Apple is good at lots of things, but they can’t make the screen bright enough when it’s sunny outside…, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Ed Yourdon’s photostream

If you’re reading this, you probably believe that democracy would be better if it was, well, more democratic — that local government would be better if it had more input by locals. That the way to improve our city is not by hiring consultants to tell us what to do, but hiring consultants to listen to people and tell us how we can make their vision happen. CEOs for Cities is working hard on taking the consultants out of the picture and putting the people into focus by fostering direct connections between residents and city government. CEOs for Cities has produced web apps which help create a culture of civic engagement.

Acknowledging that most people aren’t willing to spend much time, if any, on participating in the public process of democracy, they first helped produce the Give a Minute project. Give a Minute literally asks city residents to spend just a minute coming up with a suggestion on an important urban issue. The first project was Give a Minute Chicago and it asks for input on what would make Chicagoans walk, bike or ride transit more often. People can respond online or by mobile phone by jotting down their thoughts on an electronic Post-it^®-style note.

Did you know they have free hi-speed WiFi all over Bryant Park? This place rocks!, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Ed Yourdon’s photostream

Change by Us is a new project which evolved out of Give a Minute. Change by Us NYC asks residents of New York City, “How can we make our city a greener, greater place to live?” Change by Us has the same post-a-note look, but it takes the idea a step further. From The New York Times:

City officials described the project as “a social network for grass-roots leaders.” They said their goal was to exploit the opportunities offered by social media to spur professionals, volunteers and city employees to share information about ways to improve conditions and team up for specific projects.

Change by Us NYC will help users raise money to start projects like community composting or creating a new open space. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection will use the site to identify and guide projects that could be eligible for a program that disburses millions of dollars in grants to beautify neighborhoods, reduce sewer overflow into New York Harbor and undertake other infrastructure projects, for example.

In less than a year, this new model for citizen participation has gone from asking for ideas, to creating projects and raising funds for their implementation. Perhaps when people see actual results from their engagement, they will be more prone to participate and put democracy into action. We can have a 24/7 town hall that produces results.

Tomkins Square Park, Apr 2010 – 17, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Ed Yourdon’s photostream

Also launched this year is Neighborhoodland. It’s basically the same concept — asking city residents for their thoughts and input on improving their communities. Neighborhoodland was created by Civic Center which wants to “make cities more comfortable for people.” Neighborhoodland currently serves neighborhoods in the city of New Orleans.

Finally, while the technology of crowdsourcing and mobile apps is relatively new, the issue of citizen participation goes back to the very founding of our country. “A Ladder of Citizen Participation” by Sherry R. Arnstein was first published in the Journal of the American Institute of Planners (JAIP) in 1969, but it’s still instructive for today. The author looks at the levels of citizen participation to see where the power truly lies and comes up with the following “eight rungs on the ladder of citizen participation.” Let’s hope that new technology makes that climb a lot easier.

Longleat Maze, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from joncandy’s photostream

“All the world’s a stage” is a line from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, but in Pittsburgh, it applies equally well to Twelfth Night. Quantum Theatre will be staging a production of Twelfth Night — one of Shakespeare’s best-beloved comedies. Founded in 1990, Quantum Theatre is “interested in real life and how it intersects with a theatrical experience.” Their innovative productions are staged in non-theatre locations that have included abandoned industrial sites, a horse barn and a tombstone-covered plot at Allegheny Cemetery. Twelfth Night will be held under Millvale Street in Bloomfield. It features Robin Walsh as the bereaved Lady Olivia. The play is directed by Karla Boos, Quantum Theatre founder and Artistic Director.

Cafe Sam sits on the border between Shadyside and Bloomfield and was opened in 1987 by Andrew Zins. It’s housed in a stately 1911 building that was originally a private residence — and at one point a brothel. Cafe Sam is notable for its reliably great food, extensive menu and reasonable prices. And, it has a connection with Quantum Theatre. Nearly 30 years ago, Cafe Sam co-manager Mary Turyan and Karla Boos were waitresses together at a small French restaurant in Shadyside. Karla and Mary have remained friends and Quantum Theatre and Cafe Sam have partnered in the past on a theme-based Prix Fixe dinner for theatre goers.

