more Mt. Washington, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Chris Winters’ photostream

You, as a savvy Burgher, know the best that our city has to offer. Not just the places in the tourist guides, but those off the beaten path. The places that you’d want an out-of-town friend to see — the inside scoop from a local. Here’s your chance to show off your knowledge and tell the world what makes Pittsburgh special. GOOD.is is sponsoring a contest to create a “local’s guide” that showcases the very best of Pittsburgh. What makes your must see list? The ToonSeum? The Waffle Shop? Gertrude Stein’s birthplace and nearby Millionaires’ Row? Or how about your favorite neighborhood bar?

To win, you must be creative. Anything goes — photographs, drawings, funny Photoshops — as long as it all fits on one standard-size page and can be uploaded online.

Here are the rules:

Your guide has to fit on a standard page. Upload your submission here. We’ll accept submissions through Sunday, July 3. Afterwards we will post a collection of our favorite submissions and ask you, the GOOD community, to vote. The winning entry will be announced on GOOD.is, featured on our homepage, and printed in the next issue of GOOD. We’ll also send a GOOD T-shirt and a free subscription (or gift subscription) to the winner.

Good luck!

Pittsburgh Map, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from dmuth’s photostream

Want to know the percentage of renters vs. owner-occupied housing in Allentown? How about the population by age of Homewood South residents? Want to know how many in the West End are native born? Now, you have a tool to find out all that and more. The University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR) was created in 1972 to serve as a resource for researchers and educators interested in the basic and applied social and behavioral sciences. The UCSUR’s program in Urban and Regional Analysis has spent decades studying patterns of change in Pittsburgh neighborhoods. This month, they released a report titled City of Pittsburgh Neighborhood Profiles American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates 2005-2009 Data.

The report compiles data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) for the City of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods. ACS is a new program which replaced what was previously known as the “long-form” census. The ACS has a smaller sample size than the old long form allowing for data to be compiled on a neighborhood basis. It should be noted that because the sample size is so small, errors are magnified with smaller areas having the largest margin of error. Therefore, the report notes, “It is recommended that the data released by the ACS program should be used to understand the characteristics of specific geographic areas, and the data generally should not be used as a reference for the specific counts of individuals, households or housing units.” This shows up most notably near the beginning of the report (pages 5 and 6) where comparisons are made between neighborhoods. For example, the report compares the five neighborhoods with the highest and lowest percentage of households comprised of married‐couple families — I’m guessing there actually are some married couples in Chateau.

Still, the two-page profiles of each neighborhood are a fascinating read as a reflection of the characteristics of the residents who live there. Data has been compiled for each of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods in the following categories:

Population by Race
Family Structure (Household Type)
Place of Birth By Citizenship Status
Population by Age Group
School Enrollment
Household Income
Poverty
Tenure (Owner-occupied Vs. Renters)
Educational Attainment
Commuting
Migration

You can view the full report here. (You can go to the index on page three to find your neighborhood.)

TypeCon 2010 Los Angeles: Famous LA Traffic Jam, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from FontFont’s photostream

Sustainable communities promote sustainable living by providing people with access to affordable housing, increasing their transportation options, lowering their transportation costs, and at the same time, protecting the environment to better support local economies. Being able to live in a diverse community that is close to where you work and where you can purchase local produce and patronize local businesses helps the environment, the local economy and your pocketbook. Additionally, healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods are communities where people want to live. With this in mind, two years ago, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined together to form The Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

The Partnership “works to coordinate federal housing, transportation, water and other infrastructure investments” to help accomplish sustainability. They do this through providing new funding opportunities, working to reduce barriers at the federal level, and by talking to residents and businesses in hundreds of communities. On June 16th, The Partnership for Sustainable Communities will celebrate their two year anniversary. They have created webinars which you can participate in to learn more about their efforts (listed below). You can also learn more about sustainable communities at Smart Growth America.

