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January
26, 2006
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EVENTS
(Click on Links)
·
First
Meeting of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Membership
·
Stage One Exhibition
(The West End Pedestrian Bridge Competition)
·
Jews and the
Environment: Exploring our Relationship
·
"Economic
Agenda for the Great Lakes Region" Featuring John Austin, Brookings
Institution Sr. Fellow
·
ULI
Philadelphia - 4th Annual Sovereign Bank / Land America Suburban Regional Forum
·
Save
the Date: 2006 NonProfit Summit
·
Green
Building as a Teaching Tool
·
Save
the Date: 6th Annual Southwestern
Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference
·
Save
the Date: Sustainable Sweden Tour
LEGISLATIVE
ALERTS
·
Senate
Bill 1025 Clean Vehicles Program
TRANSPORTATION
FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
·
PenTrans UH-OH! Legislative
Breakfast
·
Transportation
panel may be on a 'mission impossible'
·
County
Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Calls for half cent increase in state
gas tax:
·
Port
Authority ridership highest in 3 years
·
Trail
users await building of bridge
·
Americans eligible for
tax credits for buying energy-efficient products, vehicles
·
An Evaluation of
Metropolitan Planning Organization Boards
LAND
USE NEWS AROUND THE REGION
·
Plans for warehouse near
airport under way
RESOURCES
·
Day surge shows
investing in cities strengthens the region
·
Study: U.S. ranks 28th
on environment
·
State at Risk of
Economic Devastation: Education, Innovation must become Focus, Studies Say
·
2006 Western
Pennsylvania Environmental Awards – Seeking Nominations
·
Planning commission
balance questioned Most members of SPC are white and male
·
Citigroup Pledges to
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Joins U.S. EPA Climate Leader Program
·
World Stands at a Crossroads
·
The Rise and Fall of
Civilizations - An interview with Jared Diamond
·
Could Smart Growth Tip
the Next Presidential Election?
·
New EPA Tool for
Determining Cause of Ecological Harm to Rivers and Streams
·
Erie cuts work force,
enacts taxes to stave off financial ruin
Tuesday,
February 7, 2006
4:00
pm – 6:00 pm (with a reception to follow)
Children's
Museum
10
Children’s Way
RSVP
to Amy Thomas at thomas@forbesfunds.org
The GPNP Advisory Team will host the first Membership Meeting for the
nearly 250-member Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (http://www.forbesfunds.org/gpnp/).
Don't miss this special opportunity to meet the Advisors, hear about their plans
to launch the GPNP forward, and to offer your own ideas, thoughts, and advice as
the GPNP works together to advance its important mission...to serve as an
alliance of nonprofit organizations for the greater Pittsburgh metro area. It
shall encourage collaborative efforts amongst its members, enabling the
coordinated identification of critical community issues, the development of
common planning strategies, and the implementation of solutions together. The
GPNP will also enable the
Wednesday,
February 8, 2006
4
pm - 6 pm
Alcoa
Corporate Center
Refreshments
will be served
RSVP
By February 2nd to Chuck Alcorn
chuck@riverlifetaskforce.org
/ 412-258-6636
For
more information: www.riverlifecompetition.org
In October of 2005, Riverlife and Alcoa Foundation launched the West
End Pedestrian Bridge Competition. The competition invites entrants to
envision a new pedestrian crossing at the
The Stage One exhibition will include the work from teams,
individuals and students from around the world. Finalists
will be announced in late February. The competition is intended to
generate visionary designs that reflect the forward-thinking and innovative
spirit of
Thursday,
February 9
6
pm Environmental Fair 7 pm Lecture
Community
Day
Squirrel
Hill
Contact
Lisa Premo at 412.992.5214 or lpremo@UJFpittsburgh.org
http://pittsburgh.planitjewish.com/jp/events?page=1&location=home&ID=28652
Refreshments
will be served.
Israeli environmental expert Eilon Schwartz will deliver a lecture,
"Jews and the Environment: Exploring Our Relationship," which will in
turn be followed by a panel discussion with local Jewish environmental experts.
Immediately preceding the program, an environmental fair will feature a variety
of environmentally themed exhibits, with a wide range of educational and
interactive displays for people of all ages.
