August Wilson African American Center in big trouble (Mexico: rich, pay)

[BrianTH]

By the way, there are two very different dynamics behind the statistics I am noting.

Part of it is just that an older, lower-income, population left over from the steel era is gradually passing away or moving to retirement communities, and being replaced by a younger, better-educated, higher-income population.

But part of it is also that the suburban share of the the regional lower-income population is increasing. Some of that is inevitable as the City redevelops, but to the extent possible we should be trying to help more lower-income people in the City improve their financial situation as the City redevelops (which can be done through increased employment participation, increased home ownership, increased business ownership, and so on).

From a broader perspective, some amount of dispersing the regional lower-income population to the suburbs may be a good thing, because concentrated poverty is self-reinforcing. On the other hand, some of the suburban municipalities and school districts may not have the resources or expertise they need to deal adequately with these changes. In a worst case scenario, you could get a repeat of some of the negative feedback cycles that drove down once-thriving City neighborhoods.

So these shifts are not all bad, but they represent some challenges for the region. And unfortunately, I am concerned that our highly fractured system of governments and schools is going to make meeting those challenges more difficult than they should be.

[BrianTH]

As for public investments--they haven't all been winners, but lately things have gone pretty well. We're building a truly amazing system of parks and trails, particularly along the riverfronts. The Market Square area is taking off. Various URA residential projects around the City have been a success, including 151 First Side in Downtown, Crawford Square in the Lower Hill, Washington's Landing, Summerset at Frick Park (on a former slag heap), and South Side Works (on an industrial brownfield). The PTC is now almost fully built out. Reconfiguring East Liberty is attracting lots of private investment. And so on.

Of course a lot of this is just moving with the tide--it is much easier for public projects to look like a success when the local economy is improving, and the local population is getting younger, better-educated, and wealthier. Still, I think we are starting to incorporate some "best practices" learned through experience, both here and in other cities, and so our public projects are increasingly better conceived and better executed.

[john7104]

Originally Posted by jtpgh

Regarding the total waste of money ... how could the money have been better spent?

Simple. Reduce taxes and let tax paying citizens keep their money.

[sr1234]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

Living in Ligonier would be boring... sports, concerts, etc are in the city. Except for the polo matches, I guess.

Boring? It is no longer necessary to be in Pittsburgh for sports, concerts, etc. Sporting events are better watched with a group of people which can be done from any restaurant/bar. You don't have to worry about the insane prices, crowds, weather, parking, bathrooms, etc. The outlying counties also have very strong and active music, art, and theater scenes. The best shopping is found outside of the city. Pittsburgh also comes in last place to any outdoor activities that can be found in Westmoreland, Somerset, and Cambria.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by sr1234

Regional Insights: High black poverty a shame
Sunday, July 04, 2010
By Harold D. Miller/Post-Gazette

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Pittsburgh region has the highest rate of poverty among working-age African-Americans of any of the 40 largest metropolitan regions in the country...

as if no one else had experienced doing without.

there are not exactly tons of lucrative employment opportunities in the pittsburgh area. but given that we are free to make choices, a 2 parent, 2 income family exercising financial and personal discipline CAN, over some time, improve their situation. im sick of this whining.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by sr1234

Boring? It is no longer necessary to be in Pittsburgh for sports, concerts, etc. Sporting events are better watched with a group of people which can be done from any restaurant/bar. You don't have to worry about the insane prices, crowds, weather, parking, bathrooms, etc. The outlying counties also have very strong and active music, art, and theater scenes.

Well, we will have to agree to disagree.

Yes, "Sporting events are better watched with a group of people"... but we prefer being at the arenas with said people instead of a bar.
The exception is Steeler games... we watch those at home or in friends' homes.

Yes, "The outlying counties also have very strong and active music, art, and theater scenes. "... but they do not compare to what we can experience in Pittsburgh.
We have season tickets to both the Westmoreland and Pittsburgh symphonies. While the Westmoreland is good and very enjoyable, it does NOT come close to the Pittsburgh.
Art - even at SAMA or WMAA - doesn't come close.
Theater - St Vincent's summer series is nice, but anything we have seen at the O'Reilly has been better.

We live in Westmoreland county... but we are in Pittsburgh plenty, for all the things there are to do there.

[kevin37]

The center wasn't built for just the A-A community. It was built for the public.

[kevin37]

What does this have to do with the August Wilson Cultural Center?

[Pitt Chick]

from its website:
"...the August Wilson Center for African American Culture engages regional and national audiences in its mission of preserving, presenting, interpreting, celebrating and shaping the art, culture and history of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania and people of African descent throughout the world."

[Pitts10yrs]

I guess that doest not include me, despite I helped pay for it.