Tom Murphy is a former Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute. And was a three-term mayor of Pittsburgh. His extensive experience in urban revitalization—what drives investment and ensures long-lasting commitment—and how visionary leadership is the key to success, defines his 45+ years of service to communities.
Murphy served three terms as the Mayor of Pittsburgh, from January 1994 through December 2005. During that time, he initiated a public-private partnership strategy that leveraged more than $4.5 billion in economic development in Pittsburgh. Murphy led efforts to secure and oversee $1 billion in funding for the development of two professional sports facilities and a new convention center that is the largest LEED-certified building in the United States. He developed strategic partnerships to transform more than 1,000 acres of blighted, abandoned industrial properties into new commercial, residential, retail, and public uses, and he oversaw the development of more than 25 miles of new riverfront trails and urban green space.
Before he was appointed Senior Resident Fellow at ULI, Murphy had served as ULI's Gulf Coast liaison, helping to coordinate with the leadership of New Orleans and the public to advance the implementation of rebuilding recommendations made by ULI's Advisory Services panel for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In addition, he worked with the Louisiana state leadership, as well as with leadership in hurricane-impacted areas in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, to identify areas appropriate for ULI involvement.
From 1979 through 1993, Murphy served eight terms in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. He focused legislative activities on changing Western Pennsylvania's economy from industrial to entrepreneurial, and authored legislation requiring the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's pension fund to invest in venture capital. In addition, he authored legislation that created the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership, which is dedicated to advancing Pennsylvania's focus on technology in the economy, and he authored legislation to encourage industrial land reuse and to transform abandoned rail rights-of-way into trails and green space.
Murphy served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay from 1970 through 1972. He is a 1993 graduate of the New Mayors Program offered by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He holds a Master of Science degree in Urban Studies from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from John Carroll University.
