PQ Blog Central

Californiaburgh

By Jim Russell

By way of a brief follow-up on the Pittsburgh party at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, the website of the film "My Tale of Two Cities" is tracking all the coverage of the event here:

Wine Machines & Barden Gets B-

                                        The Week In Pittsburgh

By Jeffery Fraser

If the state Liquor Control Board has its way, you’ll be able to buy a merlot from a vending machine to go with that package cheese crackers. And casino developer Don Barden might need a drink after Standard & Poor’s slapped his North Shore Majestic Star casino with lowly B minus rating last week.

Diaspora Difference

By Jim Russell

Pittsburgh needs a comprehensive human capital strategy. Part of the talent management scheme should include a formal relationship with the Burgh Diaspora. There are two types of diaspora networking: Brain circulation and long distance relationships. Pittsburgh could choose to follow both courses of action, but that would depend on the motivations of the expatriates. Consider the differences between the Irish and Scottish Diasporas:

2008 Steelers Schedule

By Jim Russell

From the perspective of Steelers Nation, the 2008 schedule is all about the away games. You can bank on a strong showing of Terrible Towels every year at Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore. The myth is that fans from Pittsburgh are making the journey to the divisional games and filling the stadium of the opposition. While some Pittsburghers do travel, the strong showing on the road is mostly the result of the ubiquitous Burgh Diaspora.

Big Dig Slows, Bats Sue & A Haunting

                                        The Week In Pittsburgh

By Jeffery Fraser

The latest bids for Pittsburgh’s big dig sent Port Authority officials reeling with sticker shock last week and a gummed-up boring machine shut down construction of the light-rail tunnel underneath the Allegheny River. Tiny bats don’t like the way wind energy is made and their friends are looking to sue. And something creepy is afoot at the Homestead police station.

Moment Of Indecision

                                        The Week In Pittsburgh

By Jeffery Fraser

After 10 weeks of testimony from 44 witnesses and another 10 days of deliberation, a federal jury decided they couldn’t decide on the guilt or innocence of former Allegheny County coroner and cable news homicide expert of choice Cyril Wecht, who stood accused of using his public office for private gain. The U.S. attorney, however, immediately decided to try him again.

IntoPittsburgh Futures

By Jim Russell

The Tri-Boro Development Forum, comprised of Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin, and Swissvale, is seeking the wisdom of crowds. What is the best way to make these communities a better place to live? In the world of social networking, prediction markets are a hot trend in solving problems.

Lighting Up & Talking Merger

                                        The Week In Pittsburgh

By Jeffery Fraser

Talk of a Pittsburgh-Allegheny County merger turned serious last week and in its wake came the expected hand-wringing over how to bridge the differences between city and county and the way their governments do business. Meanwhile, a new study suggested one patch of common ground: Folks around here apparently smoke like fiends compared to most other parts of the country.

Generation Boomerang

By Jim Russell

As Chris Briem reminds us, most of the people who left Pittsburgh during the 1980s have not returned to the region. Demographics are beginning to turn back into Pittsburgh's favor, but the Steel City still struggles to attract new residents. However, the inevitable annual out-migration of young adults may soon yield a boomerang effect, as the Bakersfield (CA) case indicates:

Doughnutty Pittsburgh

By Jim Russell

Doughnut urbanization is a common geographic pattern for American cities. As more jobs and people move to the suburbs, center city hollows out. The shrinking tax base hits postindustrial cities particularly hard because more money is needed to fix the aging infrastructure. From the perspective of a resident, one carrot leading incomes further and further from downtown is superior schools at less cost.