May 16, 2008 – Announcing the launch  of...

Purpose: To enhance communities' agility to adapt and innovate with principles of sustainable development as the common interest and strategy. 

Goals:

• Seize market interest in downtowns

• Develop an agenda that promotes sustainable development

• Level the field for redevelopment

• Grow green jobs and sustainable business

• Revive local economies

• Lift people, restore hope, and spread opportunity

• Innovate sustainable community solutions in community development

Premise for SCDN:

·        Development and redevelopment is the common denominator priority among so many communities around the ten counties of Southwestern PA.

·         Those with professional capacity for redevelopment -- that is, to navigate the processes, work the system, and know what investors want -- are the winners; those without capacity are stuck.

·         A regional network can serve to link those with capacity to those who need it.

·     Networking communities around the region can also help them to see their common interests and lead to increased collaboration, and speaking with one voice.

·         On a whole variety of levels, time is ripe now and urgency is growing to integrate the practices of sustainability into community development. Simultaneously advancing green, socially equitable, and economically sound strategies is increasingly recognized as the smartest path to prosperity.

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Approach:

    ·     Capacity Building

o  Community-to-community peer assistance around the region.  Including an on-line library of case studies of model initiatives by communities in our region that can be studied and replicated. Case studies can be found at  Sustainable Communities 500.

o   Facilitate exchanges of professionals within the region and track results to seed innovation around the region.

o   Conduct seminars and workshops on applying sustainability, case studies, policy issues, etc.

   ·     Special Projects

o   SCDN will take on projects that tackle issues at a regional level and on a scale that require lots of partners working across the region. The intent is to invite their coming together to look at the problem from a regional perspective. 

    ·     Policy

o  The SCDN policy committee will collaborate on the region and statewide levels with partner organizations of many types. The issues and challenges for communities around our region are very much similar and shared in common. Speaking as one will yield far better returns than being fragmented or having no voice at all.

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SCDN Steering Committee: 

Chairs

Bracken Burns, Board of Commissioners, Washington County

Diane Sheets, Butler County Community Development Corp.

Laura Zinski, Mon Valley Initiative

•Don Chappel, Industrial Development Corporation, Greene County

•Jim Gagliano, Redevelopment Authority, Lawrence County

•Ellen Kight, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Redevelopment

•Dusty Kirk, Pepper Hamilton LLP

•Patricia Kirkpatrick, Board of Commissioners, Armstrong County

•Michael Krajovic, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council

•Frank Mancini, Redevelopment Authority of Beaver County

•Kim McAfoose, Redevelopment Authority of New Kensington

•Robert McCaferty, Butler County Convention and Tourism Bureau

•Luis Rico-Guiterrez, Remaking Cities Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

•James Stark, Fayette County Community Action Agency

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