A Variety of Transportation Options:

DC Dupont multimodal, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from faceless b’s photostream

Celebrating Two Years of Partnership
What: Join the senior leadership of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities to celebrate the Partnership’s two-year anniversary and to talk about what initiatives are coming next.
Who: Beth Osborne, Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOT; Shelley Poticha, Director, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, HUD; John Frece, Director, Office of Sustainable Communities, EPA; and Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs (Invited)
When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 – 1:00 PM EDT
Where: Click here to register for this webinar. Call-in information will be sent to registrants.

Long Term Affordability Near Transit
What: A webinar that will highlight innovative affordable transit-oriented development initiatives across the country, including Austin, Texas and Fairfax County, Virginia – two jurisdictions that have put long-term affordable homeownership mechanisms into place to create and sustain equitable transit-oriented communities.
Who: Co-Hosted by Cornerstone Partnership, the Center for Housing Policy, and the National Housing Conference; Allison Brooks, Chief of Staff, Reconnecting America; John L. Payne A.I.A, Deputy Director for Real Estate, Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development; Kelly Weiss, Executive Director, PeopleTrust in Austin, TX; Moderated by Ryan Sherriff, Center for Housing Policy
When: Thursday, June 16, 2011. The two-part event begins at 2:30 p.m. ET with a 90-minute webinar that will provide an opportunity to listen to each speaker as well as ask questions.
Where: Register here

Understanding Mixed-Income Transit-Oriented Development
What: This event will focus on introducing participants to the benefits, strategies, and challenges of mixed-income transit-oriented development and will introduce a useful tool, the “Mixed-Income TOD Action Guide.”
Who: Center for Transit-Oriented Development
When: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Where: Click here to register

Mixed-Income Development:

B-dairy tnhome with SFD PDX, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from faceless b’s photostream

Pedestrian Street:

Pedestrian Street – Athens, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from UrbanGrammar’s photostream

Walkable Communities:

Housing Community, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from www.urbancityarch.com’s photostream

IMG_0046, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from ccbarr’s photostream

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson is the Mother of the Modern Environmental Movement. She was born in 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania in a farmhouse just 14 miles up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh and went to college at what is now Chatham University. She received a master’s degree in zoology from the John Hopkins University and became only the second woman hired to a full-time professional position with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in 1936. She was already a popular natural history author by the time her book, Silent Spring was published in 1962. Silent Spring documented the ecological and human damage caused by pesticides. While it received a storm of criticism from chemical companies, it led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. But, it did more than that — it was the inspiration for the grassroots environmental movement and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter. In Pittsburgh, the Ninth Street Bridge was renamed for her on Earth Day, April 22, 2006.

Carson’s love of nature began at her childhood home which is now known as the Rachel Carson Homestead. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and the Rachel Carson Homestead Association was formed in 1975 to preserve the site. The Rachel Carson Homestead is the only site in the world dedicated to interpreting Rachel Carson’s legacy to the public. With that in mind, the Rachel Carson Homestead Association designs and implements education programs and resources in keeping with her environmental ethic.

Now, the Rachel Carson Homestead Association is a finalist in the 2011 This Place Matters Community Challenge hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The top prize is a $25,000 grant. The winner will be chosen by a vote by the public. You can show the nation that the Rachel Carson Homestead matters by voting here (voting ends on June 30, 2011).

Paisa Vasool!, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from .aditya.’s photostream

Last month, there was good news regarding the city’s pension system. An independent analysis conducted by the City Controller showed that actions by Council at the end of last year will enable the fund to be over 50% funded as was required under the State’s Act 44 legislation. There are several key factors to remember. The Council Plan, which was worked on in cooperation with Controller Lamb and the Oversight Board, does not require the city to give away its parking asset or the revenue from it. It does not, as the Mayor’s plan proposed, raise the cost of meters to the highest in the country. It does rely on additional revenue from the Parking Authority that required some increases to meters and these rates were raised effective June 1st, however, more needs to be done. Although it is disappointing that for the first six months of the year nothing had been administered, a majority of City Council has begun looking much further along than this year’s budget in order to analyze how the pension plan will affect future budgets for the next 15 years.

