Sustainable Pittsburgh

2004 Accomplishments

 Sustainable Pittsburgh continues its niche role of convening Affiliates and other partners to collaborate on projects, education,        research, and advocacy to broaden regional decision-making and accelerate sustainability.  Accomplishments:

Smart Land Use

·         101 businesses, municipalities, and organizations have formally endorsed Citizens' Vision for Smart Growth, an agenda          for revitalizing communities, equitable development, and strengthening the regional economy.  Presented Citizens' Vision          at 16 forums around the region to diverse leadership groups.

·         Established the Planning Technical Assistance Project to aid municipalities in planning and provide input to the Allegheny          County Comprehensive planning process.

·         Held a Public Officials Design Institute focused on college/university campus and community development.

·         Facilitated completion of the Canonsburg indicators project.

·         Published Land Use Management Tool Kit: Resources for Smart Development a manual to aid municipal planning.

·         Presented with LGA a workshop of Tax-base Sharing Workshop.

Diversity & Civic Engagement

·         Held Equity and Regionalism conference in partnership with University of Pittsburgh and other partners based on                  research SP commissioned.

Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC)

·         Continued TLC partnership with the national Surface Transportation Policy Project to advance regional transportation          reform with additional focus on state organizing and federal advocacy.

·         Hosted initial TLC policy conference to develop a regional transportation advocacy coalition.

·         Prepared testimony and participated in public meetings around the region to update the region's 2030 Long Range                 Transportation Plan. 

·         Conducted Making Your Voice Heard, Steering the Region's Future workshop on the region's transportation planning          process, including testimony on the region's Transportation Improvement Program.

·         Coordinated with Access To Work Task Force to address workforce development in public transportation studies and          the local development review process.

·         Continue to develop a platform with local and statewide partners for a permanent and reliable funding source for public          transportation including a letter writing campaign and meetings with legislators and the Governor's office.

·         Released national study findings on regional performance: spending on public transportation, air quality, pedestrian                     mobility, and suburban sprawl.

·         Participated in national policy conferences that featured lobbying for federal TEA-21 reauthorization.

·         Published two editions of Trans-formation: a newsletter addressing federal, state, and local transportation issues.

Amenities & Lifestyle Team

·         Facilitated partnerships to raise funds to implement: ActionPass for Outdoor Recreation, VO Outdoor Recreation          Festival, Youth Outdoor Recreation partnership among City High Charter School, Student Conservation Association,          Venture Outdoors, and Three Rivers Rowing Association.

·         Facilitated partnership to roll out Great Outdoors Week and Bike To Work Week campaigns.

·         Partnered with the Port Authority of Allegheny County to raise federal enhancements funds to equip 300 more buses          with bike racks.

·         Presented with LGA a workshop on SP's publication Planning an Outdoor Recreation Festival.

Education, Communications, and Policy

·         4th Annual Smart Growth Conference: Regionalism, Governance and  Competitiveness in the Global Economy

·         Serving on statewide steering committee to launch the RenewPA campaign focused on governance, tax, and policy          reform. Participating in SWPA delegation. 

·         Conducted workshop, Business of Sustainable Development.

·         Launched a six-month business planning project to develop a Sustainable Business Network.

·         Issued 2004 update of SWPA Regional Sustainability Indicators Report

·         Represented Pittsburgh at US-Japan Cities Summit in Hiroshima and provided NPO forum keynote.

·         Provided public testimony and position statements on a range of issues federal, state, regional, and local.

·         Conducted a Vandergrift Eco-Municipalities workshop and launched partnership for model community project.

·         Hosted two representatives from Vandergrift for Sustainable Sweden benchmarking tour.

·         Engaged with partners to present Champions of Sustainability forum series with WDUQ 90.5 FM:                                    Eco-Municipalities: A Model for Broad-based Sustainable Development (Sarah James and Tobjorn Lahti);                       Regionalism & Governance for Global Competitiveness (Piero Gastaldo); Metro Louisville City-County Merger          (with Post-Gazette featuring Jerry Abramson); Sustainable Stapleton (Melissa Knott)

·         32 articles appeared regarding SP activities including radio interviews.

·         26 presentations at conferences, to civic groups, and others.

·         Thousands of web hits

Sustainable Pittsburgh is supported by

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies,

The Forbes Funds, The Heinz Endowments,

Mellon Financial Corporation, The Pittsburgh Foundation,

Richard King Mellon Foundation

Special thanks to the SP Affiliates and

Tides Center (PA)