Now, with an assist from Councilman Bill Peduto, Quantum Theatre and Cafe Sam have created an “East End Night” for Quantum Theatre’s Twelfth Night. You can enjoy a Prix Fixe dinner (menu below) at Cafe Sam with Director Karla Boos and Councilman Peduto and then enjoy Quantum Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night all for the special total cost of $50. This event will be held on Sunday, July 31st and the performance is outdoors.

To participate in this special evening:

1) Purchase tickets online for Twelfth Night for the Sunday, 7/31/11, 8:00 PM show here. ($35)

2) Email bill@billpeduto.com to make reservations for the special, reduced-priced Prix Fixe dinner at Cafe Sam. ($15) Please indicate the number of people attending in your email. Reservations must be made by noon on Friday.

3) Pay for dinner (cash/charge) at Cafe Sam.

Tickets will sell out very quickly — make your plans to attend now!

Cafe Sam
Twelfth Night Prix Fixe Dinner with Karla Boos and Bill Peduto
Sunday, 7/31/11, 6:00 PM
5242 Baum Blvd,
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Quantum Theatre’s Twelfth Night
Sunday, 7/31/11, 8:00 PM
West Penn Hospital Foundation Research Facility
720 Gross Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Installing solar panels, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from OregonDOT’s photostream

The good news is that Pittsburgh’s clean economy is doing better than that of most cities. It was ranked 24 out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country. That’s according to a recent green jobs assessment by the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. “Sizing the Clean Economy” is a new report based on the Brookings-Battelle Clean Economy Database. It looks at the size and growth of the “clean” or green economy nationwide. Here’s  a comparison from the report of Pittsburgh’s growth in clean economy jobs vs. the country as a whole:

Some other findings from the report include:

- Pittsburgh currently has 21,963 clean jobs.

- The fastest growing segment in Pittsburgh’s clean economy is solar photovoltaic (generating electricity from solar panels).

- The estimated median wage for clean economy jobs in Pittsburgh is $37,906 – nearly $2,000 higher than the median wage for all jobs.

As regards that last bullet point, when you look at the percentage of clean jobs in Pittsburgh which offer good pay for modest education (green collar jobs) vs. blue collar jobs, the picture is even rosier. 71.9% of green collar jobs in Pittsburgh offer good pay as compared to only 42.9% of blue collar jobs offering similar pay.

You can see the full profile for Pittsburgh’s clean economy here.

So what can we expect for the future of the clean economy? In the video below, Mark Muro, Senior Fellow and Policy Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, outlines where we are now and where we need to go from here. He explains that most green jobs are currently in slow growing, well established areas like mass transit and water treatment. That said, the fastest growing segments are in clean tech jobs — solar, wind, smart grids — and many of these jobs involve manufacturing and export. However, these segments are still a relatively small part of the overall job picture and they can’t be counted on to make up for the massive loss of jobs in our overall economy anytime soon. What’s required to spur on growth in these clean tech jobs is investment — and that investment needs to be made right now. But, this investment needs to involve new and smarter partnerships between the public sector, our universities, government labs, etc.

voting at walker senior center, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from the queen of subtle’s photostream

Want to change the world — or maybe just your neighborhood? If you’re thinking of running for public office, there’s a program for you right here in Pittsburgh. Coro Pittsburgh’s mission is “to advance ethical and effective leaders who share a commitment to civic engagement.” They are conducting their third Running for Public Office: Emerging Leaders in Public Service class starting in September.

Coro Pittsburgh wants to strengthen and broaden citizen participation of candidates running for office in our area. The course is open to prospective candidates and campaign staff who are now contemplating mounting a political campaign. The program consists of 42 hours of seminar which are conducted in twelve consecutive Monday sessions. The Adjunct Facilitator is Tom Baker (Vice President of Programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, President of Baker Leadership, author of Get Involved! Making the Most of Your 20s and 30s and Get Involved! Give Our Passion, voice of The Best of Get Involved! audiobook, Coordinator of the Baker Leadership Speakers Bureau, and host and producer of Get Involved! Pittsburgh on PCTV 21).