Solving the city’s financial future requires much more than stabilizing the pension system. In April, Council hosted three special meetings to discuss what is required to create a sustainable future for the city’s finances. This Progressive Majority of City Council believes we owe it to the residents and businesses of Pittsburgh to present a vision and a financial plan of action. The meetings were separated into three missions:

1) Our Immediate Situation
The first meeting took place on April 5th and focused on the 2011 Budget. It provided an analysis of both the operating and capital budgets and addressed any confusion from recent reports. In addition, it contained a series of recommendations for good government reforms to provide a more transparent and responsible budget process this year and in the future. You can view the PowerPoint presentation here.

2) The Next Six Years
The second Post Agenda was held on April 12th. This presentation focused on the next six years, 2012-2017. Many governments work to create 6-year capital plans in order to plan for major needs. We’ve created a 6-year “Capital-Plus” plan which incorporates the city’s Operating Budget along with future pension payments, needed capital improvements and coordinate these costs with the city’s present debt structure. View the PowerPoint report from this Post Agenda here.

3) The Long Term Financial Health of the City
The third — and final — Post Agenda was held on April 19th. This meeting concentrated on long-term financial planning (2018-2025). It coincides with the city’s “debt-cliff” — when expected debt payments lower significantly. It builds off of the findings of the first two meetings which addressed the 2011 operating and capital budgets and examined the needed actions of the city to assure a sustainable financial plan for 2012-2017 (including a funded 6-year capital plan). This final meeting has provided the groundwork for City Council to continue to take financially responsible actions that protect the taxpayers of Pittsburgh now and far into the future. Here’s the PowerPoint presentation from that meeting.

If you only have time to read one of the PowerPoint reports, read the third one — it explains where we are presently and the course and actions that will be required to assure a sustainable future for Pittsburgh into the year 2025. While most cities are trying to find ways to balance current and next year budgets, Pittsburgh City Council is taking a unique approach in using the next few years as building blocks in order to create a financial future that will serve the people of Pittsburgh well after our days in city government have passed.

AmeriCorps, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from St. Bernard Project’s photostream

GET A TECH JOB THAT HELPS YOUR COMMUNITY

Pittsburgh Cares, in partnership with Google and the HandsOn Network, is now accepting applications for Tech Corps VISTA, a new AmeriCorps VISTA program. The mission of Tech Corps VISTA is to help nonprofits be more effective in their use of technology — such as utilizing cloud based computing and applications specifically designed for the nonprofit community — in order to improve their overall outcomes and services. As posted on the Official Google Blog:

Community service has always been important to us. When thinking of ways we can give back, we often focus on where our strengths lie—namely, in technical knowledge. More and more frequently, Googlers who volunteer note that many incredible nonprofits around the U.S. lack the tech knowledge or resources that could immensely help their operations and their cause. With this in mind, we got together with the HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of Points of Light Institute, to create the HandsOn Tech Corps, an initiative designed to help nonprofits effectively use technology to further their missions.

Tech Corps VISTA is offering 24 full-time, one-year jobs in seven cities across the United States and Pittsburgh is one of those cities. Participants will receive a biweekly living allowance, health insurance and an education award upon completion of a successful term of service. Members are also eligible for child care assistance and student loan forbearance or deferment. Applicants need to have experience in cloud based solutions and computing, tech support, and a passion for working in the nonprofit sector. You can view the entire position description and desired qualifications here. There’s a three-step applicaton process and the deadline for applying is June 17, 2011. Start your application now.

Silea 30 31 Oct 2006, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Nite_Owl’s photostream

Hawa Abdullah needs your help. Ms. Abdullah is a well known community activist in Darfur who works for the United Nations/African Union Mission In Darfur (UNAMID) at the Abu Shouk refugee camp. On May 6th, Ms. Abdullah was arrested by National Security personnel at her home. According to UNAMID information officers, she was “detained in contravention of the Status of Forces Agreement between UNAMID and the Government of Sudan.” Additionally, the Darfur Bar Association agreed that Ms. Abdullah should have immunity under that agreement. According to a Post-Gazette article, a northern Sudan government-backed website ran a photograph of Ms. Abdullah posed with a Bible and “accused her of converting from Islam to Christianity and trying to spread Christianity in the camps — a crime punishable by death under Islamic Sharia law.” Those who know her vehemently reject the charge. Prior to her arrest, the local Pittsburgh Sudanese community had been in contact with the 26 year-old Ms. Abdullah in an attempt to find out information on Darfur from someone on the ground. She had described the terrible conditions in the refugee camps and had said that the Northern Sudanese government would not let aid groups in to assist — the same Sudanese government which now holds her captive.