Wednesday, February 22
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
$25 members, $35 non-member $15 students (Please
pay at the door, by cash or by check made payable to "The Economic Club of
Pre-registration soon via http://www.econclubpgh.org/index.html
Presented by The
Economic Club of Pittsburgh in collaboration with: Allegheny Conference on
Community Development;
John Austin, Brookings
Sr. Fellow share insights to this initiative to improve the economic vitality of
the
To this end, Brookings
is assessing the economic and social challenges faced by the region, and working
with a wide range of leaders in the political, corporate, civic, and academic
sectors, to develop a pan-regional strategic vision and action plan for how the
meta-region can leverage its assets to successfully pursue a high-road economic
strategy. The analysis will be widely disseminated to inform the region's
business, political and opinion leadership, and public policies among the states
within the region. In addition this
analysis and recommendations will inform the debate leading up to the 2008
Presidential campaign, which will hinge on the swing states within the region,
as well as the thinking and agendas of our current and future federal officials.
Please join the
Pittsburgh Economics Club in learning more about this important effort,
considering how this complements existing planning efforts, and what's at stake
in broadening our definition of 'region'.
Tuesday,
February 28
The
Union League
More
Information: 1-856-428-8547 www.uli.org/events/index.cfm?id=1322
Registration:
www.uli.org/register/index.cfm?id=1322
Virtually everyone agrees that we need more higher-density development
around transit stations. What’s supporting it? What’s thwarting it? Learn
about issues related to transit and transit-oriented developments on both sides
of the river, and how what's being done (or not being done) is re-shaping the
region, at the next major ULI Philadelphia event -- our 4th annual Sovereign
Bank/Land America forum on suburban and regional issues. This year, the focus
will be on “How to Maximize Opportunities for High-Density, Mixed- Use
Developments Around Transit.”
The breakfast program will feature speakers including John J. Matheussen,
Executive Director, Delaware River Port Authority, which is leading the way for
mixed-use and high-density development around PATCO SpeedLine stations; Gerald
M. Maier, SEPTA’s Director of Real Estate, on lessons learned; and at least
one key private-sector developer.
Tuesday,
March 7
Cost
$60; $50 for each additional member from your organization
Registration
will begin Monday, January 30
www.pittsburghnonprofitsummit.org
Participate in a 21st Century community decision-making process
that is being used in
March
18 and 25
8:30
am– 4:30 pm
Children’s
10
Children’s Way
More
information at www.gbapgh.org
The NEW Children’s Museum is green! This interactive class, taught by
Indigo Ruffel from Conservation Consultants, Inc., introduces you to what makes
this unique and beautiful space an environmentally “green” building and how
you can help your school adopt “green” practice by including green building
education into your existing curriculum. Field trips to other green buildings
are included.
Coming Together to Revitalize Our Communities:
RenewSWPA Cross-Community and
Friday, May 19
7:30 am – 4:30 pm
Omni William Penn Hotel,
Keynote: David
Soule, Associate Director
Center for
Urban & Regional Policy, Northeastern University
Cost: Early
Registration: $30. Registration
after May 12: $40 (free to elected officials)
Call (412)
258-6642 for early registration
The 2006 SWPA Smart Growth Conference will address
strategies to revitalize the region's core communities and seek to identify a
set of policy opportunities around which there is consensus for collaboration.
Leading up to the conference, a series of
community forums will be orchestrated around the region to identify common barriers
and opportunities to redevelopment. Common needs and policy options identified
through the forums will be presented at the annual conference toward
developing consensus on policies to renew
Please mark your calendars for May 19 and
register early.
The annual Smart Growth conference and regional
forums are hosted by the Regional Coalition of Community Builders, Southwestern
Pennsylvania Commission,
Saturday, June 3- Sunday, June 11 (extended tour
to June 14 also available)
Sponsored by Sustainable
Description: http://www.sustainablesweden.org/tours/sustour2006.pdf
Description and photographs of 2004 tour: http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/NewFrontPage/EcoMunicipalities/Eco_Municipalities_Sweden.html#Projects
Contact:
Lisa MacKinnon—608-259-1000 ext 107.
