Pittsburgh - a "Slicker City"?
". . . communities must go beyond tax breaks, cheap land, and convention centers. Successful ones are . . . amassing war chests to subsidize training, R&D projects, and even startup capital. Local agencies are breaking down silos among universities, corporations, and cities across entire regions to collaborate on development." BusinessWeek Aug. 21, 2006As I read this article entitled "Slicker Cities" I was amazed at how closely Pittsburgh aligns with all the cities mentioned. However, we either don't see it, or, probably more to the point, don't believe it.
BELIEVE IT PEOPLE! Repeat after me, "Pittsburgh is a GREAT city, with lots to offer EVERYONE from EVERYWHERE!" Please take a few minutes to read this article and let me know how YOU feel about our home town. From my vantage point the ONLY thing we need is an attitude adjustment. We have to "accentuate the positive" instead of belittling our city.
Let's get the bandwagon rolling! Let everybody know how you feel about Pittsburgh. Oh, and don't forget to invite whomever you're speaking with to join us - let them know we would LOVE to share this fantastic place with them!
posted by HELP @ 8:13 PM
2 Comments:
Man, I could not agree more! I'm a Pittsburgh ex-pat living in Miami. Several of my friends here are from the 'Burgh, and we often find ourselves in discussions about how we only realized how cool Pittsburgh was after we left. I think there are several big challenges that Pittsburgh faces - not the least of which is that immigrants, gay folks and young people don't feel particularly welcome there. But, really the biggest challenge, in my opinion, is to lead the people of Pittsburgh to believe in their wonderful and unique city.
Cyrus,
What a coincidence! Both of my sons live in Miami area - one is happy there, while the other would rather be back in the 'burgh. I lived in LA for 11 years, so I have the perspective of "seeing it from afar."
HELP is working to get the people here to let go of the lingering depression from the economic collapse of the '80's. One of the points we make to people is that Pittsburgh is such a great city BECAUSE of entrepreneurs. Around 1900 Pittsburgh was Silicon Valley. We were churning out successful entrepreneurs, new major corporations and establishing wealth that drives our city to this day.
We also inform people that the way to make our city more vibrant is to openly encourage entrepreneurs. Having successful startups provides the challenging and rewarding jobs young people want. This in turn will create more night life and cultural activities in response to the discretionary income these young people want to spend!
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