cityLIVE!

24 May 2010

29 June 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

We live in a region defined by our rivers. Our region has plentiful water supplies — a tremendous economic and quality of life asset — but significant water quality challenges.

Pittsburgh was selected as the North American host city by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to join World Environment Day 2010 and is hosting the WED conference, “Water Matters!”, on June 3. Participants from across the country will speak to the problems and possibilities of water in our region – its impact on health, energy and the economy.

The June 29 cityLIVE! event will reflect upon the results of the conference, discuss what we’ve learned and how we can protect and embrace our most valuable resource – water.

Our panelists are Jeanne VanBriesen, director of the Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems at CMU, Janie French, director of Green Infrastructure Programs at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and John Schombert, executive director of 3 Rivers Wet Weather. Moderating is Pittsburgh City Councilman, Patrick Dowd.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

19 April 2010
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17 May 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Many buildings of the Modern Movement have already been saved; the icons amongst these have even become so precious that they are treated like pieces of art rather than as buildings in everyday use. Can we craft such a future for the Civic Arena? Can the social, political and cultural baggage that comes with it be set aside? Who should decide on whether the igloo survives or not?

Our distinguished panel will be moderated by Evan Stoddard, Associate Dean of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts at Duquense University.  Panelists include Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Historic Hill Institute; Christine Madrid French, Director of the Modernism + Recent Past Initiative with the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Larry Glasco, an expert in the history of Black Pittsburgh and Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh and Rob Pfaffmann, AIA, AICP, architect  and planner whose proposals for the reuse of the Civic Arena received an AIA design award last fall.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

12 April 2010
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27 April 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

How can we take control and make sure our environment is healthy and pure? How can we turn the tide and reclaim our air, water and land? Who is working to make this happen in Pittsburgh?

Three Pittsburghers will share stories of their efforts to make a cleaner environment for all of us. Our panelists are Meredith Grellis, cofounder and director of ‘Burgh Bees; Tom Hoffman, the Western PA director for Clean Water Action and Ned Mulcahy, the founder of Three Rivers Waterkeeper. Discussion will be moderated by Khari Mosley, Director of Green Economy Initiatives at G-TECH.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

22 February 2010
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16 March 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

One Moderator, Five Panelists, More Soapbox Ranters than you can count on two hands, and you!

Soapbox Rant, cityLIVE!’s March event, will be held on the 16th of the month, at our usual place, the New Hazlett, and our usual time of 6:30 pm. But rest assured, there’ll be nothing usual about the event.

You’ll hear passionate perspectives, pet peeves and inner fury about immigration, city finances, smoking, free markets, customer service, trash on the street and much more.   Jim Denova, Benedum Foundation, will moderate the crowd.  Panelists include Tracy Certo, Pop City, Selena Schmidt, Power of 32 and three Coro Civic Leadership Fellows – Zachary Morris, Lena Andrews and De’Sean Woods.

90 quick seconds for each rant, big or small, spicy or tame. You’ll have to make the most of it.

Tune in now, or forever hold your peace.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

14 February 2010

23 February 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

The Pittsburgh region has been a leader in the “green” building wave.  With innovative thinkers in our ranks and technological advances happening in our midst, we are poised to remain in the lead.  Will our progress come solely from within the region, or are there advances happening elsewhere that we can learn from?  Will there be economic benefits?  Is the biggest “green” bang for our buck only for new buildings, or can larger efficiencies be made in older buildings?

Our speakers will discuss the latest advances in the green building movement, what we can expect in the future and what we can learn from innovation elsewhere.

Anne Swager, Executive Director of AIA Pittsburgh will moderate.  Speakers include former Ambassador Charles Ries, who is a Senior Fellow in the RAND, Washington, DC office, Maureen Guttman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Green Government Council, and Francisco Escalante, VP of Development at Rugby Realty.  Amb. Ries has written about energy performance of buildings and what can be learned from the UK and Austrialia.  Ms. Guttman, who sits on the International Construction Code panel, will discuss the national movement to implement green construction codes and what that means for Pennsylvania and area businesses.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

12 January 2010

12 January 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Pop Culture and the the city of Pittsburgh – what we are watching, reading and listening to – both good and bad. We will discuss television, movies, printed material, the internet and music, and how it goes from a niche phenomenon to a full-on pop-cultural extravaganza. How have these influences changed Pittsburgh and the region, our population and our perception of ourselves in the larger world – both positive and negative, and is any of it within our control?

