State of the Land Report: March Posted on March 30, 2022 by Grounded Strategies Welcome to the State of the Land Report! March 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! Lots of Wildflowers - Meadow St, Larimer Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by…Read More
State of the Land Report: February Posted on February 25, 2022 by Grounded Strategies Welcome to the State of the Land Report! February 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the…Read More
State of the Land Report: January Posted on January 28, 2022 by Grounded Strategies Welcome to the State of the Land Report! January 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an…Read More
State of the Land Report: December/End of Year Wrap Up Posted on January 4, 2022 by Grounded Strategies Welcome to the End of The Year State of the Land Report! December 2021 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably,…Read More
State of the Land Report: October Posted on October 22, 2021 by [email protected] Welcome to the October State of the Land Report! The State of the Land Report is our new monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! In this report we will share with you everything you need to know about policy updates, new legislation in the works, land access strategies, facts about vacant land, need to knows about maintenance of City-owned vacant lots…Read More
Hike through Homewood Recap Posted on April 15, 2021 by Grounded Strategies Recap as told by: Philip Lawson On the second week of March this year, Grounded Strategies partnered with Venture Outdoors for an event entitled “Snow Trek: A Winter Hike through Homewood.” With the help of several Homewood stewards and community partners, we had the chance to iterate an oral history of the Homewood-Brushton neighborhood, highlight a few standout institutions, and “get up close and personal” with a handful of well-stewarded community spaces. The event was a…Read More
Garden Lead Safe in 2021 Posted on February 8, 2021 by [email protected] While we're currently at the tail-end of winter, many folks I know are eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring. Perhaps none more-so than gardeners. These faithful Earth-tenders gain motivation from various places, but the majority of folks engaging in this 'hobby' (or way of life if you prefer) do so for the satisfaction of literally being able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, as with most things, context is critical. Our soils bear the burden of historically high…Read More
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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
The Role of Greenspace in Pittsburgh’s Transportation Equity Conversation Posted on February 3, 2020 by [email protected] 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