Lots to Love (About Neighborhoods) Posted on March 18, 2016 by wpengine Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods. There are 90 of them, after all. Each one has its own charms, and problems, and groups of people working to solve them. But, like individuals, these neighborhoods often focus on their own challenges, and sometimes forget that other neighborhoods are working on very similar problems. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At GTECH we champion these neighborhood heroes. We call them Ambassadors. They are Ambassadors to their community, and they work hard to…Read More
Building Blocks for Green Infrastructure Posted on March 16, 2016 by wpengine On March 7, 2016, over 60 people attended our Livability Solutions Green Infrastructure Workshop, co-hosted with One Northside. Attendees spanned a variety of sectors, including representatives of non-profits and public agencies, academics, citizens and more. Workshop topics included some of the Center for Neighborhood Technology's green infrastructure tools, including: Green Valuation Guide: a tool to help quantify the co-benefits of green infrastructure, including improved air quality, reduced cost of water treatment, reduced energy use and more. Green Portfolio Standard: a planning tool to…Read More
GTECH’s Policy Framework Posted on March 11, 2016 by wpengine GTECH is at a pivotal point in our young history, this April, GTECH will celebrate our 9th Birthday. We can no longer claim we are a young, scrappy startup organization and need to think about how and what contributions GTECH will make 5, 10, or 20 years from now to the Pittsburgh Region. Later this month, GTECH will officially roll out our Policy Framework document which will be used to to clarify our strategic relationship to key regional policy issues.…Read More
International Women’s Day Posted on March 8, 2016 by Grounded Strategies March 8th is International Women's day. Here at GTECH we have almost a 2:1 ratio (including Jasper) of women to men. Not that we're counting... I'd like to recognize International Women's Day by highlighting some of the amazing women we have on staff. In addition to their fabulous day jobs, these ladies spend a lot of time giving back to their communities, families and the world in general. In no particular order, meet some of our wonderful women and get a…Read More
Unless Posted on March 2, 2016 by wpengine UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. South of Lake Erie, a businessman arrives in a pristine wilderness. He builds his first manufacturing plant and begins reining in enough profit on a product that “everyone needs” to allow him to open a second plant. And then a third. And a fourth. Soon the whole purpose of that once pristine natural environment seems to be the production of this good. The…Read More
“Leap” Into Volunteering With GTECH In 2016! Posted on February 29, 2016 by wpengine 2016 is a leap year, which means there will be 366 days this year instead of the ordinary 365. The Egyptians were the first to come up with the idea of adding a leap day once every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the solar year. Later, the Romans adopted this solution for their calendar, and they became the first to designate February 29 as the leap day. Fast forward a few thousand years and this means you…Read More
Who owns vacant land? Posted on February 26, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Have you ever wondered who actually owns all of the vacant land around Pittsburgh? If so, then we have some answers for you! First, take a look at the map below to get a visual sense of the magnitude of vacancy in the City. The map marks vacant lots by owner, including the two largest land owners in Pittsburgh - the City of Pittsburgh, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and private owners. You can click on the map for a larger, zoom-able…Read More
Recap of TedxPittsburgh: GTECH Takeover Posted on February 24, 2016 by wpengine TEDxPittsburgh is a platform for showcasing the ideas, individuals and innovations that are redefining the Steel City. Pittsburgh is best known for the steel forged on the banks of its three rivers, bridges and a blue-collar work ethic that has come to define our region. However our industrial past has left a unique legacy problem of nearly 27,000 vacant lots that perpetuate social, economic and environmental liabilities, such as increased crime, dropping property values, and toxic soil conditions that negatively…Read More
Incorporating Resilience Activities at the Community Development Level Posted on February 19, 2016 by wpengine "Urban resilience is the capacity of a community to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate the risks—and seize the opportunities—associated with environmental and social change." - The Kresge Foundation You may have noticed that we've been talking a lot about resilience from a variety of perspectives and scales. First, we talked about defining resilience and how it relates to community health. Second, we explored resilience from a national perspective, gaining insight into how cities across the country are developing strategies to…Read More
Maintenance Posted on February 17, 2016 by wpengine Chores. The grind. Tedium. Labor. Maintenance is rarely thought of fondly. And few people are inspired by sameness. We don’t wake up thinking, “Wow! My sidewalk remains unbroken! The trees in my park are still standing!” Instead we prefer to imagine our creations as permanent, somehow set apart from time, and nature. But the only constant in nature is change: plants grow, spread, die, decay, become soil again; paint fades, chips, peels; wood rots; metal rusts; concrete cracks; even the…Read More
Share the Love on Valentine’s Day Posted on February 12, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Roses Are Red, Violets are Blue, The lot next door is vacant, What should I do? After Groundhog's Day, the biggest thing to happen to February is Valentine's Day. While the mere thought of candy hearts and doilies may make you shudder, not everything about Valentine's Day has to be cheesy. This year, try something different and point cupid's arrow at a vacant lot. Across the country, organizations and cities are incorporating vacancy into their celebrations on February 14th. Here…Read More
ReClaim South Update: What to look forward to this spring! Posted on February 10, 2016 by wpengine Since last fall, our ReClaim South Ambassadors have been working hard planning their vacant lot project enhancements. A lot of good things are happening in South Pittsburgh and we are excited to help add capacity to 8 projects this year! To date, the Ambassadors have completed 5 training sessions for the Sustaining Momentum Program, and with only 2 more to go, on the ground implementation is quickly approaching. Here is a breakdown of what we have covered thus far in…Read More