Our panel includes Pablo Garcia, from the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon; Emmai Alaquiva, of Ya Momz House; and Kathy Savitt, of Lockerz … we will be moderated by Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist and president of the ToonSeum.

Cocktails and conversation to follow. Show your love!

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

17 November 2009

09 December 2009 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

announcement-23Back by popular demand! 10 more opinionated souls give us their most brilliant ideas for change.  From the reasonable to the audacious.

Give us 30 minutes and we’ll change the way you see the city. Each person gets three minutes to offer up an idea without any restrictions. Forget feasibility, funding or anything as ridiculous as consensus-building. We asked for ‘thought-provoking’ and ‘outside the box’ concepts that examine change and how we approach it.

We have Susan Everingham, director of the RAND office in Pittsburgh; Scott-Faber, a developmental pediatrician at the Children’s Institute; Raymar Hampshire of sponsorchange (.org); Sean Jones of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra; Alexi Morrissey, a poet; Priya Narasimhan from Carnegie Mellon’s Mobility Center; LaVerne Baker Hotep from the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime;  Hilary Robinson, dean at the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon; Jon Rubin, artist, and the man behind The Waffle Shop; and Janera Solomon, executive director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

And back to moderate this year is Chris Potter, renowned editor of the City Paper.

Audience participation is a must. Show your love.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

17 October 2009

04 November 2009 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

announcement-22bCity County consolidation is a big, top down idea. We’ve worked on it locally for years now and are told there are many valuable efficiencies to gain from such a consolidation.

In the meantime, while we are waiting, are there ways to streamline government services from the bottom up? Should we wait for the big prize, or should we be chipping away at consolidating smaller chunks that may eventually add up to the big prize?

Our panel of experts will present and discuss their ideas for effectively streamlining government services today. They include Kathleen McKenzie, deputy county manager for Allegheny County; Moe Coleman, professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and of Urban Studies; Sala Udin, president and CEO of Coro Center for Civic Leadership; and moderating will be Laura Ellsworth, partner at Jones Day.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

23 September 2009

07 October 2009 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

announcement-21Welcome to the third season of cityLIVE!

Join us at our first event as we examine how to brand (or not brand) Pittsburgh.

The eyes of the world are on Pittsburgh right now. Not only has the G-20 Summit drawn world leaders and thousands of reporters, but over the last year Pittsburgh has been constantly in the “good” news.

How is it then that the response to our selection as the location of the G-20 Summit has been a resounding “Why Pittsburgh?” David Francis reported (for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that some people in Europe have “expressed concern that world leaders might not be safe in such a place.”

What must we do to shake an image that no longer fits our city?

Our moderator and panelists will engage in a feisty discussion on branding (or unbranding) our city. Panelists include Madhu Malhan, vice president and director of creative branding for Publicis, USA; Gloria Blint, president and CEO of Red House Communications; and Charlie Humphrey, executive director of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

Moderating will be Brian Bronaugh, president and executive creative director of Mullen-Pittsburgh.

Bring a friend and you’ll get a drink free! Show your love!

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

17 June 2009

17 June 2009 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

announcement_20How does YOUR environment impact YOUR health? What is more important – the products you use every day, or the effects of your outdoor surroundings?

We’ll review a typical day of two of our favorite citizens and 1. unveil the kinds of things they are exposed to every day – in their daily habits, their home and their neighborhood, 2. learn about the impact our world has on US, and 3. give suggestions for changes you can make that will impact YOUR health.

Panelists are Jane Houlihan, from the Environmental Working Group, ands Amanda Parks, co-owner of Equita. Our case studies are Justin Strong, co-founder of the Shadow Lounge + AVA, and Heather Arnet, executive director of the Women and Girls Foundation. Our moderator is Josh Knauer of Rhiza Labs.

Cocktails and conversation to follow. Join us!

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

A FEW LINKS TO RESOURCES:   the environmental working group (EWG) site; cosmetic safety database (EWG);  a shoppers guide to pesticides;  a comprehensive list of toxic substances