashman.

The proposed projects are aspirational, which means they aren’t yet set in stone, according to Pashman.

“They will go through public process in a highly engaged effort to confirm that the needs of the community are being met in every single case and ensure that our vision comports with their reality before we execute,” she said.

Riverlife President and CEO Matthew Galluzzo said it has been actively designing improvements to the river’s edge over the past two years, and the announcement of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh is a cause to expedite these projects.

A key component of the plan, Pashman said, is enhancing office conversions to residential spaces. To attract more of those spaces, she said city amenities need to support the effort.

“We know that there’s a demand for housing Downtown — young professionals that want to live Downtown,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. “Right now, we already know that the demand is there. The reality is about creating the right formula to ensure that we can do the conversion that’s necessary to make Downtown a neighborhood.”

Lisa Switkin, a partner at Field Operations, said the proposed plans aren’t “massive,” and, in the context of other large renovation projects, it won’t cost billions of dollars. Other cities are looking to do similar projects, she said.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said human services and economic development dollars will contribute to funding for the projects. Exact details and costs are currently unknown.

A “true design” will be created over the next six to 10 months for this first phase of the revitalization vision plan, according to Pittsburgh Cultural Trust CEO and President Kendra Whitlock Ingram.

“With the North Star of the draft … we’ve got to make this thing happen,” Galluzzo said. “It’s easy when you have such a moment like we’re going to have in two years to put things sort of on steroids.”

Gainey said the revitalization project was already in process before the draft was announced.

However, leaders agreed that the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh in 2026 is “great timing” with the Downtown vision plan announcement.

Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.