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.