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Recipient of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh
2006 Good Government Award
2006
Accomplishments
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Smart
Growth, Regional Planning, and Civic Engagement
·
Served as key advisor to
·
Together with regional partners*, held five forms around the region to
engage community leaders in identifying key challenges and solutions to
revitalizing the region's core urban communities.
The forums were orchestrated as part of the process of updating Project
Region.
·
Continuing input to Project Region,
the same partners* also presented the 6th annual Smart Growth Conference (entitled "Coming Together to Revitalize Our Communities:
Cross-Community and Cross-County Collaboration") where the region's
revitalization priorities from the regional forums were presented and voted
upon. The top three priorities now
become the mandate of three new committees, facilitated by the partners*, around
which to gain further regional input and develop action plans.
The priorities are:
- Permanent
reliable source of funding for public transportation.
- Promote regionalism
- Level the playing field for reuse and redevelopment.
(Presented these priorities as keynote of the 10th
annual Elected Officials Retreat of the U. Pitt Institute of Politics.)
*
·
Participating in fostering launch of a regional visioning process and
presented forums on The World Is Flat
and The Great Lakes Economic Initiative
in partnership with the Economics Club of Pittsburgh.
·
Offered policy testimony: Mercury Rule, Transportation Funding Crisis,
Regional Transit Vision,
Regional
Equitable Development
·
3rd
annual Regional Equitable Development
·
1st and 2nd Summits contributed to
Transportation
Funding Initiative
·
Engaged community leaders in developing a policy platform (endorsed by
490 partners) for long-term, reliable funding for public transportation
coordinated with Smart Growth planning to revitalize existing communities.
Included: testimony twice before the Governor's Transportation Funding
and Reform Commission and hosted the first public forum in the state on this
Commission's report; coalition press conference, op-ed, television interviews,
letters to the editor; two hours of local WDUQ programming, facilitation of
coalition partners, and visits to Harrisburg.
·
Facilitated land use/transportation workshops for two regional PENNDOT
districts planning and engineering staff.
·
"A Regional Strategic Vision for Public Transportation Serving
SWPA" was released at the Smart
Growth Conference.
·
Established new communications partnership with Port Authority resulting
in interior bus cards advertising.
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE
·
Sustainable
Community Solutions: Led
a team to provide assistance and resources to
Vandergrift,
·
Sustainable
Business Solutions: In
launching this social enterprise,
·
Public
Officials Design Institute (PODI): Orchestrated the fourth annual PODI workshop where leaders from
·
Planning
Technical Assistance:
Provided assistance on land use planning, design, and infrastructure around the
region including multi-municipal efforts among North Central Beaver communities;
Cecil/Canonsburg, Green, Raccoon,
·
Outdoor
Recreation Partnership: Continue
to facilitate collaborations among outdoor recreation partners in order to
advance strategies for: talent attraction and retention, engaging low-income and
minority populations in the enjoyment of region's natural amenities, region
image and branding, conservation, and stewardship of the environment.
Facilitated the annual Great Outdoors Week gaining new partners, media coverage and
corporate buy-in of outdoor recreation as a means to sustainable development.
EDUCATE FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
·
Sustainable
Communities 500 inventoried examples of sustainability in municipalities
around the region. 50 examples are
featured in the searchable website. The
project is a partnership with PA DCED and the Southwestern Pennsylvania
Commission to catalogue case studies and equip every head of council among the
551 municipalities with a "Sustainability Checklist" list for
decision-making. WYEP produced radio
stories on select case studies.
·
Champions
of Sustainability series featured 12 hours of broadcast time on WDUQ including four
live forums: Transportation: The
Key to a Prosperous Future; Coming Together to Revitalize Our
Communities: Cross-Community and Cross-County Collaboration; Transportation Funding for Our Region's Prosperity; and County Comprehensive Planning for Equitable Development in
SWPA.
·
Held five Smart Growth
Forums to educate community partners about
innovations in sustainable development.
·
Trained Leadership Pittsburgh's Leadership Development Initiative class
on sustainability.
·
Each week issued 3E Links, SP's e-news and events to over 2,900
individuals.
·
Conducted two-day SP strategic planning retreat with SP Board, staff,
and funders.
·
Received 59 media coverages of policy work including articles, op-eds,
radio, television appearances and interviews.
·
Gave 27 public presentations to leadership groups at conferences, civic
forums, etc.
·
SP website draws an average of 16,184 visits and 2,647 downloads per
month. High ranking SP publication
downloads include averages of: Indicators Report 394
downloads/month; Citizen's Vision 325 downloads/month.
In
2006
Anonymous,
Richard King Mellon Foundation,
Claude
The
Forbes Funds, The Heinz Endowments,
The
Special
thanks to