Insights and Ideas for the Hill District

Background on the Hill District

The Hill District, one of ninety neighborhoods, is on the cusp of a major transition. While residents welcome the opportunities that come from increased investment in the area, they are worried about being pushed out. They have reason to worry. In the 1960s, to make way for development of a new civic area, developers bulldozed the business district that had been the core of the Hill District community, and 8000 residents and 400 businesses were displaced.

In a public meeting concerning the Lower Hill development in the late 1950s, one official noted that “Approximately 90 percent of the buildings in the area [lower Hill] are sub-standard, and have long outlived their usefulness, and so there would be no social loss if these were all destroyed.”As developers are eying the Hill District once again, the community is striving to ensure that longtime Hill residents are part of the renaissance rather than becoming victims of it.

Approach for Our Project

We aim to enable the Hill District community members to share their stories to encourage richer dialogue about the neighborhood’s past and future, between residents and non-residents. We hope that it can help not only map history, but also help map the future of the Hill District.

Research and Design Process

Final Concept

A place-based story and information database, the content of which is collected from policy and community sources, aggregated, and then accessed via a centralized website, as well as provocations in the world that both supplement the site and publicize it.

Intracommunity Storytelling

Empower the community to collect, share and understand one another’s stories in order to help strengthen their existing network.

 

Design Principle

Afford use by young and old, easily accessible. Allow people to both contribute stories and ideas, and see and interact with those of others. Create a collection of stories that will outlive the individuals who carry them now.

Policy Priniciple

Mayor-elect Bill Peduto has published several policy papers highlighting the importance of bringing communities together around a table to discuss common challenges in their neighborhoods. The creation of this repository will work towards this important goal. It is important for communities to create strong relationships within themselves, which can lead to greater familiarity, lower crime, and a larger support network. This tool will create stronger internal communities which will require less outside assistance, which is a positive result of this policy.

Community Advocacy

Inform discussions with policymakers and development groups in order to enable a shared vision of the future.

Design Principle

Collecting disparate stories and information, now only available by getting to know residents overtime, to help make information more accessible and easier to aggregate.

Policy Principle

Better mapping of history and priorities can help the community advocate better for themselves. Better mapping of history and priorities can help development groups avoid stepping on toes unnecessarily, and know where they need to do additional community outreach work before moving forward.

Nonresident Interaction

Encourage non-residents to look beyond their preconceptions and understand how the Hill’s rich history informs the complexities of the present, as well as the community’s hopes and fears for the future.

Design Principle

Share the authentic voice and history of the Hill District to help non-residents empathize with the frustrations and heartbreak in its past. Provide non-residents with opportunities to explore the Hill District both virtually and in-place.

Policy Principle

The more non-residents understand the Hill District, the more they will care about what happens there, and more allies helps soft power of the Hill District community. Some non-residents may also be prospective future residents, if they know more about the Hill District they may be more likely to approach the move into the neighborhood respectfully.

Final Poster

Initial Research Findings through 10/29/2013

Our group employed a few preliminary research methods to narrow our scope on which Pittsburgh Neighborhood to focus our energies on for the semester. As noted in our project introduction, we hypothesized that there exists a Pittsburgh neighborhood where safety concerns prevent residents and/or non-residents from engaging with the community. We sought a neighborhood where perceived levels of danger were not in line with actual levels of crime in the area.

Surveys

Surveys are one of the quickest and most convenient ways to create quantitative data, so we used this method as a starting point for framing our project.

Paper Map Survey

We created a map form for citizens to denote their experiences with a number of neighborhoods in and around Pittsburgh:

• Downtown
• Hill District
• Lawrenceville
• Garfield
• Bloomfield
• Oakland
• Squirrel Hill
• Shadyside
• East Liberty
• Highland Park
• Lincoln-Larimer-Lemnington-Belmar
• Homewood
• Point Breeze
• Regent Square
• Wilkinsburg
• Homestead

We surveyed people in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, and Wilkinsburg and collected 17 responses. The results of people’s perceived levels of danger in neighborhoods can be visualized below, where brighter red regions are perceived as the less safe.