Only 20 will be chosen to participate. They are looking for highly motivated individuals who represent the diversity of Greater Pittsburgh in terms of race, gender, religion, political affiliation, neighborhood location and economic status. While there is no fee to apply to the program, the cost to enroll in Running for Public Office is $150 upon acceptance into the program. You can click here to find out additional information about Running for Public Office and to apply online. The deadline for applications is Monday, August 1, 2011. Good luck!

The podium awaits, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from JBrazito’s photostream

PPG, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Sabbath Photography’s photostream

“I am convinced that our people want clean air. There is no other single thing which will so dramatically improve the appearance, the health, the pride, the spirit of the city.”

- Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence in his 1946 inaugural speech

For over a century, Pittsburgh was known for the foulness of our air — it was the “The Smoky City.” Pittsburgh was called “hell with the lid off” in an 1866 article in The Atlantic Monthly and “the dirtiest pile of slag in the United States” by the National Municipal Review in 1944. In the 1939 film The City (video here), scene after scene of Pittsburgh is used as the prime example of how we had destroyed our cities through pollution. An extreme concentration of heavy industry often turned day into night and destroyed the health of the citizens, but as the film’s narrator intones, “smoke makes prosperity — no matter if you choke on it.” By the 1940′s, even businesses were threatening to leave, but a new mayor rose to the challenge. David L. Lawrence’s campaign slogan was “Smoke Must Go.” He built alliances with the private sector and in 1949, a comprehensive anti-pollution law was passed.

“Midday darkness” Credit: Smoke Control Lantern Slides, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh (link)

Flash-forward to 2011. No one can now call Pittsburgh “The Smoky City,” but we’ve fallen behind in keeping our air clean and safe. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2011″ report rated Pittsburgh’s air quality as “the nation’s third most polluted area for short-term particle pollution for the second year in a row.” Again, we face a risk to both the health and lives of our residents and to our economic prosperity.

One form of particle pollution is diesel emissions — these contain over 40 toxic air contaminants, carcinogens, ozone smog-forming compounds, and fine particulate matter (“soot”). Exposure to fine particles is known to cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes, and even premature deaths. The lifetime cancer risk from diesel soot in our community exceeds the risk of all other air toxins tracked by the EPA combined. Diesel soot cancer risk in the Pittsburgh area is 124 times greater than EPA’s acceptable cancer level of 1 in a million — our risk is 1 in 8,064. Additionally, emergency room visits for children with asthma-like symptoms is 400% higher in Pittsburgh than other cities. Now, imagine you have a company looking to start-up or relocate your business. How likely would you be to choose a city with the third highest short-term particle pollution? How likely would you be to want to move your family to a city with record levels of asthma-like symptoms for kids?

Again, a challenge needed to be met. An EPA study showed that the construction sector creates between 32% and 37% of all mobile source emissions. Moreover, when construction vehicles are used in publicly-funded projects, we are paying for them — with our tax dollars — to pollute our air. Hence, the Clean Air Act.

The Clean Air Act is our city’s first clean-air bill since the era of late Mayor David Lawrence. A year in the making, it requires contractors working on publicly-funded construction projects budgeted at $2,500,000 or more in the City of Pittsburgh to use cleaner diesel fuel and to have pollution controls on their vehicles and equipment. It’s estimated that this will reduce the soot from heavy equipment by 85% or more (vehicles and equipment used on public construction will, of course, also end up being used on privately-funded projects).

The prime sponsor of the Clean Air Act is Councilman Bill Peduto. Initial co-sponsors on Pittsburgh City Council included Bruce Kraus, Doug Shields and Natalia Rudiak, and were later joined by Darlene Harris and Theresa Smith. The Clean Air Act was passed unanimously by City Council on Tuesday, July 12th. But, just as in Lawrence’s time, legislation like this required a coalition of support and this one included labor, business, environmental, faith, advocacy and community groups — 42 in total.

