Tag Archives: GLUE

Meet Your New Mayor – Bill Peduto’s Excellent Adventure @ Manor Theater – Mon. 11/11

English: Flag of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ima...

English: Flag of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Image created by uploader based on and image at the North American Vexillological Association web site and other images on the web. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Tuesday, we went to the ballot box and Bill Peduto was ellected to be the next mayor of Pittsburgh.  One of the reasons why I think Peduto is a great choice for Pittsburgh is the amount of time he spends studying other cities .

I  have personally had the opportunity to learn about cities that are similar to Pittsburgh through GLUE (the Great Lakes Urban Exchange).  GLUE was founded by a Pittsburgh native and a Detroit native with the purpose of bringing together folks from rust-belt cities, cities that are all struggling with similar post-industrial revolution problems.  I’ve attended GLUE conferences in Buffalo, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh and had the opportunity to learn about how other cities are tackling problems that Pittsburgh is also trying to deal with.  [Some of the GLUE supporters continue to share articles and ideas on the GLUE Facebook page here.  We are working to put together a future GLUE conference – keep an eye on the GLUE Facebook page for details]. Continue reading →

Writing about the Rust Belt – GLUE and Rustbelt Almanac

I’ve got two great projects to share with you, both are related to sharing stories about rustbelt cities including Pittsburgh.

If you have been a regular reader of IheartPGH over the years, you have probably read a few of our posts about GLUE.  GLUE stands for Great Lakes Urban Exchange – a project that was started by a Pittsburgher and a Detroiter (is there a Detroit equivalent to the word Pittsburgher?).  I’ve been fortunate to attend many of the GLUE conferences, the most recent conference was held in September 2011 here in Pittsburgh.  Through GLUE I have had the chance to meet my blogging counterparts from other rust belt cities.  Some of my fellow GLUE friends have been discussing another GLUE conference for this fall.  We’ve also launched the GLUE Tumblr blog – which is open for submission.  If you have a story, link, photos or video that you would like to share with fellow city lovers please submit here – http://gluespace.tumblr.com/submit

Speaking of story sharing.  Meet Rustbelt Almanac – a new magazinge that will be launching very soon with a first issue about Pittsburgh.  Congrats to the Rustbelt Almanac team on not only meeting but beating their fundraising goal.  Check out the video below.  (There is one more day to contribute – you can still donate to the Rustbelt Almanac kickstarter campaign here.)

Related articles

12+ Super Events to Check Out in September

Here are 12 events, actually more than 12 events as some of these listings are for multiple activites.  Lots of great ways to check out Pittsburgh and get involved.  What are you most looking forward to this September?  Are there other events we missed?  Please let us know in the comments!

cityLAB 6% Place Community Meeting – Wednesday, September 7, 2011

  • 6-7:30pm @ St. Lawrence O’Toole Activity Center on 140 N. Atlantic Avenue in Garfield
  • learn about the 6% place project – Six percent is the number, the tipping point. If a neighborhood can get that many creative workers, it becomes an attraction in its own right, according to a study by CEOs for Cities.  We’re experimenting with this idea in a Pittsburgh neighborhood.  Our blueprint for a Special Impact Zone will focus on how to make this neighborhood such a Six Percent Place.
  • RSVP here

Pittsburgh Food Bank BlogMob – Thursday, September 8

  • What would happen if a mob of Pittsburgh’s top bloggers swarmed the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank one evening? Find out on September 8, 2011 when we honor Hunger Action Month with Pittsburgh’s first #blogmob event.
  • Open to bloggers and anyone else who is interested in learning about the Pittsburgh food bank
  • 5:30pm @ The Pittsburgh Food Bank, 1 N Linden St, Duquesne, PA

Steel City Big Pour – Saturday, September 10, 2011

  • the 2011 Steel City Big Pour is SOLD OUT
  • Check out this huge list of Steel City Big Pour weeks events – tastings, bar crawls and more.

The 2011 Biodiversity Festival – Saturday, September 10, 2011

  • Brought to you by the Sprout Fund & Pittsburgh Foundation
  • Noon-3pm outside of the Carnegie Library in Oakland
  • a fun afternoon of music, activities, and games presented by The Sprout Fund, Spring projects, and other organizations working to support and enhance biodiversity in Southwestern Pennsylvania
  • RSVP on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202596489802791

Mexican War Streets House & Garden Tour – Sunday, September 11, 2011

Attack Theater Happy Hour – Tuesday, September 13, 2011

  • Join Attack Theater and its loyal supporters, friends and family for an informal happy hour celebrating the end of the summer and the start of an exciting season. Spend your final warm days on Mario’s beautiful outdoor deck, enjoy drink specials all evening long, and the food is on us.
  • Mario’s East Side Saloon, 5442 Walnut Street, Shadyside
  • 5:30pm – 7:30pm
  • $20 admission (all proceeds benefit Attack Theatre)
  • Facebook Event Page

GLUE Conference – September 15-17, 2011

  • GLUE = Great Lakes Urban Exchange
  • Annual GLUE conference attracts city and neighborhood lovers from 16 rust belt cities
  • tour and learn about non profits and businesses that thriving in Pittsburgh
  • talk with other from Pittsburgh and beyond about how we can transform and improve our neighborhoods.

PASA SW PA Farm Tour – Saturday, September 17, 2011

  • September is Local Foods Month
  • PASA – PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture
  • Tour local farms in SW PA from 1-5pm
  • Tickets are available here.

Mr. Baconpants Presents Bacon Bash 2011 – September 17, 2011

  • bacon, bacon and more bacon
  • at the Harris Grill
  • Ticket Includes: admission to the event, several bacon appetizers and small plates prepared by Harris Grill, one beverage ticket (draft beer or frozen cosmopolitan), optional entry in the bacon eating contest, and more.