Online Survey

We also created an online survey that we then sent to our colleagues and peers. We collected information similar to our paper survey, but with a smaller range of neighborhoods in order to keep the form brief. We inquired about the following neighborhoods:

• Hill District
• Garfield
• Bloomfield
• Oakland
• Shadyside
• East Liberty
• Highland Park
• Homewood
• Hazelwood
• Wilkinsburg
• Homestead

This survey received 28 responses, and from these we translated people’s perceptions of safety in the regions to a map representation. Again, brighter red areas are perceived as more dangerous.

These surveys really helped to ground our group with a perspective on Pittsburgh neighborhoods that allowed us to narrow our focus for this project. Now we know the areas that people think are dangerous, we also need to know which areas are actually  dangerous.

Crime Reports

As the final step in our preliminary research, we collected data on high level crime rates in Pittsburgh neighborhoods during 2010 (unfortunately 2010 is the most current information available). The following graphs detail our findings, with neighborhoods highlighted that we identified in our surveys as being perceived as dangerous.

Major Crime Reports 2010 (Total)

Major Crime Reports 2010 (per 100 persons)

Findings and Insights

Our main take-aways from this initial research are that neighborhoods that people feel are safe are not always that safe, and neighborhoods that people feel are dangerous are not always that dangerous. Also, many regions that citizens identified as seeming the most dangerous are no more dangerous than some of the neighborhoods that were identified as being the most safe.

From this, we were able to focus our attention on neighborhoods with a high level of perceived danger and a moderate level of major crimes reported. We continued brainstorming and ultimately decided that the Hill District is a worthwhile neighborhood of focus, due to a few unique characteristics and features of the community.

Read more about our project’s focus and direction here.

Social Discrepancies in Well-Intentioned Organizations

As I’ve become more involved with community organizations and non-profits, I’ve also become aware of glaring flaws in their organizational structures. Specifically, the majority of these organizations are composed of white members. Okay, we’ve heard this before — it happens all the time in government and big business. But I guess I expected that in volunteer and low-paying positions like non-profits offer, the same hypocrisies wouldn’t occur.

I understand affirmative action is pretty controversial — but we all know diversity contributes to the balance, fairness, and richness of a group. While it may be irresponsible to place an unqualified person in a position with the sole purpose of adding color, the issue at hand is that by failing to include minority members, organizations are potentially sacrificing the opportunity to connect more deeply with the communities with which they work. An organization should represent the people it serves.

How can a group know what a community of people really want or need if they are not fully representative of the members in that community? Many organizations hold community meetings or conduct interviews or send out surveys. Those are all great efforts but they do not go far enough. At the end of the day, the ones making the decisions for a community can fall back on their own experiences, values, and priorities. Without the broader conversation and range of experience that diversity brings to the table, many organizations can fall short of their goals to contribute to a community.

How far does an organization need to go to adequately diversify  their group? Well, that depends on the people they serve. Ideally, if a community is composed of a 40% black population, a 10& Hispanic population, and a 50% white population, and the organization has ten members, then the group should have four black members, one Hispanic member, and five white members. This is a pretty cut and dry example, but community organizations should really aim to mimic the demographics of the neighborhoods they work in.

Race isn’t the only issue, of course. Gender, age, income, religion, and education should be considered along with various other factors in order to insure diversity within an organization. Again, this is the ideal scenario, but organizations should at least but aware and sensitive of their shortcomings in these areas so that they can work towards better connecting with community members.

So why aren’t community-based groups already diverse? It’s hard to believe that they’re simply unaware of issues regarding diversity. While many organizations work towards bringing diversity to a community. It’s ironic that they can’t accomplish that goal within their own group. Many of these organizations try to recruit diverse members, but I would argue that they aren’t trying hard enough, as is apparent in their lack of success.