The situation in Sudan is both fluid and violent. Southern Sudan is scheduled to become its own country next month. There have been attacks by North Sudan along the border of Southern Sudan. The Darfur region (Western Sudan) has been the recipient of air strikes last month in what the UN has said is an attempt to ethnically cleanse non-Arabs. The UN has also said that Sudanese authorities have restricted the movement of humanitarian workers. Amid all the conflict and violence in that part of the world, it is easy for us here to ask, “What can I do? I’m only one person.” But you can, as one person, help one person. You can help Hawa Abdullah as she has helped numerous refugees of the violence there.

The Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition is asking you to contact U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to ask her to advocate for Hawa Abdullah. Here’s the link to do so. Congressman Mike Doyle and Senator Bob Casey, Jr. have already written to Secretary Clinton. Six members of Pittsburgh City Council — Peduto, Harris, Shields, Kraus, Rudiak, and Dowd — have also written to Clinton under the lead of Councilman Peduto (you can see a copy of their letter below). Experience has proven that one of the best ways to help in situations like this is to keep up the pressure — you can add your voice to the cry for justice. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in a letter he wrote while imprisoned at the Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Please help to right the injustice being inflicted upon Hawa Abdullah.

Pittsburgh City Council Letter to Secretary Clinton

Abu Shouk Women’s Center, 2009

“Women in the women’s center at Abu Shouk IDP Camp talk to SE Gration about gender-based violence and new camp initiatives.” Abu Shouk Women’s Center, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Sudan Envoy’s photostream

water works, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from laszlo-photo’s photostream

The quality of our water has been a big issue in the news and even in local elections lately. An article in The New York Times in February reported that the dangers from hydrofracking were far greater than previously thought and that the wastewater produced from fracking “contains radioactivity at levels higher than previously known, and far higher than the level that federal regulators say is safe for these treatment plants to handle.” They noted that a 2009 E.P.A. study — which had never been made public — warned that the waste produced from drilling the Marcellus Shale “is a threat to drinking water in Pennsylvania.” Pittsburgh City Council had already passed an amendment three months prior to that report which banned gas drilling in Pittsburgh — a first for any city in the state. This Monday, you can attend a discussion of local water issues and public health with environmental and academic leaders. At he meeting, Dr. Patty DeMarco, Director of the Rachel Carson Institute, Chatham University will discuss water issues and choices for the 21st Century. Dr. Charles Christen, Director of Operations for the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) at University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health will address the public health implications of water and Marcellus Shale development. Dr. Christen worked closely with Dr. Conrad “Dan” Volz who recently resigned as Director of CHEC. This discussion is free and open to the public and those attending will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The event is part of the exhibition Too Shallow for Diving: the 21st Century is Treading Water being held by The American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. Guest curated by Carolyn Speranza, the exibit:

[C]omprises painting, sculpture, video, installation, spoken word, and photography. The artists’ work inventively addresses aesthetic issues as well as environmental problems surrounding water, examining global topics including oceans, and the decreasing availability of drinking water on a local and global scale, and local topics including the effects of natural gas drilling on our water supply. The projects explore ways issues surrounding water impact health and public welfare. Able to cross disciplines, propose solutions and pioneer change, ecologically charged artwork is a powerful genre.

The exhibition runs through July 28th. Monday’s event has been organized by participating artists Ann Rosenthal and Steffi Domike. Attendees will also be able to view the exhibition.

WATER’S WAYS: A Presentation & Discussion of Local Water Issues and Public Health
When: Monday, June 6, 7:00pm
Where: Jewish Community Center, 5748 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh 15217 (Squirrel Hill near Murray Ave)
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114515461964266