Pittsburgh, Glasgow finalize sister city partnership

The cities of Pittsburgh and Glasgow, Scotland, finalized their partnership as sister cities Thursday with an in-person ceremony.

The meeting between Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken came after a virtual signing ceremony last year and formalized the relationship between the cities. Thursday’s meeting was the next step in creating a stronger connection between Pittsburgh and Glasgow, officials said.

Peduto’s office said in a news release that the two cities have a lot in common, including an industrial past and their locations along rivers. The modern cities also share common goals related to innovation, environmental sustainability, racial justice and economic and social equity.

“The long-established Scottish connection to Pittsburgh has been strengthened in recent years as we’ve shared the challenges of industrial heritage, built a renewed strength through a shared resilience journey and now seek to collaborate further through a sister cities arrangement,” Peduto said in the release.

“We are working together to address issues of climate change, health inequality and building more equitable prosperity,” the mayor said.

The in-person singing comes as Glasgow hosts the COP26, the ongoing United Nations conference focused on finding solutions to climate change. Peduto and a delegation from Pittsburgh are attending the conference.

Teams in Pittsburgh and Glasgow have been collaborating to develop climate, innovation and sustainability goals together.

“Glasgow and Pittsburgh were titans of the industrial age — with global reputations for ships, built on the Clyde, and the mills that lined the rivers of the Steel City,” Aitken said, referencing the river that runs through Glasgow. “Both endured very similar slumps in our fortunes as heavy industry faltered. Many thousands of jobs were lost, populations declined and the health of citizens suffered.”

But in both cities, Aitken said, “What is arguably more remarkable is the way our cities have fought back from these challenges over recent decades.”

“We have already learned a lot from each other, but this partnership will draw Glasgow and Pittsburgh closer together than ever before — and provides an opportunity for us to show real leadership on the climate emergency and building back from the covid-19 pandemic in a way that prioritizes economic, social and environmental justice for all our people,” Aitken said.

Pittsburgh currently has sister cities in 18 countries. The release said Pittsburgh is actively engaged with cities including Saitama City, Japan; Bilbao, Spain; Wuhan, China; and Da Nang, Vietnam.

Glasgow’s partner cities include Santiago, Chile, and Berlin, Germany.