Podcamp Pittsburgh – September 17 & 18, 2011

  • Free unconference open to everyone to learn about blogging, podcasting and social media
  • PodCamp Pittsburgh 6 will be at Point Park University

Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days – September 24 & 25, 2011

  • Italian food and music – fun for your big fat Italian family in Bloomfield
  • Complete with all the bocce, cannoli and Peroni you can possibly play, eat and drink, the lively three-day festival culminates with a spectacular and dazzling Madonna della Civita procession along Bloomfield’s Liberty Avenue commercial district.
  • Don’t miss the Flea Market at Shepard Wellness Community Center (located in the Church at 4800 Scotia St.)

Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District – September 30, 2011

  • 5-9pm
  • over 23 venues to check out
  • free admission to all events
  • Presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Department of Education and Community Engagement

Register for the 4th Annual GLUE Conference!

First things first, we are not talking about rubber cement or Elmer’s glue – GLUE is about cities, neighborhoods and people. If you are a new reader or new to GLUE ..

GLUE is short for the Great Lakes Urban Exchange.  GLUE is an organization that was founded by a Pittsburgh native and a Detroit native to bring greater awareness to and to share ideas among 16 cities in the Great Lakes watershed areas.

I have had the opportunity to spend time with both of the founders of GLUE and in many ways GLUE is like IheartPGH for a larger geographical area.  But GLUE has done more than just blogging photos.  GLUE has built a community of people who are passionate about their cities across 16 cities.  I attended the 2nd GLUE conference in Milwaukee (the write up of my visit to Milwaukee is here) and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I left Milwaukee full of ideas, stories and with new friends who are as excited about and advocating for their cities as we are about Pittsburgh.  One of the best things we can do is share stories and learn from other cities successes and occasional failures.

On Saturday, my journey from the Pacific to PGH included a stop in St. Louis.  I had the good fortune to stop by and check out the STL Style House.  STL Style is a pro-St. Louis t-shirt and gift shop run by Jeff and Randy Vines.  They are the St. Louis equivalent of IheartPGH and then some.  Jeff and Randy were out at Lou Fest when I stopped by the shop, but we learned all about their successful Save The Saucer campaign where the rallied other residents to save a local landmark.

2011 = GLUE + PGH

GLUE comes to you!  No planes, trains or hotel rooms needed. September 15-17, 2011 Pittsburgh will host the 4th Annual GLUE conference.  The theme for this years conference is Green-Lighting Neighborhoods.

They have put together an amazing 48 hours of presentations, work shops and tours of Pittsburgh places.

Conference Details

GLUE’s 4th Annual Conference: Green-Lighting Neighborhoods
Thursday September 15 – Saturday September 17 (Click here for complete conference agenda)

  • Thursday – Tour of Pittsburgh, Keynote Addresses, Dinner and Reception
  • Friday – Workshops and Site Visits
  • Saturday – Workshops and Site Visits

Locations – The Kinglsey Center and other locations around Pittsburgh

Registrations and Conference Fees

Online Registration is here.

The costs to attend the conference is $100, a discounted rate of $60 is available for students, non-profits, low-income individuals.

The registration fee includes sessions, site visits, and some meals.

A note about the conference fee – I know that $100 and $60 is a lot to ask.  One of the most valuable parts of my experience in Milwaukee was talking with other people over meals and on the tours.  I know the organizers have worked very hard to make sure to provide that same scenario for Pittsburgh. Your registration fee includes meals and transportation and I strongly believe that is a valuable part of the experience.

If you would like to attend but cannot afford the conference fee – please email iheartpgh-at-gmail.com – IheartPGH wants to make sure that those who want to attend, can do so and we will try to work something out.

Is GLUE for You – Who should attend the 2011 GLUE conference?

The conference is open to anyone who wants to attend.  You do not have to be a blogger or community development professional.  Attendees come from all difference backgrounds.

Are you interested in any of the following…

  • meeting other people who are working to reviatlize their neighborhoods and cities
  • sharing stories and ideas for better communities
  • learning about best practices across the GLUE cities
  • learning more about how community development works
  • green development
  • transportation – transit, bike lanes, parking issues
  • meeting other people who <3 their city and neighborhoods
  • learning about Larimar
  • learning about development in East Liberty
  • blogging
  • meeting young leaders from Pittsburgh and other cities
  • running for office

Then the GLUE conference is for you!

Get stuck on GLUE

There are lots of ways you can get involved with GLUE – as part of the conference and beyond.

For the conference: Register to attend the conference here, Spread the word (Facebook Event for the conference is here) or Sponsor the conference.

Beyond the conference: follow GLUE on Twitter and Facebook.

Conference Poster

Links Worth a Look – May 19th

Here are some links/articles/blog posts that are worth a look:

  • Great Lakes Urban Exchange Conference 2010 – Urban Laboratories – Join other city lovers to share ideas and discuss issues. This years conference is in Cleveland – July 15-17, 2010. We were lucky enough to attend last years conference in Milwaukee and would highly recommend this to anyone interested in urban issues of mid-west cities
  • Coffee, record and comic book shops to open all in one building in Polish Hill – More great reasons to love Polish Hill. 3 story building in Polish Hill will have a coffee shop, record shop and independent book store.
  • Miller Gallery now has an online Store – The Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University has just launched an online store. Through the magic of the internet you can now purchase past catalogs, books, post cards, t-shirts and other items from exhibits at the gallery. Check out the Yes Men activity book – and if you haven't seen the movie The Yes Men – add that to your cart too. There are a number of books here that I am adding to my reading list.

Follow IheartPGH on Twitter – we share more links there almost daily!