Now I’ve been pretty harsh on community organizations and their leadership, but this extends to a larger societal issue. It happens everywhere, and there are plenty of reasons why. First of all, people naturally tend to surround themselves with people like themselves. It’s not good or right, but it happens. And not only will existing organization members more actively recruit members like themselves, but potential members, that do not perceive the existing group to be like themselves, will naturally be less likely to want to join. This isn’t good or right, but it happens, and society should be aware of this tendency so that we can prevent disparities like this from occurring. Next, many board positions require financial donations from their members in order to join. This will obviously prevent people with lower incomes, who potentially have all the necessary qualifications, from even applying. Unfortunately, income levels are also correlated with race, age, and education, so by requiring donations organizations are creating a disincentive for a large variety of people who may want to become members. Another reason for the lack of diversity in organizations is that there are few mentors available for minorities seeking leadership positions. Back to the concept that people surround themselves with similar people, those people who currently hold positions in organizations will often mentor less experienced members, but they tend to mentor people of the same gender and race as themselves. This obviously creates a cycle where organizational leaders are replaced by like-minded individuals from similar backgrounds, leaving little room for change and added diversity. Other barriers exist that are linked to deeper societal issues, like access to education and careers that would provide the appropriate experience and background for leadership roles in a community. Sometimes the problem is cultural, for instance, a role in a church group may be seen as more valuable than a role in a neighborhood organization or local government.

After speaking with a few people who serve as board members for local organizations, I have noticed a common complaint: people that could add to the diversity of their organizations, who are both qualified and interested in holding a position, are spread too thin. Those types of people are already serving on the boards of multiple organizations, and cannot take on additional responsibilities. Basically, organizations are all seeking and competing for the same pool of applicants.

Perhaps these organizations should radically shift their mindsets and reach out to people who are vastly different from themselves, not just in one dimension, but in every dimension. For these organizations to succeed in diversifying, their leaders must have a deeper level of understanding and awareness of the obstacles in place, within their own organizations and in society, that prevent different groups of people from participating. By recognizing the needs of different people within their own organization, they can better recognize the needs of different people in the communities they represent and serve.

For an article on this subject regarding non-profits in Chicago, see: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121103/ISSUE01/311039974/why-white-men-still-dominate-nonprofit-boards

by Alysia M. Finger

Angels’ Place Provides Social and Educational Support to Pittsburgh Parents

Pro-life advocates catch a lot of flak for shaming anyone who might consider abortion after an unplanned pregnancy, only to leave those who continue the pregnancy and their resulting children with no social or financial support afterwards.

The cycle of pro-life

Caring for a child is difficult and costly, and new parents may feel the need to sacrifice their educations in order to raise their children. Fortunately, organizations like Pittsburgh’s own Angels’ Place exist to combat the cycle of poverty that accompanies young, unplanned pregnancies. Available to single, low-income, parents, who are full-time students with children up to the age of five, Angels’ Place provides free-of-cost daycare and pre-school in so that parents are able to achieve their goals of secondary or post-secondary education.

Committed to the belief that every life is valuable, the mission of Angels’ Place, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is to provide single parents who are low-income, full-time students with the help needed to complete their education, so that they may secure satisfying employment, establish careers and become self-sufficient citizens. Through no-pay child care and family support programs that embody the best practices of education, family and child development, Angels’ Place provides a loving, nurturing, safe and healthy environment that every parent and child deserves.

-Angels’ Place Mission Statement

This non-profit organization not only offers childcare, but also provides counseling, support, tutoring, and career workshops for enrolled parents. Food and diapers are supplied at the centers, along with clothes and other necessities for families in need.  The list of valuable social aids afforded to participating families continues: “programs on parenting, nutrition, health, safety, finances, legal rights and other life skills.”

I first heard about Angels’ Place from a friend of mine at Carnegie Mellon University. Her six-year-old daughter attended from one-year- to five-years-old. Now that I have a ten-month-old daughter myself, I can truly appreciate the need for adequate childcare, especially as a full-time student. My boyfriend and I toured Angels’ Place in Swissvale a few weeks ago and were very impressed with their program. They strive to build nurturing relationships with the children and parents, and work to foster a community of support and understanding. I applaud this pro-life organization for taking a stand AND taking action.

http://www.angelsplacepgh.org/

by Alysia M. Finger