Is Pittsburgh Ready for the New Economy?

Posted by Bill on Thursday, December 10, 2009

postThe Christian Science Monitor recently wrote about five cities that will rise in the new economy. What were the critical factors? Green Innovation, Healthcare and Export Industries, Clean Energy, Education and Technology.

Pittsburgh has the pieces to this puzzle, but are we setting our sails toward a 21st century economy or are we trying to hang on to our 19th century past? The decisions we make today we determine whether we will compete or fail in a 21st century new, global economy.

The article names Boston, Fort Collins, Houston, Huntsville and Seattle as the top 5 cities that will rise in the New Economy.

Read the article to learn more.

2 Comments

  1. Hey Bill,
    I am struck by the absence of any focus on addressing the innovation and sustainability of social relations in these five cities. It is possible to have a community with Green Innovation, Healthcare and Export Industries, Clean Energy, Education and Technology that is riven with social conflict, social inequities, limited social participation, social exclusion etc etc.
    The point of economic development should be to improve the lives of all in the community- to lift all boats, to help all of us develop and use our capabilities and capacities to the greatest extent. If that isnt made explicit, it wont happen. We have shown that time and time again.
    Maybe Pittsburgh could distinguish itself by pursuing the economic development elements above with an explicit focus on social inclusion..

    Ken

    Comment by ken thompson — December 11, 2009 @ 7:58 PM

  2. Hey Bill, I would certainly echo the points Ken made, but also I would ask what the practical policy implications are here? I watched the OnQ you participated in with Council persons Burgess and Kali-Smith, as well as a student whose name I did not catch and the President Barazzone. It appears the city government is literally making enemies of our local colleges and universities.

    I am guessing you know or can lay your hands on good estimates of how many college/university students there are in the City limits (including graduate students). I’ll bet you can get good estimates on how the bed occupancy for UPMC’s city hospitals and how many subscribers UPMC health insurance and Highmark have. So you should be able to come up with a dollar number for a $52 per year fee for college/university students (excluding CCAC), a $10 per occupied bed per night fee for UPMC and a $10 per subscriber per year fee for UPMC health insurance and Highmark. This would be a matter of asking everyone to pay a little, or a little more. If this wouldn’t raise enough money, lets say $20 for the health-related charges.

    So what would those number yield in revenue? If it is significant, would you be willing to suggest them for the budget?

    Comment by Ed Heath — December 18, 2009 @ 11:36 AM

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