Author Archive

A timely topic, as energy becomes a sharper issue for the American public and we watch changes in consumer behavior hash out against a backdrop of slow-to-change and often contradictory public policy. Will there be any long-term impact on where people choose to live? Well, this index is a project of The Urban Markets...
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A new blockwatch network called Pittsburgh Safe Neighborhoods Network has kicked off and started a blog where materials are available and they’re encouraging block watch folks to share information.
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CityLIVE! Series Getting There… from Here: Transportation Solutions for Our Region Speaker: Sanjeev Shah, Steven Bland, Chelsa Wagner New Hazlett Theater July 24, 2008 6:30 p.m. Is the auto the most convenient and efficient way to move people around our region? Can new technologies and policies help unite the region and contribute to our urban vitality? Can we...
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Monday, December 10th 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Xplorion Lobby, Regional Enterprise Tower (Old Alcoa Building) 425 Sixth Avenue, Downtown Pgh For more information, please call (412) 391‐5590 or visit www.projectregion.org. If you can’t make it to the open house, you can read the plan document and comment on it at the website linked above. If you care about the...
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There have been at least a couple of news articles in the last month or more since the subprime market crash, reporting that the Pittsburgh region has escaped the kind of trauma and sharply declining home prices that have hit other regions hard. According to an article in the Trib, analysts from PNC Financial...
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Anyone attend and like to comment on the highlights? Apparently Pittsburgh has received 2.5 million dollars from Surdna to bring people back to city neighborhoods. Surdna’s 2007 grantees are listed, several Pittsburgh orgs among them, but I couldn’t find this particular grant – or on the web in general. Conference coverage here…
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It is about time Pittsburgh police procedures catch up with what other cities are doing. This article states that Police Chief Harper “is updating the bureau’s policies regarding officer-involved domestic disputes. One of the changes he plans is to authorize an ‘administrative investigation’ of all domestic violence incidents.” The article does not indicate whether...
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Housing makes up, for many people, the largest chunk of the monthly budget. We are advised to spend no more than 30 percent of our incomes on housing, but many around the country have no choice but to spend more. If I was a single person, bringing home $25,000 per year, I should spend...
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Yes, the first national conference focused on reuse of vacant properties is happening right here in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24 and 25, 2007. The National Vacant Properties Campaign is the sponsor of the conference “Reclaiming Vacant Properties,” along with several national and local entities. The conference website indicates that web registration is open until 9/14. The...
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A+ Schools has organized a series of community forums on issues of interest to parents and the general community interested in Pittsburgh Public Schools policy. They take place on 9/18 and 20, 10/11 and 11/27 evenings. RSVP is requested and space is limited so check the A+ website to sign up and for more information. Childcare...
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Pittsburgh Climate Protection Initiative Sept. 12 St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church 933 Brookline Blvd., Brookline 6:00 – 7:30 pm
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Sept. 11 Trinity Cathedral, 325 Oliver Ave., Downtown 6:00 – 7:30 pm Pittsburgh Climate Protection Initiative’s mission is to reduce local CO2 Emissions. Visit www.PittsburghClimate.org for more information. A report on the recommendations made at all the town-hall meetings will be incorporated into a draft local action plan, which will be submitted to the Green Government Task Force,...
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Sept. 11 Trinity Cathedral, 325 Oliver Ave., Downtown 6:00 – 7:30 pm Pittsburgh Climate Protection Initiative’s mission is to reduce local CO2 Emissions. Visit www.PittsburghClimate.org for more information. A report on the recommendations made at all the town-hall meetings will be incorporated into a draft local action plan, which will be submitted to the Green Government Task...
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I attended the Venture Outdoors-sponsored town hall meeting this evening on the proposal for a County-wide riverfront park, which has been championed by County Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont. The proposal is now in the form of a bill, sponsored by Fawcett and Jim Burn D-Millvale. See the park map here. I love this idea,...
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I attended the Venture Outdoors-sponsored town hall meeting this evening on the proposal for a County-wide riverfront park, which has been championed by County Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont. The proposal is now in the form of a bill, sponsored by Fawcett and Jim Burn D-Millvale. See the park map here. I love this idea,...
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