Julia Fraser
Development & Growth ReporterJulia Fraser is the growth and development reporter for WESA covering the economy, transportation and infrastructure.
She was previously a staff writer and researcher at a civic data and journalism partnership between Pittsburgh Quarterly magazine and the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Research. She reported on issues ranging from poorly understood outcomes of billions of dollars in workforce training spending, to the public health impact of the Pittsburgh region’s long-standing air quality problem. She's received regional and national awards for her in-depth journalism.
Prior to her writing career, she worked as an archaeologist and served in the Peace Corps in rural Senegal. She earned a BA from Northwestern University and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.
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Pittsburgh's population rose by about 1% last year — going from 304,766 in 2023 to 307,668 in 2024, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. -
The Environmental Protection Agency offered coal-fired power plants and other industrial polluters a chance to apply for a two-year exemption on certain air pollution emission standards. U.S. Steel is one of the companies that applied. -
The city of Pittsburgh has hired more plumbers since last year. This new crew of four is at work turning on drinking fountains in the city. The goal is to get all 170 flowing by the end of the month. -
A line of fast-moving thunderstorms is responsible for the widespread damage in southwestern Pennsylvania. -
Pittsburgh International Airport is doubling the size of their solar array, officials announced Tuesday. The solar power they produce goes toward their own microgrid. -
Construction begins this fall on a major slice of Pittsburgh Water's $470 million overhaul of the pumping and distribution system. -
The transformation of a 120-year-old office building into apartments — some overlooking the Monongahela River — is underway at 4 Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh. -
Construction is underway on Pittsburgh’s battered bridges in Oakland and Brighton Heights. Three of them will be open for traffic in the coming months, while another one is coming down. -
On Tuesday, members of the state Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing in downtown Pittsburgh to map out a route that avoids sharp public transit cuts and a fare hike. -
Chatham University is taking over ice time at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside. The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday approved a 10-year lease with the option for the university to buy the property.
