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As a Shaler native, I’ve carried my connection with Western Pennsylvania’s lush landscapes and its resilient, community-focused residents with me on a professional journey in urban planning that has taken me from Minneapolis to Vienna, Austria, and now to Barcelona, Spain.
Along the way, I’ve seen climate change reshape communities worldwide. Increasingly, my attention is drawn back home to an issue poised to dramatically transform our region: domestic climate migration.
Unlike international migration, domestic climate-induced migration involves people relocating within the United States in search of improved quality of life in the face of escalating climate disasters such as wildfires in California, hurricanes in Florida, droughts in Texas and widespread extreme heat events.
This type of migration is rapidly reshaping communities and redefining regional demographics, economies and cultures nationwide.
This isn’t just speculation. While masses of climate migrants are not yet on the move to cities like Pittsburgh, increasingly frequent, intense and devastating disasters are already reshaping how people decide where to live. In states experiencing the most severe impacts, such as Florida and California, home insurance markets are collapsing. Major insurers are retreating from these high-risk areas due to escalating climate-related damage, prompting vulnerable homeowners to rethink their decisions.
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Why should Western Pennsylvania worry about Sun Belt insurance markets?
Because we need to proactively prepare for the possibility of incoming migration if we’re to hope the newcomers will rejuvenate local economies and bring sustainable growth.
A host of recent reports emphasize that climate-change havens have a limited window to plan — or risk seeing their infrastructure overwhelmed, exacerbating housing shortages and deepening economic inequalities.
The historical Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to Northern industrial cities reshaped American urban life, policy and culture, spurring economic growth and
cultural diversification while highlighting racial and socio-economic inequality. Climate change migration could be just as transformative, and the outcomes would be best with intentional, inclusive planning.
I recently returned home to Pittsburgh in January to visit friends and family. Having moved away nearly 10 years ago to attend graduate school in Minnesota, each return trip reminds me how the region and the city have changed dramatically in some places, while time seems to stand still in others.
Take the Strip District, for example. Each visit involves my ritual pilgrimage to local landmarks like Penn Mac, Primanti’s and Yinzers, reconnecting with the foods and ambiance I’ve missed. Yet the Strip has visibly transformed over the years, with luxury apartments, upscale restaurants, coffee shops and refurbished office spaces now standing alongside historic shops and wholesalers. While I appreciate improvements in biking and pedestrian infrastructure, I’m aware of the complex implications of rapid neighborhood transformation.
In Shaler, longtime local diners have given way to trendy bagel shops, and familiar dive bars have been replaced by craft breweries. While subtle, these changes signal shifting demographics and tastes, prompting me to wonder: Who truly benefits from this growth, who risks displacement, and how can we manage these changes equitably?
Even as the Pittsburgh area attracts younger professionals, tech workers and remote employees drawn by affordability, lifestyle and economic opportunities, many municipalities continue to grapple with concentrated poverty, historic disinvestment and limited opportunities for growth. The disparities between thriving neighborhoods and struggling communities are exactly why we need intentional, region-wide strategies for equitable access to opportunities amid climate-driven migration.
We already contend with rumbling roads riddled with potholes, increasingly frequent sinkholes, critical bridge failures and regular boil water advisories, among other infrastructure failures. Unless we plan well, increased population pressures from climate migration could
overwhelm already strained public infrastructure and intensify housing affordability issues. If we plan, we can help position Western Pennsylvania as a thriving, inclusive and resilient region for decades to come.
Yes, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania are seeing increased heavy rainfall events, flooding and landslides as the climate changes. But our abundant freshwater resources, affordable housing and relative insulation from extreme climate events set the region apart. That could mean the kind of growth regional leaders have been hoping for ever since the population began to decline more than half a century ago.
But consider Bozeman, Montana. Drawn by scenic landscapes, outdoor recreation and climate stability, Bozeman’s population surged nearly 50% from 2010 to 2020. This influx triggered severe housing shortages, strained schools and created tensions between newcomers and longtime residents.
Similarly, in Duluth, Minnesota, wealthy people relocating from climate-vulnerable regions have driven real estate prices up, highlighting the need for strategic housing and infrastructure investments.
These communities became known climate havens overnight and are paying the price now as they seek to make sense of rapid growth and change.
I’ve seen the consequences of inadequate housing policy firsthand in Barcelona, where I now live. Over the last decade, rental prices have surged dramatically due to rampant speculation, tourist-driven short-term rentals and insufficient public housing construction. Barcelona’s slow housing production and fragmented policy responses have displaced many residents, weakened community ties and destabilized neighborhoods. While Barcelona is much different from Pittsburgh, it serves as an important reminder of the risks of failure to address housing and infrastructure issues now and in the future.
In her influential book “Nomad Century: How Climate Migration will Reshape our World,” Gaia Vince argues that without intentional and coordinated planning, climate migration can worsen inequalities and strain public services. Vince specifically highlights fragmented governance, such as Western Pennsylvania’s numerous municipalities, as a significant barrier to effective planning.
Conversely, she also emphasizes the tremendous opportunities presented by managed migration, turning potential crises into opportunities for revitalization and sustained growth.
So what do we do to get the growth without the displacement? As an urban planning and policy expert, and a native Western Pennsylvanian, I’d point to seven areas in which policymakers and community leaders should be having deeper conversations and looking forward to make changes:
We stand at a critical juncture. While millions globally will eventually move due to climate necessity, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania have the unique opportunity — and responsibility — to shape this transition. By acting now, we can protect existing residents, preserve our rich cultural heritage, thoughtfully welcome newcomers, and harness climate migration as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth.
If we do, I can hope that on my 2035 visit to my home town, I’ll find a Strip District with all the quirkiness, a Shaler with all the charm and a region that’s as prosperous as ever but more equitable than today.
Joe Lampe is the founder and principal consultant of Resilient Future Consulting, a planning and policy consultancy focused on climate resilience, sustainable transportation and regional economic development. Currently based in Barcelona, Spain, his work centers around advancing climate adaptation strategies and equitable infrastructure planning across the United States, European Union and developing world.
He can be reached at joe@resilientfutureconsulting.com. To learn more, visit resilientfutureconsulting.com.
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by First-person essay by Joe Lampe, PublicSource
March 14, 2025
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