The list of supporters includes: Pittsburgh UNITED (comprised of ACTION United, Clean Water Action, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Hill District Consensus Group, Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, Pittsburgh Branch NAACP, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, SEIU, Sierra Club, and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23, Ironworkers Local 3, Just Harvest, United Steelworkers); GTECH; 9Mile Run Watershed Association; Sustainable Pittsburgh; One Hill Coalition; PennEnvironment; Urban Green Growth Collaborative; RePower America; Turtle Creek Watershed; Blue Green Alliance; United Jewish Federation Environmental Committee; Three Rivers Wet Weather; American Rivers; Bioneers; Northside Common Ministries; 3 Rivers Water Keeper; Pink Coat Communications; CHEC; Friend’s Meeting House; Workers United; Women for a Healthy Environment; Penn Future; Women and Girls Foundation; One Pittsburgh; Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania; Bike Pittsburgh; Conservation Consultants, Inc.; Royal Tribe Music; Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition; Small World One Daycare Center.

You can view the Clean Air Act here and the companion “10 Year Clean Diesel Policy” Resolution here.

Congratulations and thanks to all the supporters. And, congratulations to the residents of the City of Pittsburgh who will reap the benefits of cleaner air!

End of the Day, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from t3knomanser’s photostream

EMS, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0)image from bulliver’s photostream

Medical issues can easily morph into legal issues. What can I do if coverage is denied by my insurance company? How long do I have to report an injury and have it still be covered under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act? Where can I register a serious complaint against a hospital that treated me?

It’s hard enough to deal with your own illness or that of a family member without the added frustration and stress of trying to navigate a maze of insurance policy fine print, or ever changing state and federal healthcare regulations. The Allegheny County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division wants to help you to know your rights and what services are available to you so that you can make informed healthcare decisions. To that end, they’ve created The Legal Guide for Families in Medical Crisis. The website covers a myriad of issues in the following categories:

Healthcare providers

Decision-making

Paying for medical care

My job and my family

Legal issues

Preparing for terminal outcomes

Love and support (support groups)

Much in the guide is specific to Allegheny County. It’s the project of 16 young attorneys with specialties ranging from insurance law to family law. It’s a great first stop both to find answers to your current legal questions as well as to know what you should plan for in advance to ensure that your wishes are carried out. Additionally, there’s a glossary to help, for example, tell an ADS from a LTAC. (adult day service vs. long term acute care hospital). They’ve also created two .PDF files that contain all the information available on the website for easy downloading and printing (here and here).

Generation Gap, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from xflickrx’s photostream

We often hear that Pittsburgh has a relatively high population of elderly residents. However, the latest census data showed a drop in the city’s median age — bucking a longtime trend. How does our area really compare to the rest of the nation? The Brookings Institution’s State of Metropolitan America is an ongoing effort by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program to chronicle the demographic shifts transforming America’s metropolitan areas and to discusses what these trends imply in terms of public policy. The report has a section devoted to the age of the population. Some key findings from that report can be found here. They note vastly different trends around the country in what they call ‘The Uneven Aging and “Younging” of America.’ Some of their findings may surprise you.

While it’s not surprising that Baby Boomers account for an overall nationwide growth spurt of those in the 45 and older category, the areas of the country — including Pittsburgh — which have the highest concentration of elderly residents are not the areas which are experiencing the most rapid growth of seniors. This is in part due to the phenomenon of “aging in place.” In other words, people who flocked to the Sun Belt from the Snow Belt/Rust Belt for jobs in the last couple of decades have remained there and are now aging there. Whereas, cities like Pittsburgh — which lost population over the years — do not have a large percentage of people now crossing over into their senior years. (We do, however, have an increase in residents who are 85+).

The State of Metropolitan America looks at trends in areas other than age. The report includes breakdowns on the following demographics: population and migration, race and ethnicity, immigration, households and families, educational attainment, work, income and poverty, and commuting. You can read the full report here. Additionally, you can see a breakdown specifically for Pittsburgh on all of the above key indicators here.