(The Center for Metropolitan Studies at the University of Pittsburgh invited David Mazmanian, a public policy professor from USC, to talk this past Friday. These are some thoughts on his talk on civic engagement and climate policy, and what it might mean for Pitt - though you can extend that to other GLUE cities)

I landed in Pittsburgh via Toledo several years ago. As much as I love my hometown, I've never regretted trading one rusty city for another very charming one. I also couldn't be more thrilled that GLUE chose Pittsburgh as the scene of its 4th annual conference. I'm always talking up Pittsburgh to out-of-towners, friends, family, strangers, anyone with ears really, and I certainly don't plan on stopping when GLUE's guests arrive. For the moment, though, I'll hold back and let my good friend, Justin Hopper, share his perspective on this city that's so easy to love yet perhaps more difficult to define:   

Registration for GLUE's 4th annual conference is OPEN!

On September 15-17, 2011, Green-Lighting Neighborhoods will bring a spotlight to neighborhood-based and neighbor-led solutions on issues of water, rebuilding neighborhoods, and greening our communities and jobs. 

With speakers presenting best practices, and lots of time dedication to participant-driven conversation, this promises to be our most impactful conference yet.

On Saturday, May 21st, this year's class of Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc.'s Leadership Development Initiative brought the third annual PopUp! Pittsburgh event to fruition - Lights! Camera! Fineview!

The Young Preservationist Association (YPA) released its annual list of the Top Ten Best Preservation Opportunities in the Pittsburgh area. Inspired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list, YPA created their Pittsburgh list to put a positive spin on preservation, highlighting historic buildings, main streets, and districts that have the potential to become unique destinations in the region. The scoring committee evaluates nominated sites by five criteria: a 50-year Threshold, Historic and Architectural Significance, Threats to the Site, Community Input, and Feasibility of the Solution.

While there is no monetary award for making the top of the list, the real prize is the publicity. Many property owners have used the list to attract attention to their sites and secure funding. Since YPA began compiling the annual list eight years ago, several buildings have become restoration success stories and several others have been stabilized for future reuse.

The spotlight is on the Great Lakes region tonight as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers compete for the NFL's most coveted title. While there may be only one Super Bowl champ, we, at GLUE, believe the whole region is a winner. The Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition agrees, and they're using the match-up as an opportunity to draw attention to the region's assets and to advance a Great Lakes agenda on Capitol Hill. There is no denying the region is an economic champion. The Great Lakes Region, comprised of twelve U.S. States and Canada's two largest provinces, is the second largest economy in the world in GDP terms. "Our region is rich in...

Plenty of things connect Cleveland and Pittsburgh besides a turnpike and a football rivalry; the cities share a common economic history, labor market, and business partnerships, says regional economist, Christopher Briem. In a recent column, he called for greater collaboration between the cities and promoted "Cleveburgh," a Cleveland-Pittsburgh metro-region, comprising Akron, Canton, Steubenville, Weirton and Youngstown. Pointing to several examples of existing regional partnerships like The Regional Learning Network, Tech Belt Initiative, The Pittsburgh Regional Indicators Project, and the Power of 32 Regional Visioning Project...

From our friends in Pittsburgh, a special event featuring some Rust Belt cross-state sharing: The sixth session of this year's Guyasuta Fellowship for Public Policy will take place on Tuesday, January 12 from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Pittsburgh City Council chambers. The session will focus on strategies for scaling green economy programs into citywide initiatives. Our special invited guests will be Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan and Blaine Bonham of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which manages the vacant property management / green jobs development program for the City of Philadelphia. The public is encouraged to attend this special session...

Last week, we introduced some questions about whether the Rust Belt is particularly "crafty," particularly situated to be good at DIY'ing (doing it ourselves). This week, we're sharing an interview with Carrie Nardini, the founder of I Made It!, a nomadic indie craft market headquartered in Pittsburgh. I Made It! has a unique mission to use its craft markets and the crowds they draw to support not only their vendors, but community non-profits or arts organizations as well...

There's so much to share via our weekly HQ update today. First, I had a great trip to St. Louis (thanks again Next American City and our St. Louis hosts) and learned even more about a city I love. From the top of the arch to the doll houses of the north side to the dense brick neighborhoods to the graffiti wall along the Mississippi, it was an exciting exploration...