Geared Up and Grounded: Bike Tour It’s time to ride! This year's 9th Annual Bike Tour event will feature Grounded's projects in Hazelwood & Braddock! Join the Grounded team for a fall bike ride to visit vibrant, reclaimed community green spaces. The Pittsburgh region has over 30,000 vacant lots, many of which are overgrown and unmaintained. More importantly, the majority of these vacant lots are concentrated in black and brown communities that happen to also be low-income, creating an environmental and racial justice emergency. Grounded elevates…Read More
Bill 299_Press Release Posted on April 29, 2020 by shequaya Bailey Pittsburgh City Council CityFarms Project Resolution 2020-0299 Recommitted by City Council Pittsburgh, PA: April 28, 2020, Pittsburgh City Council recommitted Resolution 2020-0299. This bill would have authorized the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Public Works to enter into a Project Cooperation Agreement or Professional Services Agreements with Grounded Strategies for the purposes of implementing a CityFarms pilot project on city-owned vacant land. The resolution is expected to be updated to include an RFP process. Grounded Strategies,…Read More
Krysty’s Goodbye Posted on April 1, 2020 by shequaya Bailey Though my time with Grounded has unfortunately been cut short due to COVID-19, I will be forever grateful for this irreplaceable experience. Social work is a demanding field. It can often feel like an endless run on a treadmill, unsure whether to step off or to keep going in pursuit of that slight chance that you reach the carrot at the end of the stick. That carrot, in the context of social work, is the knowledge that someone’s circumstances have…Read More
What’s New in Youth Engagement at Grounded? Posted on February 24, 2020 by Ashley Seiler Since embarking on my journey at Grounded in September of 2019, I have been having some fun and making a difference in several communities. By and large, one of my favorites is Hazelwood. As a Greenfield native, I grew up just around the corner playing and learning about life in Hazelwood with friends and family. My engagements as a Grounded staff member have ranged from formal building projects to networking events and (many) teaching sessions. In one of my…Read More
Returning Vacant Land to Productive Use Connecting local residents with resources regarding property stewardship, acquisition, and ownership through various models. Hear from a representative of the County's Vacant Property Recovery Program and Attorney Wayne Cobb.Read More
The Role of Greenspace in Pittsburgh’s Transportation Equity Conversation Posted on February 3, 2020 by Masoud Sayles Currently, the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is developing a Mobility Vision Plan for the next 50 years! While on its surface this may not seem like an environmental justice issue tied to vacant or disinvested land, the implications of this plan are incredibly far-reaching. As the main entity tasked with managing the city's transportation infrastructure, DOMI governs many aspects of your movement through your day-to-day life. In addition to the roads most of us use…Read More
WPXI Holiday Parade The Grounded team, along with some Ambassadors and Stewards, will be walking in the WPXI Parade this year! Join us downtown to watch to see us walk or watch us on TV!Read More
Community Keystones Posted on November 20, 2019 by Anna Archer Blog by Sean Cuff, Policy Fellow In early August, I interviewed CommunityCare Steward and long-time Larimer resident Tab Duckett outside his adopted lots near Thompson and Joseph Streets. He and his lawnmower have been fixtures of the community, and represent the outsized role neighbors have had to take on to keep their blocks maintained. He was born and raised in the neighborhood. In between at least ten horn honks, waves, and “hey there’s” with passersby, we talked about how the…Read More
Flowers Avenue GSI Planting Come help Grounded and residents of the Hazelwood community finish the green stormwater infrastructure implementation in Hazelwood. This day will focus on planting, mulching and adding protective fencing around small shrubs. Come help us make a difference in the lives of our neighbors!Read More
Work Day @ Morning Star Baptist Church-Hazelwood! Come join the Grounded team as we work alongside TMC-Pittsburgh's Hazelwood Platoon to finalize our year-long effort at The Morning Star Baptist Church! We will be completing the revitalization of the once-vacant lot next to the church before the weather gets too cold. Our goal is to do some planting, complete the youth activity area, and remove any trash and refuse from inside and outside of the church. Please come dressed in clothes you would not mind getting dirty! All…Read More
Planting Seeds for the Future Posted on October 7, 2019 by Masoud Sayles Pittsburgh, as the nation within which it resides, has a storied past awash with inequality. Both here and in the United States at large, a great deal of this inequity stems from the fact that the means of production (mainly land) are controlled by a small number of people relative to the total population. Historically, this has been the case for just about as long as this country has existed. As our worries mount in the face of climate instability,…Read More
GSI…. but why? Posted on September 30, 2019 by Masoud Sayles Background Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a city defined in large part by water: from the 3 large rivers that help to outline the city's center, to the snowfall that periodically graces this area's winters, this element shapes human life in the region. Historically, the waterways running through the Pittsburgh area have been used for transportation (both of people and goods), sustenance (through farming and fishing), and recreation, among other pursuits. However, the influence of water in this region is not only…Read More