Susanne Erickson+46 (0) 8-618 06 10
Mona Pettersson Lahti +46 (0) 90-786 13 90
Sustainable community
development is this year's tour theme of one of the world's most progressive and
committed sustainable countries. Cities and communities to be visited during the
tour include:
Helsingborg,
Falkenberg,
·Eco-Municipalities
·Energy
·Sustainable Business
·Bio-Diversity
·Sustainable Planning
·Sustainable
Construction and many more topics
The Clean Vehicles
Program requires that automakers must ensure that sales of vehicles that emit
more pollution are balanced out by sales of those that emit much less pollution.
If
The Senate
Transportation Committee will be voting this week to move the bill that would
block implementation of the Clean Vehicles Program out of committee, and onto
the Senate floor for a full vote. Senate Bill 1025 would take away the
Environmental Quality Board's (EQB) authority to implement the Pennsylvania
Clean Vehicles Program.
To find your State
Senator (if you are unsure, and for contact information), visit the
TRANSPORTATION FOR LIVABLE
COMMUNITIES
9:30-11:00
AM
Tuesday,
February 7
Register
on line http://www.pentrans.org/events.shtml
by Wednesday, February 1
Come and participate in a lively discussion: balancing immediate and
long-term transportation issues in
Representative Keith McCall, D., Carbon County Transportation Minority
Chairman
Representative Rick Geist, R., Blair County Transportation Majority Chairman
Tom Caramanico, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce CEO Council for Growth
- Infrastructure Committee Chair
Barbara McNees, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce
John Ward, Executive Director, Modern Transit Partnership - Harrisburg Area
Issues:
Local / regional transit funding
Leveraging SAFETEA-LU
High gas prices - implications for transit
Rehabilitate existing transit infrastructure and systems vs. create new
systems and services
Mobility for All: Transit and Highway Investment
Land use and transportation policy in
Transportation funding: Tax Burden or Economic Engine?
By then, the public transit systems in
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06022/641733.stm
"In 2005 the
Governor issued an Executive Order establishing the Pennsylvania Transportation
Funding and Reform Commission that is charged with recommending appropriate
levels of funding for roads, bridges and transit systems throughout the
Commonwealth. CCAP strongly encourages the Commission to include proposed
solutions to county transportation funding issues in its recommendations. The
Association supports a half-cent increase in the state's liquid fuels tax, or an
equivalent amount from another transportation funding source, that would be
allocated to counties based on each county's relative bridge responsibility.
CCAP also supports an increased dedicated funding source for mass transit
systems."
"Our strong
ridership numbers reflect the fact we have maintained a high level of service,
preserved our fare structure for more than three years and retained a number of
customers in the wake of high gas prices," Port Authority Chief Executive
Officer Dennis Veraldi said in a news release
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06020/641545.stm
Trail enthusiasts hope
work on a Montour Trail bridge will begin this year.
Bethel Park-based Friends of Montour Trail has raised $225,000 toward
replacing a steel bridge at the intersection of
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_414395.html
Below is a list of
attributes that the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) think
http://www.pentrans.org/cata.shtml
Under federal legislation that went into effect
Jan. 1, consumers who invest this year in energy-efficient products -- from
insulated windows to heat pumps and hybrid cars -- will be able to save on their
taxes next year.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06023/641658.stm
Is there an inherent bias in the geographic and
racial-ethnic patterns of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boards?
Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are
often the conduit through which billions of federal and state transportation
dollars flow for regional transportation investments. Decisions by MPOs have
important ramifications for metropolitan growth patterns and, by implication,
social and economic opportunity. Yet, the decisions are made by boards whose
members are generally not elected to serve on the MPO. Further, MPOs are not
required by law to have representational voting. The potential exists,
therefore, for MPO decisions to be biased toward certain constituencies or
locales at the expense of others. This policy brief reviews MPOs generally and
discusses the variation in MPO voting structures—with implications for
potential bias—in 50 large metropolitan areas.
http://www.planetizen.com/news/redirect.php?lid=20598&nid=18593
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/tribeast/s_414401.html