In the Zone Posted on June 16, 2017 by [email protected] How lovely. Vibrant colors, unique shapes, and the urban landscape all coming together to form a beautifully intricate design. But no, the imaginative image seen here is not an artist's rendition of Pittsburgh from above. Rather, it is a snapshot of Pittsburgh's Zoning Map: a legal document establishing how land inside the City boundaries can be used. In this masterpiece, each color represents not a feeling or emotion, but a distinct element of urban existence. Cities are buzzing hubs of activity…Read More
Get to Know Lilli Posted on June 14, 2017 by Grounded Strategies My name is Lilli Kashef Hamadani, and I am excited to begin my summer internship here at GTECH. I am most recently from Southern California but describe myself as being from nowhere due to constant moving. Throughout my life, I always had a strong pull towards the outdoors and all the creatures that came with it (this ranged from horses to dolphins to snails). This interest has driven me throughout my undergraduate degree at San Francisco State, where I majored…Read More
PGH Mobile Toolbox Summer Update Posted on June 12, 2017 by wpengine The PGH Mobile Toolbox is 2 months old! We are so pleased with how well the resource has been rolling. To date, the trailer has accompanied 14 workdays, servicing over 120 volunteers, in 11 different communities. To celebrate this accomplishment, I have gathered a few of my favorite images from some of the workdays to highlight the great work being done in Pittsburgh and it's surrounding communities. Brookline Community Garden Forest Hills…Read More
Volunteer with GTECH Posted on June 7, 2017 by [email protected] It’s that time of year again. The ground is soft and defrosted, the sun is shining (more or less,) and GTECH is back outside, putting shovels in the ground to transform land-use liabilities into community assets. As our projects enter their implementation phase, the GTECH calendar is filling up with opportunities for you to grab a dig bar, spade, or screwdriver and join us to reclaim land for the benefit of the community. As part of our systems-based approach, we…Read More
Back at it again with GTECH, by Bree Posted on May 17, 2017 by Grounded Strategies GTECH is excited to welcome back Bree Prioleau! Bree interned with GTECH last summer and just finished her freshman year of college at Slippery Rock Univesity. She'll be joining the Green Playces team again this summer as well as helping with some environmental education initiatives and social media. Bree is the talented artist behind our new Super "G" children's t-shirts. Learn more about Bree below: Last summer was my first summer with GTECH! At the time I worked with two…Read More
Yes, I’m a Bit Nostalgic Posted on May 15, 2017 by wpengine It’s hard to believe, but my time at GTECH is coming to an end. In some ways it’s been a really long 18+ months; in other ways it’s been very short. It seems like yesterday I was at Heinz College orientation in August 2015, hearing about GTECH’s origins as a systems synthesis capstone project. I remember being intrigued—something I could do in school might be relevant to real life? I’d have to investigate this. So, after starting my public policy…Read More
Get The Election Choices Here! Posted on May 11, 2017 by wpengine People have been talking a lot about politics recently. Maybe you’ve noticed. Maybe you’ve wanted to do something about it. Maybe you’ve been struggling to find a way to make a difference. Sometimes government seems big, opaque, and far away, but next week we have a chance to vote in an election that will undoubtedly have real, tangible, local results. At GTECH, we work regularly with fantastic public officials (and aspiring public officials) throughout the county, from Mayors, to council people, to…Read More
Roots of Steel Posted on May 5, 2017 by wpengine Last Friday, we kicked off a new phase of our ReClaim Clairton Ambassador program, project implementation. Just as in past Ambassador programs, each participant receives access to a $3,000 micro-fund to assist in the implementation of a greenspace project they have spent the last 8 months creating with support from their neighbors, friends, and communities. Leading the pack was Sue Viglioti, who was motivated to participate in the ReClaim Clairton program by the love of her home town and the people…Read More
What makes GTECH great Posted on May 2, 2017 by wpengine As my official last week of my internship here at GTECH commences, I wanted to reflect on my time as an intern, my favorite experiences, and why I am proud to call myself a GTECHer. This past weekend I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with my Masters in Social Work, with a concentration in Community and Social Action (COSA). Many people do not associate social workers with nonprofits who work with communities to reclaim and invest in vacant land,…Read More
What Keeps Me Grounded Posted on April 24, 2017 by wpengine The one thing that keeps me grounded is the opportunity not only to revitalize vacant land but more importantly the chance to revive the sense of comradery within the communities where we work. In the fall of 2016, GTECH recruited a dozen Hill District residents, called Ambassadors, to lead the movement for reclaiming vacant lots. For six months, the Ambassadors participated in classes and workshops to learn about the process of reclaiming vacant land. Throughout the classes, the Ambassadors designed vacant…Read More
GTECHers Share What Keeps Them Grounded Posted on April 14, 2017 by Grounded Strategies With GTECH's birthday just around the corner -- our real birthday is this Sunday(!) but we're celebrating next week -- the staff spent some time reflecting on what GTECH's turning 10 means to them. While it is easy to point to major accomplishments and milestones as being influential to our development over the past 10 years, it is the day-to-day things that truly stand out. The everyday interactions with community members, partners, volunteers, designers, planners, and policymakers continues to have the…Read More
Part 2: Looking Forward Posted on April 6, 2017 by Grounded Strategies Read Part 1 of Andrew's series highlighting GTECH's 10 year anniversary. In Part 1, Andrew reflects back on GTECH's past and evolution. Now, he's looking forward and getting ready to celebrate! There have been several guiding principles embedded in GTECH’s theory of change and ethos over the last decade. Those principles have informed our strategy and evolution - and have manifested into some of our most exciting work underway now and paving the foundation for the next 10 years of growth…Read More