Our region’s growth and development is the subject of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference.
Coming Together to Revitalize Our Communities: Cross-Community and Cross-County Collaboration takes place on May 19, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the
Omni William Penn Hotel.
Keynote speaker David Soule, associate director of the
Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, discusses, “Overcoming Deal Breakers to Urban Redevelopment for Regional Prosperity,” focusing on challenges and rewards of revitalizing older industrial cities.
“Our region’s growth patterns are unique. Our population is less than it was in the 1940s, yet we occupy a greater physical footprint across ten counties. We are migrating out and seeing a decline of city centers. This conference is deliberate as far as setting an action agenda. We cannot have a strong region without strong business corridors,” remarks Court Gould, Executive Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh.
Unlike past conferences, participants will vote on prioritized strategies and collaborative actions to speed the development and redevelopment of core communities. A post-conference network will work collaboratively to advance solutions for renewal. The conference expects 200 attendees, including “individuals attuned to our region’s development patterns and how they relate to social, environmental and economic competitiveness,” says Gould.
A significant component is the public release of “A Regional Strategic Vision for Public Transportation Serving Southwestern Pennsylvania,” made by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission,
Port Authority of Allegheny County and Regional Transit Operators. “The conference features the long-anticipated report about how we need a course correction in order to facilitate serving the region with public transportation,” notes Gould.
Conference partners are
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,
Regional Coalition of Community Builders,
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission,
Sustainable Pittsburgh,?and
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics.
To register, click
here.(Source: Court Gould, executive director, Sustainable Pittsburgh)