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Join Our List
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Regional Learning
Network
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On June 20th, PPND and other
community organizations from Pittsburgh, Clevelend and Youngstown attended
the Regional Learning Network in Youngstown, OH funded by the Surdna Foundation. With the
assistance of a planning committee, Neighborhood Progress Inc. coordinated
the event.
A wide array of groups and
organizations from all three cities were in attendance. The
event was held to provide an opportunity for
these three  cities to explore common concerns, share best
practices and identify opportunities for collaboration in community
development.
Attendees participated in sessions and conversed over
programs and initiatives occuring within the cities of the Great Lakes region, sharing ideas, knowledge and common issues and trends.
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East Liberty
Development Inc. envisioning the "big picture" brings big
results
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In 1999, members of the East
Liberty community of Pittsburgh came together to draft a comprehensive
plan for the neighborhood's revitalization. The goal was to create diverse
economic residential options while working to reverse the concentrated
poverty that plagued the area for years. Today, nearly 80 percent of
the items outlined in that original master plan have been accomplished
or are in progress.
Now That's a
Good Idea! 
Following the demolition of two
dilapidated low-income housing high-rises, ELDI worked in conjunction
with the City of Pittsburgh to develop a replacement housing strategy
that incorporates models of green technology and sustainable design. The
community has now been selected as the site of one of three regional
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Neighborhood
Development pilot projects and is the only one in a distressed urban
neighborhood. East Liberty is also home to two new commercial LEED
buildings and has seven new green homes under construction. There are
also plans for green public infrastructure improvements including
street trees and bike lanes.
Story used by
permission from CMAS/LISC
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City of Pittsburgh Community Roundtables
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The City of Pittsburgh has been
leading a discussion on the use of data in developing community
development strategies for city neighborhoods. Along with members
of the Pittsburgh Community Development Collaborative (CD
Collaborative), the PPND staff has been participating in this series of
sector meetings.
At the initial meetings,
attendees have been introduced to an array of information and data
that is available to city neighborhoods. These meetings are
providing information on issues such as, driving the deployment of
resources/technical assistance and bringing change to their
neighborhoods.
PNCIS
(Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community Information System) has been an
integral tool in the meetings and will be used by attendees in the
future as they attempt to change markets through specific place-based
strategies, including:
- Development
- Public safety
- Demolitions
- Code enforcement
- Greening
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PPND Designates Corridors
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PPND received six applications
in response to the RFP issued for the Multi-neighborhood Strategic
Corridors Designation. On June 26, 2008, the PPND Real Estate Committee
selected three corridors.
Congratulations to:
Over $300,000 will be available
for predevelopment grant proposals which start July 15,
2008. The three selected corridors will present the
vision for their corridor at the next PPND Real Estate Committee which
is scheduled for September 25th.
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PPND Investment
Strategy
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As a follow-up to our Strategic Restructuring 101, technical
assistance (TA) on collaboration has been provided to:
- The East End Partnership
- Oakland
- South Side
- The Hilltop neighborhoods
- Manchester
In
addition to ongoing training related to our Multi-Neighborhood
Development Category, PPND President, Ellen Kight has been meeting with
our CDC's to collect input and suggestions on the
direction of our Investment Strategy. The PPND staff members have
also been meeting with the Board of Directors of each of our grantees.
Introduction Level TA continues to be provided to Homewood and Uptown
by Dave Coplan via the Forbes Funds. In the future, the Hilltop
neighborhoods will be added to the Introduction Level TA recipients.
The
PPND staff has also been invited into discussions concerning capacity
building and collaborations in Beechview and Brookline through State
Representative Chelsa Wagner.
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Staff Updates
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We extend a very
warm welcome to Talia Piazza and Bonnie Young Laing who
recentely joined the staff at PPND.
Talia joins us
as Program and Administrative Coordinator. She studied community and
economic development and neighborhood/city awareness at Gannon University while obtaining a MA in Public Administration from Gannon University in Erie, PA.
During graduate studies, she worked and interned with numerous
non-profits including the Erie Downtown Improvement District and
the Presque Isle Partnership. Talia specialized and focused in
areas such as community and urban development, planning, grant writing,
marketing research, program development, and non profit
management/leadership.
Before joining PPND, Talia worked as a Marketing Account Executive
at a workers' compensation company in Washington, PA. At this
position she worked to develop marketing and branding strategies while
maintaining and building healthy and dynamic business
relationships. Talia also holds a BA from Gannon University in Legal Studies and Political Science.
Bonnie is
working with PPND for the summer as a fellow. She is a
native of Pittsburgh's Hill District where she still resides with her
husband Justin and three children Kufere, Etana and Adeyemi. She
holds a doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Youngstown State University in Ohio. She teaches courses on community organizing, cultural diversity,
practice with individuals and human behavior theory.
She has worked for many years as an organizer in Pittsburgh's Hill
District, and her research is focused on African American organizing
models. She has had a long standing interest in community
economic development as it relates to organizing in distressed
communities.
Bonnie is excited to have the opportunity to work with PPND as a
fellow. "Working at PPND has created a wonderful opportunity to
gain insight from seasoned professionals on the opportunities,
processes and challenges of community development" in Pittsburgh.
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Mission: PPND supports
the revitalization of the Pittsburgh region's distressed
neighborhoods into desirable and diverse communities by raising funds
and making strategic investments in community development and community
improvement organizations.
Copyright
2008 Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development
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