MEET US AT THE INTERSECTION
On April 1, we hosted the first iteration of our new event series The Intersection, an open forum that includes all sectors of our society to gather and exchange ideas that lead to action. In a city comprising many neighborhoods and experiences, sometimes we live and work in our own silos. So we set out to create a place for people and ideas to come together.
We know that Pittsburgh has been having such conversations for decades, and we want to bring something new to the table. Our approach is threefold:
- Intersectional: We invited leaders from across all aspects of society, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our speakers represented sectors including civic and nonprofit, architecture and design, tech and innovation, government affairs and public policy, small business, and more.
- Interactive: We created a fresh format that integrates contributions from the audience – also full of Pittsburgh’s leaders and thinkers – throughout the entire conversation, rather than relegating them to a Q&A at the end.
- Action-oriented: We pledge to turn the ideas into action. At the end of each recap, we’ll provide more insight on how these discussions power our work.
FEATURED SPEAKERS ON PITTSBURGH’S IDENTITY
For our first discussion, we chose to focus on the fundamental theme of identity: who were we, who are we, and who will we be tomorrow? Five of Pittsburgh’s pioneers led the conversation. Their thoughts are best expressed in their own words:
BEA SPOLIDORO
Principal, Fisher ARCHitecture
“Pittsburgh’s identity is so fragmented that it’s a mosaic. There is a lot of potential in a mosaic, because every chip counts. If you miss a chip, you will see it. You need the leadership to create attractors so that when you see the mosaic from far away, you can read the plan, the strategy, the image.”
DANIEL GURWIN
Brand Identity Designer, Daniel Gurwin Studio
“When people talk to me about the Pittsburgh look and feel, I think they mean the industrial look. But I think the real Pittsburgh identity is one that recognizes the strengths: all the opportunity, and celebrating local –not as small, but as very special, very focused, very finely tuned. And I see a lot of pride in folks being able to say: this is uniquely Pittsburgh.“
MARITA GARRETT
Founder and CEO, Civically, Inc.
“I feel that in Pittsburgh, we’re entering the era of a reckoning. We’re really realizing that we are stronger together, and that the more we can collaborate on resources, the more we can enter a new chapter together. Let’s not let anyone else tell our story. And let the sky truly be the limit for us all.“
GERARDO INTERIANO
SVP, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Aurora
“When I moved here, people were like, ‘Why would you leave Austin and move to Pittsburgh?’ And my vision for our future is that every single person here can answer that question for themselves. There should be a sense of pride. You shouldn’t have to ask. You should know why people in Austin are not asking themselves, ‘Why would you move to Austin?‘”
SAMARTH BHASKAR
Group Content Program Manager, Duolingo
“The thing that gets me really excited is to map a future where we just slowly start to move up, and then continue moving up, and our identity becomes momentum. It becomes just taking the one next step, trying the one next thing, investing in the one next idea.”
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CROWD
Throughout the conversation, we also heard from over a dozen influential Pittsburghers who were in attendance. Here are a few highlights:
REV. PAUL ABERNATHY
CEO, Neighborhood Resilience Project
“We are forging a new community, but we are also dreaming about forging a new nation. We are dreaming about a global impact. And what I’m grateful for is that Pittsburgh Tomorrow is giving us now a vehicle by which we can channel this long bottled energy.”
BART GRIFFITH
President, Shady Side Academy
“I was taken aback by the sludge that impacts the efforts of newcomers to present a new idea…I think the potential lies in closing that gap between newcomers and natives, allowing for more empowerment for transplants to get their ideas on the field of play, and have impact more immediately.”
MONICA RUIZ
Executive Director, Casa San José
“Is Pittsburgh changing? I think we’re changing it within ourselves. And it’s not changing fast enough. But I do want to thank and acknowledge a lot of people that have been working really, really hard to make Pittsburgh a more welcoming place.”
ACTION PLAN
Coming out of these events, we’ll share how these conversations either fuel existing work we’re doing at Pittsburgh Tomorrow, or spark new initiatives.
Here are our three next steps from Identity:
- Build the community of The Intersection. We’re building a collective of leaders that drive change, and we won’t slow down now. Stay tuned for the announcement of our next event.
- Make Pittsburgh a more welcoming place. In the coming weeks you will see us announce several initiatives – building on current work such as our New Americans project and Go Global workshop – that all focus on the newcomer journey, helping flight risks find community and happiness in Pittsburgh.
- Reframe Pittsburgh as an idea. While the discussion acknowledged the importance of our history and legacy, we all agreed we need to rally behind a new shared identity going forward – one that includes themes of opportunity, innovation, momentum, and creation. Next month we’ll announce a new storytelling project that brings that new identity into focus, and shares it with the outside world.
We’ll conclude this recap with words from our founder and CEO Doug Heuck, who moderated this event and whose vision brought this community together.
DOUG HEUCK
Founder and CEO, Pittsburgh Tomorrow
“I started Pittsburgh Tomorrow because I think we can do a lot better here. I think we’ve got the raw materials, and I think we need to think bolder and bigger, and I think we can make this the best place to live in in the country.“
See you at the next one, Pittsburgh.
