Some have said the only future for the Civic Arena is to demolish it, but are there other options?

Many believe that the Civic Arena could be preserved as an iconic piece of the City of Pittsburgh skyline.  A recent CNN story documents how the City of Austin preserved the historic Palmer Auditorium.  Instead of demolishing the building, the City instead chose to “remodel” and transform it into a state of the art new structure,reusing as many pieces as possible.  In the end, 45 million pounds of debris were recycled and reused in the new building.

Watch the CNN Video

In 2005 Pittsburgh Architect David Julian Roth proposed a green alternative to the demolition of the Civic Arena.  See Roth’s plan here.  Another local architect, Rob Pfaffmann, has proposed a plan entitled “A Civic Renewal.” These proposals are just two examples of the possibilities for the Arena outside of demolition.

To learn more, or to get involved, join the Facebook group Reuse the Igloo.

A recent Next American City article highlights the trend of cities around the country that have begun to utilize free online web applications in order to more easily connect with their residents.

Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular methods of communication between local government and the community.  In addition to an official website, many cities are creating blogs through free websites such as Wordpress and Blogger, and City Council and committee meetings are increasingly appearing online through websites like YouTube.  The increase in access to the activities of city government creates a positive trend towards more accountability and transparency in local government.

Last year, the City of Pittsburgh and Yinzcam released the innovative iPhone application iBurgh for City of Pittsburgh residents, allowing them to quickly photograph and report problems to the City’s 311 service.  Pittsburgh also has begun to broadcast City Council meetings online through the City of Pittsburgh website.

Read more about free web applications for cities in the New American City article.

This Thursday, April 15, the Guyasuta Fellowship Program will be holding a panel discussion for the 10 year anniversary of the Fifth/Forbes development program.

Panel speakers will include Rob Stephany (Executive Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh), Bernie Lynch and Pat Clark (Fifth/Forbes Community activists) and Chris Potter (Editor of the Pittsburgh City Paper).

10 Years After – The Lessons of Fifth/Forbes
Piatt Place, 301 Fifth Avenue, Room 3023
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Please RSVP by calling (412) 361-1111

This community discussion is free and open to the public.  For more information, read the press release.

The Post Gazette’s Tim McNulty’s report can be found here.  Tim wanes nostalgic for the old days in City Hall when he covered this story a decade ago.

Learn more about the Guyasuta Fellowship and Thursday’s 10 year anniversary session here.

On Friday, May 21st, the Regional Green Economy Task Force will host the Green Pathways to Prosperity Summit in Pittsburgh.

This summit will bring together government officials, clergy, organizational leaders, business leaders and community advocates who represent traditionally disadvantaged constituencies for a day of discussion on how Pittsburgh can attain the goal of a socially just, economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable future.  Key topics of the summit will include climate change, environmental justice, emerging industries, and public policy.

The goals of the Green Pathways to Prosperity summit are to both contribute to a more informed group of community leaders, and to also inspire collaboration between those in attendance.  For more information on this summit, contact Khari Mosley at k.mosley@gtechstrategies.org.