The Pittsburgh Platform was created on the premise that while considerable societal attention is devoted to advancing environmental quality, health outcomes, and social/racial equity, substantial improvements can be realized through the intersections of these three areas. Environmental health equity is analogous to a musical composition that focuses on the chords of harmony rather than on the individual notes.
Further, there is an abundant literature that demonstrates the central role of the built environment in determining health outcomes and that there are significant social and racial disparities in the qualities of these environments.
Re-imagining community and regional design of the built environment can advance social and racial equity. Sustainable economic development that supports a built environment re-envisioned and shaped by the people who live in it can lead to substantial improvements in the overall quality of life.
Pittsburgh can serve as the hub for such intersectional thinking in three ways: by conveying its advances in achieving environmental health equity to other communities; by learning from the successes of other communities, and by sharing accomplishments toward this common goal.
Consequently, by providing a web-based service, the Pittsburgh Platform functions as convening space for dialogue and project incubation for efforts intended to promote a common environmental health equity agenda in the U.S. and globally.