I'm excited to have another blogger on the GLUE team from my home state of Ohio. Meet Marianne Eppig!

GLUE is so excited to welcome its newest blogger--and my neighbor--to the blog.  Meet Detroit's Melissa Dittmer!

Tell us about one of the primary ways you spend your time (work, volunteering, fun—pick whatever is relevant to GLUE).  When not engaged in the professional practice of architecture and urban design, I spend much of my time advocating for design, urban initiatives, and design discourse.  Through the directing of a non-profit architectural advocacy group, rogueHAA, the editing of an urbanism blog, rogueHAA, and the shared coordination of a lecture series, lecturesHAA, I attempt to incite discussions and constructive critiques of Detroit’s built urban environment. 


Tell a story about how or why you ended up living where you do.  My husband and I are both architects and urban designers.  Following the completion of our graduate studies, we took stock of our professional and personal aspirations.  When tallied, all of these items would have taken decades, and a small fortune, in a city like New York, Boston, or Chicago.  In Detroit, however, we were immediately presented with opportunities as soon as we landed: working as an architect on meaningful Detroit-specific projects, starting a family, my husband started his own firm, the establishment of meaningful friendships, we bought a Mies van der Rohe designed townhouse, etc…

Describe one of your favorite places or things to do in your city.  Every Saturday throughout the year, I go (with my husband and two boys) shopping for fresh produce and locally made foods at the Eastern Market.  We eat breakfast at Russell Street Deli and then spend another hour grazing through the three farmer’s market sheds.  Afterwards, I try to work off all those calories on the seven miles of pedestrian-friendly, uninterrupted riverfront running paths. 

GLUE is glad to welcome the newest addition to our blogging team: Katrina Rex of Rochester, NY.  Her first post will be up this afternoon!

Tell us about one of the primary ways you spend your time (work, volunteering, fun—pick whatever is relevant to GLUE).  I work for a non-profit whose mission is to strengthen, sustain and promote city neighborhoods.  I manage a neighborhood revitalization program where we engage residents around building neighborhood pride and encouraging investment. Ultimately we hope to create demand for these communities and see home values rise right along with their popularity. In Rochester, home values generally stay flat and low. If we can help folks see a return on their home, their biggest investment, that’s adding value to the entire city.

Tell a story about how or why you ended up living where you do.  I grew up in a rural county south of Rochester. It was a half-hour to get anywhere or do anything. I wanted to live somewhere with more people and things to do. When I was in college I moved to the city, and I’ve been there ever since.

Describe one of your favorite places or things to do in your city.  I like to go to East Avenue and have dinner, then go see a movie at the Little Theatre.

Fill in this sentence: I love [my city] most in [season] because [?].  I love Rochester most in the summer because there are tons of great farmers’ markets and lots of awesome places to go hiking. It’s also lovely in the fall, because we have lots of rolling hills and the Finger Lakes and all that.


We're so glad to introduce you to our next new blogger, Eddee Daniel, who teaches art and blogs on art and urban wilderness in Milwaukee.  Welcome, Eddee!  Readers, look for Eddee's first post later today.

Tell us about one of the primary ways you spend your time (work, volunteering, fun--pick whatever is relevant to GLUE).  I like to explore and to photograph what I discover. I blog about my experiences and share my photographs on two blogs, Arts Without Borders and Urban Wilderness. I'm an advocate for the environment and volunteer for several local non-profits. I also like to travel.

Over the next few weeks, GLUE is going to be introducing you to a new team of bloggers, hailing from several cities around our region.  First up, Joseph DiDomizio, whose first post with GLUE will be up later today.  Welcome, Joseph!  (Interested in joining our new blogging team?  Email us!)

Tell us about one of the primary ways you spend your time (work, volunteering, fun--pick whatever is relevant to GLUE). I work at a university, helping students find their path to a career. Otherwise, I spend the rest of my time writing about music, movies, and community.

Tell a story about how or why you ended up living where you do.  I moved out to Hamilton, NY to be with my fiancee, who is also a Buffalo native. While we currently live outside of Buffalo, we plan to move back and raise our family in our hometown soon.

Attendees of our 2010 Urban Labs Conference in Cleveland will be excited to know that the Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act (CRSI) we discussed was passed by Senate committee last week. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17) introduced the bill in 2009. . .

I Will Shout Youngstown has a great new post up with a potential advertising strategy for Youngstown (and many other Rust Belt cities). Youngstown: A Great Place to Fail articulates an old philosophy in a new way. . .

RustWire recently put up a story about Raymond Pianka, a judge in Cleveland who has become widely known for taking bold stands against abandoned properties in his city. This time, he

In another post from Burgh Diaspora, Jim Russell wonders about the relationship between living, working and geography. Russell analyzes why it

Via CEO's for Cities, Citiwire has a post up about Syracuse's redevelopment efforts. The post details the relationship between many important leaders in Syracuse who have managed to get on the same page. There is the mayor, Stephanie Miner, described as "far-sighted," who does her best to keep old buildings standing. . .